Media, Governance & Democracy from an African/Western context

The press is vital in pushing for socio-economic and political development. It can serve, to an extent as an alternative to what we normally would refer to ‘representative government’ even as submitted by William T. Stead in his concept on ‘Government by Journalism’, notwithstanding Walter Lippman’s counter argument that the press can not serve as an alternative to institutions. For Stead, the media can perform the functions that representative government has failed to perform, while Lippman’s, in his work, ‘Public Opinion’ states that it is ‘not possible  to assume that a world, carried on by division of labor and distribution of authority, can be governed by universal opinions in the whole population…’ Whatever the arguments and counter arguments, the media is vital in the process of change.

In a work titled ‘Press and Politics in Africa, edited by Ritchard Tamba M’Bayo et al, it is argued that one of the most useful socio-political functions of the media is to extend the scope and promote the quality of political discourse. From a realistic perspective, this has been the case especially in a post war country like Sierra Leone. Beyond the African continent, this has been the case.  On the 12^th of June 2007, Tony Blair, then Prime Minister of Britain, delivered a speech on Public Life in which he extensively looked at the media in Britain and the extent to which it went in shaping public life and opinion.(Visit Google  for the speech if you so wish)

With this in mind, I am  attempting to look at the speech from the contextual framework and also against landscape of Western society, consider the technological advancement of the media in the Western world (UK, USA) and also from the viewpoint of the scope and intensity of the media in the Western world (UK, USA) .Again, the speech is analyzed from the perspective of how the society in the UK and America respond to the Media Also, based on my little knowledge of the Western Media especially from the perspective of what Blair said  I am also attempting  to draw parallels to  the growth of the media in Sierra Leone, and  at the same time concentrating  on the impact of the media on politics, and politicians.

The contextual framework

The media is a major catalyst for socio-economic and political change. This cuts across; whether in Africa, Europe or Asia. The Western media has an influential role in shaping the life style of leaders and even in shaping public opinion on issues of national debate. No wonder that from a general perspective, it is noticeable that  the speech delivered by Tony Blair  on the media prior to him leaving office as British Prime Minister was one of disappointment, although, to an extent he(Blair) was able to realize the importance of the media in the governance of the state.

One may argue that the speech itself, was in no way a complaint[1] but rather, as he puts it, an ‘argument’, following his interaction with the world of communication, after over a decade being at the top of ‘the greasy pole’. The traditional role of the media is that of informing, educating and entertaining   listeners, viewers or readers. And as said by Edward Herman et al in their work, ‘Manufacturing Consent, The Political Economy of the Mass Media’ the media serve ‘and propagandize on behalf of, the powerful societal interests that control; and finance them. However, when this crucial role is being misused by practitioners, it then becomes a problem, especially in trying to maintain the credibility and esteem that should go along with the profession.   From the contextual framework, it came out clear that Tony Blair was not happy with the performance of the media in general and as such, did he become critical of how the media treated him, whilst in office.

It would be relevant to state that he was able to realize that the media is a major component in the development of the state. For him, ‘a free media is a vital part of a free society…’  The media can be a catalyst for peace and help to build a culture of peace by providing full, fair and balanced reporting…. For the media to be able to perform any meaningful role ion the building of a culture of peace… governments must recognize and support the important role of the media in the promotion of such a peace[2].

Politician’s disappointment with the media could be as a result of the irresponsible way it sometimes takes on issue and the difficulty of the media to demonstrate some level of impartiality, fairness and objectivity, which are core to the profession. The media, whether in Africa or the West is most often than not, accused of taking sides on contentious socio-economic and political issues and this is a serious problem that should be overcome by all. This is the same for even the same with Al Jazeera, which is accused of not being able to detach itself from what it is reporting from the Arab world (read Information Age Journalism: Journalism in an International Context by Vincent Campbell). There may often be as much interpretation of what a politician is saying as there is coverage of them actually saying it. This problem is not only limited to the media in the West but even in developing countries.

Tony Blair is disappointed that ‘we are all being dragged  down by the way media and public life interact’ and that trust in journalists is not much above  that in politicians . He was particularly concerned about the aspect of fairness and being balance in the presentation of news, and spoke of the desire for the media to be impartial. The media can at times be less balanced.

Media landscape

The media industry, whether in the developed or developing nations, has today undergone a range of technological advancements that has also helped in determining the level of coverage and the extent to which the media is now being acceptable by society.  From ma local context, the media in Sierra Leone has undergone several transformation both from the perspective of political authority when viewed from the angle of its relationship with politicians, and also when looked at from the viewpoint of technological development.

