Themes

Media development seeks broadly to build capacities, institutions and enabling environments that allow an independent and professional media to flourish. There are also specific areas that have been the focus of media development assistance. Media are seen as crucial actors in several areas: promoting or reducing conflict; broadening knowledge and debate of development policy choices; providing civic education and serving as a “watchdog” to encourage democracy and good governance; building awareness of basic rights and helping to expose abuses; and in all these matters serving to expand informed participation in decision making. Media development assistance interventions in these matters are often targeted at influencing specific behaviours through media.