Kommunikation für positiven sozialen Wandel fördern
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Revitalizing a media reform movement in Canada |
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Geschrieben von: Philip Lee, Deputy Director Programs, WACC
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WACC Global and WACC North America lent their support to the Campaign for Democratic Media (CDM) when it hosted a workshop on 26 May to review the findings of research funded by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC).
The aim of the research was to determine the 'building blocks' necessary to an emergent, politically progressive coalition aimed at democratizing public communication in Canada. WACC submitted the proposal to SSRC in partnership with Professor Robert A. Hackett (Simon Fraser University).
Participants heard Professor David Skinner (York University) give an outline of the main issues facing media reform, including support for local broadcasting and journalism, increased resources for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), and support for mandate-driven and non-profit local media.
Other issues were quickly added to a growing list. How to ensure that Canadians have genuine choice? How to create more space for Canadians to find Canadian content? In this regard, participants agreed that new media broadcasting needs regulatory back-up to support Canadian diversity. Issues of privacy, libel, environmental issues related to dependence on ICTs, Net neutrality, how to support amateur media production,and who controls the media were also highlighted.
CDM activists agreed on the need to be closely involved in ongoing political debates in Ottawa, such as the Heritage Hearings. Participants were concrned that media reform issues might be be paid lip-service in reports, but not taken up by politicians. They identified a trend of moving away from using public airwaves for public services toward corporate and private interests and swapping the capacity and clarity of digital technology for content and quality.
Steve Anderson, CDM National Coordinator, spoke of the need to be well informed and well organized. CDM is a network of people and organizations working for media democracy and intervening in media policy battles. It intends to push for more support for public and community media; tighter controls over public funding for media; and policy interventions such as those affecting Net neutrality.
CDM has designed tool-kits aimed at encouraging citizens to organize their own events to debate the future of the Internet and is working on drawing up a Declaration of 21st Century Media in support of public service media and citizen participation.
WACC currently runs several programmes that reflect the issues endorsed by CDM, including its Global Media Monitoring Programme (GMMP), Recognizing and Building Communication Rights, and ongoing work on the democratization of the media.
See: http://democraticmedia.ca/front |
WACC promotes communication for social change. It believes that communication is a basic human right that defines people's common humanity, strengthens cultures, enables participation, creates community and challenges tyranny and oppression.
The World Association for Christian Communication is a UK Registered Charity (number 296073) and a Company registered in England and Wales (number 2082273) with its Registered Office at 36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4ST. It is an incorporated Charitable Organisation in Canada (number 83970 9524 RR0001) with its head office at 308 Main Street, Toronto ON, M4C 4X7.
