Media missing the
Convergence Bill
Guy Berger,
Rhodes University,
Convergence South
Africa Conference,
19-20 October, 2005,
Indaba Hotel,
Johannesburg
Coming up:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
How media have reported the Bill
Media as a policy factor
Media in convergence
Device convergence
Money and mergers
Conclusion
1. HOW MEDIA REPORTED
1.
2.
3.
4.
How media have reported the Bill?◄
Media as a policy factor
Media in convergence
Conclusion
Bill: What Bill?
Articles mainly in IT & business press
Gerbert Vandenberghe study
45 articles online
18 in Business
Day, 12 in the
Star, 5 in the
Sowetan, 4 in
This Day, 3 in
Citizen, one each
in City Press,
Daily Dispatch &
Cape Argus.
Covered high hopes
Had our weaknesses


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
60% did not define convergence
65% gave no background
Most articles superficial – single aspect
Focus was on policy decisions, not on
options or impact.
 Language: economistic and legal,
 But technical issues explained.
Showed excitement
But gaps abound
 Almost 60% did not link articles to
consumer issues – unless written by
non-journalists
 Almost zero on government objectives
like universal service and BEE
 GB: Just a couple of issues singled out
– reactively.
Sourcing problems
 Interviews: some
reporters say
sources ok,
others crit DoC
 Many reports from press releases &
official sources
 80% didn’t question/crit their sources
 Only 40% had more than one source
Kinds of sources
50
45
40
Authorities
35
30
25
Companies
20
Legal
15
10
5
0
NGO
Other
Lack of independence
 Gave the opinion
of industry, rather
than own view
 Criticism comes
from industry
sources.
 Journalists don’t
question those
who are negative.
Reduced to black & white
Tone towards government:
60
Neutral
56%
50
40
Negative
33%
30
Posit ive
Neut ral
Negat ive
20
10
Positive
11%
0
Comm. 2000:
30%
49%
21%
Events-focus, not issues
Second Bill
 Impression of far
less coverage
 Circa 14 since
hearings began
 DA’s Dene Smuts
very active!
 So where
are the
journalists?
Many concerns reflected
Scepticism conveyed
Diverse nuances recorded
Both bills: where coverage fell
 Little grasp of issues
or their interlinkage
 Repeated jargon “tech
neutral”, licences
 Exaggerated threat of
website licences
 Ignored Ministerial
powers increase.
Flowing up-hill
 Underplayed Icasa
issues
 Ignored significant
market power debate
 Weakest on the
problematic process &
“managed liberalisation”
 Under-reporting on
stakeholder responses
Echoes study: Afr media & ICT
done by Roland Stanbridge & Maria Ljunggren
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

Egypt
Morocco
Cameroon
Rwanda
Ethiopia
Malawi
Mozambique
Senegal
Ghana
■ There is lack of critical
analysis.
■ Reports have no follow-up.
■ The voice of the people
is absent.
■ Rural issues are absent
■ There is silence on ICT
policy & WSIS.
Why the weaknesses?
 Editors are uninformed on implications
of information society developments.
 Journalists also lack knowledge.
 Newsrooms lack connectivity.
 There is poor (NGO) media liaison.
 There are too few women in ICT
journalism.
2. MEDIA AS POLICY FACTOR
1.
2.
3.
4.
How media have reported the Bill
Media as a policy factor ◄
Media in convergence
Conclusion
Findings 6 African countries
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Kenya
Mozambique
DRC
Nigeria
Ethiopia
Senegal
by Highway Africa, sponsored by Catia
Media help democracy …but
“
Little sign of
deepening a
democratic role to
be a vital link in
public policy
processes w.r.t.
the African
Information
Society.
Yet, I.S. policies
impact back on
media, but the two
hands (media &
policy) aren’t feeding into each other.
FINDING:
“
The media is silent in terms of:
 relevant policy agenda-setting
 policy debate and formulation,
 implementation,
 monitoring, and
 review.
”
1. Liberal democratic model
MEDIA 2
COVERAGE
1
PUBLIC +
OPINION
GOVT
RESPONDS
3
i.e. The public is the active source of public opinion
eg. Aids activists win coverage, affect govt
2. Muckraker model
PUBLIC +
OPINION
1
2
MEDIA
COVERAGE
GOVT
RESPONDS
3
i.e. Media coverage is active source of public opinion
eg. Exposure of child abuse
3. Bypassing Civil Society
2
GOVT
RESPONDS
1
MEDIA
COVERAGE
= “PUBLIC OPINION”
i.e. Media impacts on govt, irrespective of real public opinion
eg. Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky
4. Manipulation model
2
MEDIA
COVERAGE
1
GOVT
INITIATES
PUBLIC +
OPINION
3
i.e. Government is the originator of public opinion
eg. Iraq war in US, Info scandal, discredit leader’s rivals
5. Propaganda picture
MEDIA
COVERAGE
1
2
GOVT
INITIATES
i.e. Government is the originator, circuit incomplete
eg. media coverage pleases govt, but ignored by public
Five models
1. Liberal dem – people-driven
2. Muckraker model – media-driven
3. Bypassing civil society –
media<->govt
4. Manipulation model – govt-driven
5. Propaganda picture – govt-driven
Models for Info Society policy:
1. Lib dem – people-driven:
•
elitist-agendas
2. Muck-raker– media-driven:
•
pro-media policy
3. Bypass – media<->govt:
•
licensing 4 pals
4. Manipulation – govt-driven:
•
privatising telco
5. Propaganda – govt-driven:
•
sunshine imagery
SA journos on power
“
 Can influence policy by promoting support or
pressure.
