AFTER THE MDGS: ACCESS TO MEDIA AND INFORMATION IN THE POST-2015 AGENDA

A BENEVOLENT FOG?Dr Martin Scott, University of East Anglia

What role for the media? 10. Ensure Good Governance and Effective Institutions

b) Ensure that people enjoy freedom of speech, association, peaceful protest and access to independent media and information

c) Increase public participation in political processes and civic engagement at all levels

d) Guarantee the public’s right to information and access to government data

A new Global Partnership: The Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

What role for the media?1. Freedom of speech: An individual right2. Independent media: Press freedom 3. Access to independent media: Physical access,

digital divides and media literacy4. Access to information: Information literacy5. A right to information: Legal 6. Open government: ‘A data revolution… to improve

the quality of statistics and information available to citizens’.

7. Political participation: ‘People… need the freedom to voice their views and participate in the decisions that affect their lives’

What aspects of development?

1. Human right2. Effective institutions: Openness and

accountability helps institutions work properly 3. Economic growth: ‘A prosperous society’ 4. ‘A peaceful society’ 5. Participation in democracy6. Participation in development 7. Good governance: Accountability 8. Intrinsic value: ‘They are both means to an end

and an end in themselves’.

Other… Behaviour change communication (GFMD) More effective aid spending Environmental sustainability Sustainability and resilience

A ‘benevolent fog’ (Edmonds 2002)?

Sliding between issues No consistency Impossible to pin down causality Impossible to measure

Unintended consequences: New technologies and corporate interests

ICT and corporate interests We should actively take advantage of new

technology, crowd sourcing, and improved connectivity to empower people with information on the progress towards the targets (A New Global Partnership).

Human development in the coming decades will depend on people’s access to information. Ground-breaking new media and technology are enabling major expansion of economic, social and political progress (Article 19 and GFMD joint statement – signed by 197 organizations)

Who is funding the debate?

Who is funding the debate? Media Mapping Project (World Bank and

Internews) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded

Who is funding the debate? ODI ‘Development Progress’ including

‘political voice’ Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded $9m to ‘generate compelling and well

substantiated development success stories’