Generally, technological advancement in the media is a major factor in determining the level of impact the media industry has had on public life. Denis Mc Quail, 1987, as referred to by M’Bayo et al suggested that the performance of the media can be viewed from three different kinds of evidence; evidence at the media organization, contextual level and evidence at the societal level. In practice, the media performance in Sierra Leone has been encouraging, when Ma Quail’s views are taken into perspective. As underscored by Tony Blair about the media in the West, the media, even in Africa has today become more diverse and transformed by science and technology.  Any attempt aimed at looking at the technological advancement of the media in the Western world, taking the United Kingdom and the United States of America as case studies should be viewed from the following areas; development in ICT, Internet connectivity, mobile communication, growth in newspapers and radio stations,  and growth in number of television stations among other factors.  

Growth in newspaper circulation:

Tony Blair spoke of the technological advancement of the media and how that has today impacted on the lives of people.  Before, the British Broadcasting Corporation used to have  an audience of between 8 and 10 million but  today the average is half that[3] . This advancement is part only limited to the British Broadcasting Corporation, but even with the newspapers; today there are hundreds of newspapers across the United Kingdom and the United States of America to the extent that readers are left with several options on which paper to go in for. This is all as a result of the technological advancement of the media.

By 1982, there were just few television stations in the United Kingdom but ‘today, there are hundreds. That, 225 TV shows had audiences of over 15 million person by 1995 in the UK, but this is beyond that today. This is indicative of the fact that there has been, and still continues to be, levels of technological advancement in the media in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Internet connectivity:

This has been another area in media communication that has experienced a wide range of technological advancement. The internet is seen as the greatest technological advancement in the 20th century [4] . It links the world in a way that phones couldn’t, it has information that is easy to access, and one can buy items at the last minute a lot faster than one could without the internet.  In the developed world today, internet advertisement has overtaken newspapers today. Practically, what the newspaper carries the next day is what is being carried on the internet within minutes or seconds, a day earlier than the paper would do.

There has been a sharp increase even in the number of blogs, with about 70 million in existence and over 120,000 created daily.  There has also been an increase in information and communication technological advancement. Again, mobile communication has tremendously helped to shape the media development in this century. Some 20 years ago, the use of mobile, as means of communication was never thought of, but with technological advancement mobile communication has become part of today’s global trends of information and communication. Today with the internet, one can receive information as soon as one expects, and news is being updated regularly. It has also even helped in simplifying communication.

Primarily as a result of the advancement of the media technologically in the West, it has become a practical reality that news even as stated by Tony Blair in is speech, has become a free commodity. ‘News is becoming increasingly a free good, provided online without charge’. There has been growth in the number of listeners/viewers and readers of media, all as a result of technological advancement in the western media. Also, there is today free access to information, as is envisaged through the internet, and most importantly, there is also an increase in the number of media outlets, radios and newspapers inclusive in the Western world. However the Issue of free access to information is a major governance challenge for most African countries. Sierra Leone is making efforts to enact an access to information law. South Africa happens to be one of the few countries in Africa with an access to information law. There have been serious campaign efforts on the part of the Society for Democratic Initiatives, a small local NGO, in influencing the government to get an act guaranteeing citizens access to information. Also the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, with Umaru Fofana as President is working assiduously for such a law and also for the decriminalization of libel.

These two major governance challenges were part of the campaign promise of the ruling All Peoples Congress government. What makes the whole process simple is the face that the current Minister of Information, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo was President for the Journalists Association and he was also strongly advocating for such laws. Meanwhile, there seem to be light at the end of the passageway since the government has in principle demonstrated its readiness to enact the FOI law and decriminalize libel.

When discussing the scope of the western media from the perspective of what Tony Blair said, certain factors must be taken into serious consideration, among them, but  not limited to; timeliness of the news,  and the number of media outlets in the UK and the United States of America.  It is true, that the media in the west has a major role in shaping the views and opinions of decision and policy makers.  Political activity has always been conditioned to a greater extent by the nature of the dominant means of communication available for carrying it [5] .

The scope of the media, which entails the extent to which media covers issues in the west  dictates  that  there timeliness on the part of the media in presenting the news to the consumers. This may be related to the high level of literacy and people are also conversant with issues as they happen.  Generally, the technological advance in the media also makes for fresh and prompt news that should be available. Tony Blair spoke that news agencies always compete to break the stories and lead the schedule.

