After the Arab Uprisings - The Prospects for a Media that Serves the Public

"This paper looks at broadcast media in the Arab world four years after the Arab uprising. It looks at how media can help bridge divides in society and create mutual understanding." Alexandra Buccianti

In a context described as containing increasingly polarised political discourse, this BBC Media Action policy briefing "argues that national broadcasters have the potential to help to bridge some of these social divides if these institutions can be reformed to serve public, rather than state, interests. To make this case, the briefing looks at four countries undergoing political change - Libya, Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia - to examine the potential for national broadcasters to play a role that is more explicitly geared towards social cohesion."

• Libya - factional control and in-fighting has resulted "in a media marked by bias, defamation and incitement on the Libyan airwaves. Until that conflict subsides, this briefing public service content from outside the country’s borders and to use that programming to provide basic information for all groups and slowly build tolerance over time."
• Egypt - turbulence and political instability of the past few years is reflected in a "highly polarised media environment. The country benefits from a long-standing national broadcaster with the potential to reach large swathes of the country and a programming heritage that has shaped the collective imagination of generations. However, its bloated bureaucracy, concerns over its editorial independence, inadequate regulation, and a narrowing of media and political freedoms places real limits on the broadcaster’s ability to play a much-needed social  cohesion role for its audiences."
• Lebanon - its private media sector is characterised as vibrant, and it has a "recently reformed national broadcaster with recognised potential to help to bridge the social divides that have lingered long after the civil war subsided. But without deeper economic and political buy-in from the different political actors who make up the Lebanese state, this institution is falling short of being truly innovative in its programming and attracting sustained audiences."
• Tunisia - it has "the most highly evolved regulatory system" and a national television station that "commands significant reach and a substantial loyal audience" while "undergoing a process of institutional reform", while still lacking "the administrative and financial independence that can protect it from government control."

From the "Conclusions, recommendations and the case for institutional reform" section:

1. "There is no substitute for a free media, which effectively holds political leaders to account....
2. National broadcasters may be an under-appreciated asset for delivering public service values....[N]ational broadcasters have the infrastructure, reach and cultural status to produce programming that promotes inclusive dialogue and debate and represents the public....
3. ....[P]ublic service values are relevant to a country’s entire media ecology. Particularly during times of conflict or in strict authoritarian systems, alternative conduits such as internet platforms can help to circumvent logistical hurdles and may, in the short run, be the only feasible option....
4. As broadcasters gain a better understanding of what audiences want, programming needs to reflect their concerns....At least in some countries, the [audience is]... also looking to the media to play a role in conflict resolution. Donors and practitioners alike need to take these concerns seriously and fashion programmes accordingly.
5. Youth audiences, in particular, cannot be ignored....[W]ith a large demographic under the age of 25 who grew up on new media, state broadcasters ignore this audience at their peril. Programming needs to be relevant to this segment of the population and it should be increasingly rolled out on the new media formats where young people consume content.
6. To maximise inclusiveness and representation, formats need to go beyond news....[O]ther formats - including debate and talk shows, as well as drama - may be better suited to tackling the objectives of universality and diversity. Drama and comedy have both been extremely popular formats in the region, and evidence from Egypt suggests that viewers are inspired by characters that they can relate to in social dramas.
7. Institutional reform is vital....[A] properly designed regulatory body ... can regulate a market for economic - rather than political - reasons, and independence for the state broadcaster in terms of its financing and its personnel. While it is outside the scope of this paper to provide a detailed analysis of this process, it would necessarily entail looking carefully at issues such as the rules pertaining to who makes appointments to government media bodies, how these positions are recruited and their term limits, who governs budgets, what sorts of labour laws are in place, how media practitioners and politically vested interests are represented within these bodies (if at all), etc.
8. The political context is crucial. A functioning institutional environment that supports the delivery of public service values on paper is meaningless if the political environment does not enable these to be put into action...."

In summary, from the BBC Media Action website: "National broadcasters can fulfil a public service mission by instilling the twin public service values of universality and diversity into their programming, underpinned by a clear commitment to editorial independence. Formats that enable inclusive dialogue, rational debate and clear and trusted information can, at least in theory, mitigate conflict by facilitating tolerance, mutual understanding and representation. In all four cases, while the potential to deliver such programming is there, its ultimate realisation hinges critically on a politically enabling environment that does not, by and large, yet exist."

Click here to read the Executive summary of this document online.