As Andrea has already said, our days in NYC have been filled with activities. They are particularly varied in UN Week Digital Media Lounge, designed for bloggers and journalists as a place from where it is possible to cover some of the most important speeches held in the UN, to listen to activists and experts in the amphitheater next door talking about a number of issues related to MDGs, as well as to carry interviews, write, or to meet fellow bloggers.
This morning we had an opportunity to hear about the role of media in development in general, and about the The Media Map Project in particular. This is in brief how they describe themselves:
Internews, The World Bank and The Brookings Institution are collaborating to bridge the gap in current research by analyzing the data on media and development. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Media Map Project aims to answer the questions: What does the evidence say about media’s role in development? And what are the most effective ways to strengthen independent media?
The study will provide guidance to donors and non-profit organizations on how investments in local media might serve to advance governance and development objectives.
(Speaking of the Gates Foundation, two days ago we have also attended TEDx event convened by Melinda Gates).
Today, Tara Susman-Pena from the Internews and Mark Nelson from the World Bank spoke about the meaning and importance of media development for the media and for the audience, about indicators of media development, and about the scope, purpose and findings of the Media Map Project.
I will in brief mention some of the messages heard.
- Media development, among other things, include: Public which is literate and engages with news stories; public that uses information from the media to make decisions that impact their lives; public that has a variety of means to make their voices heard.
- Developed media promotes: Government accountability & transparency; democracy, business accountability & transparency; healthy markets & economic growth; citizen empowerment; overall development.
- The model of donor assistance in one region may not necessarily be applicable to another region. Specific approaches need to be developed.
- Initial findings of the Media Map Project indicate: In Sub-Saharan Africa free press correlates to higher average GDP growth rate; in Sub-Saharan Africa free press correlates to better governance.
The data are still lacking which of these influences what, but knowing about the correlation is already interesting and encouraging, I would say.