One may need to look at society’s response to the media in the developed world Society’s response to the media in the United Kingdom could be analyzed from both positive and negative angles. Positively the media in the West is appreciated because of its analytical power on issues of national concern. This is also even admitted by Tony Blair in his speech under review, when he spoke that politicians are accountable through the ballot box, but are also accountable profoundly through the media, which is why a free press is necessary[6] .

However there are negative responds top the media s well, notwithstanding the positive responds that it normally enjoys from the Western society; a typical example, being the position of Tony Blair on the ‘Independent’ newspaper. He believes the newspaper is no longer a ‘newspaper’, but rather a ‘views paper’, as it is ‘rare today to find balance in the media’. So this indicates that there are times when the society will respond to the media badly.

Now the sensational aspect of presenting the news has also often made the western society to respond to the media adversely; just as in the case with Al Jazeera in the Middle East.  The way the media reported the Watergate scandal is an example of sensational reporting.  Internet fraud has also led to an adverse way of the western society, responding to the media.

Parallel between western Media and the growth of Sierra Leone’s media

The growth of the media in Sierra Leone could be compared to that of the United Kingdom, especially when viewed from the perspective of technological development. The media in Sierra Leone has also undergone series on technological development.    The growth and development of the media in Sierra Leone started way back in the nineteenth century with the introduction of the first printing press.  We saw the introduction of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service in 1934. Then, it was the one means of state broadcast.  Also by 1963, the SLBS TV had commenced operations but as cooperation between SLBS and commercial interests and only it was also only in 1978 that coverage was extended to all districts. There has been a great transformation of the press in Sierra Leone, as also argued by M’Bayo. For him, the relationship between those with political power and the press could be an indication of the level of development of that country.

The Margais (Milton and Albert), Stevens and Momoh regimes all have their positive and negative aspects when discussing press development in Sier5ra Leone. M’Bayo sees Albert Margai as one who encouraged press freedom due to his concept of democracy   just after his return from the constitutional talks. But things began go bad for the press from the Milton Margai’s era down to that of Momoh, who M’Bayo referred to ass one who ‘kept the ball going’ insofar as repressive media environment could go. The late Siaka Massaqui of Vision newspaper,   K Roy Stevens et al journalists have their stories to tell, when discussing press/politics relationship. Massaqui was a brilliant and sober journalist who challenged societal ills. He was jailed, just like Paul Kamara of For Di People.

Again, discussing the growth of the media in Sierra Leone should take into consideration the increase in media outlets. By 1992, there were slightly above 6 numbers in the country, and that was the era of the National Provincial Ruling Council, a military junta that overthrew the All Peoples Congress government of then President Joseph Saidu Momoh from power.  And interestingly, during the days of the military rule, there were all sort of repressive media laws, although , some of these laws were enacted   over five decades ago;  like the Public Order Act of 1965. In fact, the existence of this law   has deterred the existence of media freedom and press pluralism, as major components for democracy and good governance.

However, this trend witnessed a sudden change with the election of a democratic government, which provided room for a free press and a conducive media environment, at least in theory. The Tejan Kabbah led government even also oversaw the creation of media regulatory body; the Independent Media Commission, which just like the Press Complaint Commission in the United Kingdom, is    charged with the responsibility to promote a free and pluralistic press throughout Sierra Leone…[7]. This body is also changed to regulate the operations of the media in Sierra Leone, and, like the Press Complaint Commission in the UK, receive complaints from the public relating to the media.

Also with regard newspaper circulation, as in the United Kingdom, there has been a sharp increase in the number of newspaper published in Sierra Leone. As stated inter-earlier, there were less than 8 papers in Sierra Leone during the military era, but today, there are well over forty newspapers registered with the Independent Media Commission, the media regulatory body in Sierra Leone, with also over forty radio stations, both state owned, religious and private. This boom in radio growth has, to an extent helped to bridge the gap that once existed in terms of communicating to the people. The media in Sierra Leone has not only filled political void which was the case during the one party era, but also media void and one could arguably say that the media in Sierra Leone has become the latest parliament on air.

Now, news is being read in local languages, and as is the case in the western world, the listeners/ readers or viewers now have the option to choose which media to listen to, read or view. There are now diverse means of media communication.  This is even corroborated by Muctarr Wurie when he wrote that a look at Sierra Leone’s contemporary media landscape will indicate that there is a proliferation of new media houses-both print and electronic .From Freetown to Kailahun, this impact is being felt[8].

