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SAARC Human Resource Development CentreRole of Media inGovernance: TheoreticalPerspectiveByHamid Raza KhanVisiting Faculty at Department of Governance &Organizational Sciences, NUML IslamabadOctober 8, 2010Press & Politics: An Introductiona) Politics-media connectionb) Press-power connection in ‘FourTheories of the Press’ (Authoritarian,Libertarian, Social Responsibility, Soviet Communist)c) Intertwining of journalism andpoliticsd) Difficulties in deciding journalist’role in politicsa)Media & DemocraticGovernanceState of democracy around the worldApproaches to Media’s Role inGovernance (Normative Approach)What ideal roles should media systems play to strengthen democraticgovernance and thus bolster human development?b) Reversal of democratic governancec) Challenges to contemporary democraciesd) Importance of democratic governanceMDGs of 2000Success stories of democratic governance around the worldFailures in meeting MDGsWhat to do?a) Routine roles by journalists– Multiple roles– Seen as spokespersons of state, commercial media– Neglect of urgent humanitarian crises, developmentchallengesb) Need for institutional or collective media role– as watchdogs– as agenda setters– as gatekeepersApproaches to Media’s Role inGovernance (Empirical Approach)Under what conditions do media systems actually succeedor fail to fulfil these objectives?a) Media’s performance depends on a broader context– the profession,– the market– the stateb) Impact of these constraints on journalists in– different places,– types of regimes– global regionsApproaches to Media’s Role inGovernance (Strategic Approach)What policy interventions work most effectively to close thesubstantial gap that exists between the democratic promiseand performance of the news media as an institution?a) Interventionsb) Institutional capacity buildingc) Developing a regulatory legal frameworkd) Policies (deregulation)e) Protection of constitutional principles of freedomf) Comprehensive media system auditsg) Integration of specific performance indicators intodevelopment projects48