Media and Development - RNW - Radio Netherlands Worldwide

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Media and Development | Chapter 6
Exploring options and
opportunities
CHAPTER 6
DESIGN
Following the exploration of the positive experiences in the past with media and
development (Discovery) and the aspirations and potential for what could be
possible when media use their full potential for development (Dream), the next
stage in the process is to explore the options and opportunities for applicable and
realistic choices.
Starting from the themes that were identified earlier to be crucial in the field of
media and development, all participants contributed in a brainstorm session
to the making of a ‘mind map’: a spider web configuration of the world of media
and development. Trends and observations were placed in the spider map. Using
coloured dots, each participant could indicate which trends or observations were
the most important or inspiring. In the picture on the left the result of this is visible.
A schematic (and readable) figure of the map can be found at the end of this
chapter.
Six topics were elaborated in working groups, formed on the basis of shared
interest. The groups defined issues and points of action which can be taken up by
the various stakeholders in the near future:
1. New roles for media and journalists
Journalists in developing countries find themselves in a constantly fluctuating
situation in which it is not always easy to be clear about journalistic ethics and
proper conduct. For instance, when a society frees itself from political dictatorship
and enters into democracy, journalists who favor this change cannot always draw
an easy line between political activism and professional reporting. What to do with
social and political criticism of the new leaders? How to judge anti-democratic
tendencies? In a fast changing environment, is it possible to stick to the traditional
standards and ethics of professional journalism?
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