Freetown, which was a city that could not boast of a radio station, now enjoys plenty of airwaves, with almost every corner of the city, literally having a radio station. This is also the same with newspapers; today there are dozens of them in the city, all fighting to get the attention of a less than one million literate population in the capital, Freetown. As underscored earlier, the growth in media pluralism could be connected to the democratic credentials that Sierra Leone, a post war nation has been able to regain, in less than a decade.

Internet is another form of media communication that has witnessed a boom. It was low, until in 2008, after the introduction of wireless service, that the use of internet became increased.  At present there are nine Internet service providers (IISPs) in Sierra Leone[9]. Today as, in the United Kingdom, internet adverts have almost overpowered newspaper adverts; simply because, it is spontaneous, unlike the newspaper adverts which will only come out the next day. This is also the situation with news presentation.

The internet has also led to a situation wherein, people would go for days not reading papers but with the click of a bottom, can access all what was contained in the papers, through the internet.  Television also forms a major component of media communication. There are, at the moment, two television stations in the country, namely the SLBS TV and ABC TV –Africa. Again the transformation of the state broadcaster to a public corporation shows the level of media development ion Sierra Leone.  

However, this once state broadcaster, chaired by an Ex Minister of Information and Communication Professor Septimus Kaikai is now faced with the challenge of standing the test of time by actually being free from government and political interference.

Impact of media on politics/politicians:

From the viewpoint of democratic governance, the media is key to the success of democracy and good governance in Africa, no least Sierra Leone.  The main objective of a democratic government must be to eradicate poverty, to ensure that its citizens enjoy adequate living standards[10]. But ensuring this objective calls for the contribution of the media. Therefore, the media may be seen to have an important impact on politics as a profession. Ensuring the observance of democratic principles calls for the media to be robust and in readiness to ensure issues of public concern are highlighted and brought to the public domain.

However the impact that is expected to be exerted by the media in politics has not been felt from a practical perspective, though there have been serious contributions to the country’s development agenda. The media, as of now has not been able to critically analyze issues devoid of political connotations and this, may not sound well for good governance.  Realistically, it should be noted also that political governance  in Africa should  emphasis  not only  processes… but must also focus on content,i.e, the pursuit and implementation of the substantive  goals of good governance[11] .But the implementation of these substantive goals also requires the involvement of the media, as the ears and eyes of the society. The attainment of democratic goals could be difficult if not impossible without the involvement of the media in this direction.

The impact of the media on politics could be extended to its impact on politicians.  Generally the Media can influence public opinion, as in the case with the United Kingdom and the United States of America but the extent to which this has been the case in Sierra Leone  could not be compared to what is happening in the developed world.  This notwithstanding, there is greater room for more media development. It only would take the journalists association-SLAJ to continue to work steadfastly to ensure an advance media in Sierra Leone. The SLAJ President is seen as a ‘media hero’ especially by young upcoming practitioners who want a ‘change ‘and so far, he has proved to be that person.

Despite that there is the need for better conditions of service for media practitioners, especially reporters. In the next paper, I shall attempt to look at the problems facing the practice of journalism in Sierra Leone especially by doing a comparative analysis with other Africa countries.

Note: The Author, John Baimba Sesay is a candidate for the MA (Mass Communication) program at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.  He practiced for years as a journalist in Sierra Leone.

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[1]  Tony Blair’s speech on public life on 12^th June 2007, also available on (http:/news.bbc.co.uk)

[2] Kwasi,Ansu-Kyeremeh,Poly,McLean et al;(2004) Africa Media Review

[3] Paragraph 18 of the speech, where he highlighted  some of the advancement of the media technologically

[4] Also available on; http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/8833.html

[5] Colin, Seymour-Ure, The Media in Postwar British Politics. Also available on, http:/pa.oxfordjournals.org

[6] Tony Blair’s speech on public life on 12^th June 2007

[7] Independent Media Commission Act2000

[8] Wurie Muctarr, Sierra Leone’s evolving media landscape. Also available on http://articlebase.com/journalism

[9] Media of Sierra Leone. Available on http://wikipedia.org

[10] Konare, Adame Ba, History,Democracy,Values: New Lines of Reflection

[11] Wohlgemuth,Lennart,Sall Ebrima, Human Rights, Regionalism and the Dilemmas of Democracy in Afgrica.Page 51

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