New Media and Revolution by Brownlee Billie Jeanne;

Author:Brownlee, Billie Jeanne;
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
Published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Figure 5.1 | Media Development

The aid structure through which media development programmes are put in place is a complex mechanism that varies according to the specific case. A simplified version (see figure 5.1) of this structure would be organised in terms of structure and level of participation.34 In this graphic, the flow of funds comes from donors (rich governments or individuals). It then reaches agencies (multilateral institutions), and at this point is funnelled to the recipient country through the implementers (NGOs, local partners, etc.).35

The standard map includes donors and donees, governments, quasi-governmental organisations and NGOs, funders, intermediaries, and local partners. Some actors participate in more than one stage. This scheme is only partially respected, as there are numerous private sector groups engaged in aid, both as donors and as implementers of NGOs. In addition, if the recipient country is an authoritarian state, as in the case of Syria, this may hamper activities that appear to be politicised or could be viewed as jeopardising the state’s stability. In this case, some organisations resort to a ploy to dupe the regime’s restrictions, by working behind the backs of governments, implementing projects underground, online, or through working with citizens (such as the Syrian diaspora) outside their national borders.36 As an example, the Dutch agency Hivos (Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation) has been involved with online journalists and bloggers from Syria, supporting numerous initiatives including Global Voices and Mideast Youth. Hivos has maintained a low visibility regarding its activities in Syria, though its involvement has often been brought to light through activists’ neglect in keeping their involvement undercover. The BBC has also supported online initiatives, like training people to use social media tools, and through a section on the Syria News site called ‘the place I live’, with the intention of creating a space for citizens to share complaints with public officials. Online training is arguably the safest option when conditions do not allow journalists to travel or when the risk of being tracked is too high – the Ara2 Academy project, an online training course funded by the BBC in Syria, is an excellent example. In some cases, training is also done from the outside, taking journalists, writers, broadcasters, filmmakers, and technicians outside to safer locations where they undertake intensive workshops – a method adopted by the well-established media organisation Freedom House.37 In contrast, all international donors like the UN and the EC can only work through official channels, meaning in partnership with Syrian ministries or GONGOs.

According to the BBC study report ‘Country Case Study: Syria’, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union and its member states are the largest providers of funding for media development.38 Among the regional donor community, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development are the main players.39 On a general note, given the restrictive media environment in Syria, many organisations have preferred to carry out their work below the governmental radar, resulting in no visibility of any kind within the country or abroad.

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