 Sometimes, but industry also plays a role.
 Coverage can stimulate lobbying – and govt
action.
 Reciprocal relationship between public
opinion and policy.
 Media can influence, alongside lobby groups.
 Some said they actively tried to influence
public opinion.
”
Steep climb to relevance
 In ‘Catia’ countries studied,
there is little evidence of any
model at work.
 Contrary to models, media is
NOT (yet) a factor there.
 BUT SA shows some life –
 Supports our participatory
policy tradition
3. MEDIA IN CONVERGENCE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How media have reported the Bill
Media as a policy factor
Media in convergence ◄
Media in convergence
Conclusion
Lobbyists on the Bill
 Etv, SABC, MultiChoice, Print Media
SA, OPA, NAB, Primedia.
 Not much common cause made with
telcos, NGOs, IT companies, other
stakeholders.
 Yet, convergence is slowly happening,
to media - despite the dot-com bomb.
History: Computing + media
 When PCs met media, went into accounting:
Spread to:
 Newsgathering
 Editing
 Management
 Output platform
 Enterprise &
Content
Managment
Once upon a time
telcoms
IT
media
Computers infiltrate
telcoms
IT
media
Internet is born:
IT=ICT
Internet
telcoms
media
What was designed as a voice network
also carries data between computers
And media joins in …
ICT
internet
telcoms
1 to 1 comms
media
1 to many comms
Specifically new media
ICT
new
media:
WWW
telcoms
media
Online papers & stations
ICT
WWW
print
telcoms
broadcast
Other new media exploited
ICT
telcoms
WWW,
email-newsletters,
PDAs,
phones,
billboards.
print
broadcast
Print & broadcast blur
ICT
new
media
print
telcoms
broadcast
Quest for a dot.com King:
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content,
community,
commerce,
channel (portal),
cybercity,
carrier,
community-created
content?
Lord of the C-ings:
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None of these “C’s”
Too web-Centric!
Royal Person not online!
= Set-back & unbundling
Reinforced divergence!
But Governing Principle:
 Convergence rules across all media
 The lesser “C’s” are part of the royal
family …
 Can be found across all platforms
 Eg. Newspapers – content, community,
commerce, channel, city, carrier, ccc
 Now: all media incl web need to link up!
Rules of the reign:
 Convergence requires co-operation
among all the dukes, barons, princes ….
and even the princesses!
 We will see the cross-media empire start
to !
Qtn: In the whole
converged media pack,
what platform is top
flyer?
Summing up:
 Telcoms and IT industry create Internet.
 Media industry joins the party, mainly with
Internet, but also other new ICTs.
 Lines within the media industry itself start
to blur.
 But the media hasn’t quite grasped it!
WHY?
Answer: Very complex topic!
Culture
Finance
Policy
Production+distrib
Devices
Media sector
ICT sector
Technology
Eg. changing revenue models
 At present, SABC pays Sentech to
deliver its broadcast.
In future, Sentech may pay SABC for the
content it seeks to deliver.
 At present, Johncom pays Telkom for
bandwidth to deliver Internet content to
customers.
In future, Telkom’s rival may seek to pay
Johncom for the content.
Implix for the media
 Value chain is changing
 New revenue streams emerging
 More platforms
 More producers, incl audience P2P
 More competition
6. CONCLUSION
1.
2.
3.
4.
How media have reported the Bill
Media as a policy factor
Media in convergence
Conclusion ◄
Summing up
 Reporting the bill – scores 55%
 Policy role for press – unrealised
 SA a bit better than rest of Africa
 SA media did lobby
 But lagging in actual convergence
 Need to grasp complexities of it all
Take away thoughts:
 Media’s business is not just to report
change, but to ride it as well.
 Stand-alone media will not make it.
 Convergence starts with co-operation.
However …
It all hinges on reporting
convergence better!
- putting it on agendas of the
public, policy-makers, and
media owners
Step forward: HANA
+ Centre for Learning ICTS - Clict
A content portal for ICT journalists:
• Knowledge
• Networking
• Certified qualification building
• HANA feed
CLICT
Think Pieces
News
Research
Community
Resources
Education
Thank you
http://journ.ru.ac.za/staff/guy/
www.mg.co.za/converse
www.highwayafrica.org.za