2nd EAC CONFERENCE ON GOOD GOVERNANCE

19TH-20TH AUGUST 2010

NAIROBI, KENYA

THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN PROMOTING GOOD

GOVERNANCE IN THE REGION

BY Henry O. Maina1
Director, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa

11
Henry Maina is the Director of ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa. He holds an LLM degree in International Development
Law and Human Rights (Warwick, UK) specializing in governance and Human Rights. He also holds a Post-Graduate
Diploma in Mass Communication (Nairobi, Kenya) and a Bachelor of Education (Moi, Kenya).

1
Introduction

In its very first edition, the Nation proclaimed “Fit as a Fiddle Sultan Returns”. They were
referring to the Sultan of Zanzibar, who had undergone treatment in Europe. Unfortunately for
the Nation, the 81-year old monarch died six days after the paper hit the streets with its
assessment of his health.

In the same paper, the front page editorial stated the paper’s intention “to do our utmost to
help Kenya and other East African territories make the perilous transition to African majority
rule and full independence as peacefully and constructively as possible.”

On 7th July 1990, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation had a news bulletin where it showed the
Kamukunji grounds deserted and forlorn only with a cock scratching the ground for ants.

Governance Discourse

In 1989 the World Bank described the situation in Africa as a “crisis in governance.” Since then,
the term governance and increasingly good governance has permeated the development
discourse like a colossus.2

Although commentators differ on definitions and application, enhancing the prospects for good
governance in a development context has become a key goal for governments, non-
governmental actors, and international organizations like the East Africa Community.
Seemingly, in the use of the term governance, there is general agreement that it extends
beyond the operations of governments to embrace a broad range of multi-layered social
institutions and necessarily includes consideration of citizens and citizenship.3

Before embarking on a quest to understand the relationship between media and these good
governance desiderata or discourse, it is worth pausing to consider the concept of “good
governance” itself. The public interest approach to media as deployed here focuses especially
on its potential contribution to governance, to development, and to culture and identity.

The World Bank defines governance as: . . . the traditions and institutions by which authority in
a country is exercised for the common good. This includes (i) the process by which those in
authority are selected, monitored and replaced, (ii) the capacity of the government to

2
Pagden, A. (1998) “The genesis of ‘governance’ and enlightenment conceptions of the Cosmopolitan World
Order”,50, International Social Science Journal,7-15
3
See among others Kersbergen, K.V.,& Waarden, F.V.(2004) “‘Governance’ as bridge between disciplines: Cross-
disciplinary inspiration regarding shifts in governance and problems of governability, accountability and
legitimacy”,43, European Journal of Political Research, 143-171

2
effectively manage its resources and implement sound policies, and (iii) the respect of citizens
and the state for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions among them. 4

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) emphasizes the articulation of people’s
interests: “Governance is the system of values, policies and institutions by which a society
manages its economic, political and social affairs through interactions within and among the
state, civil society and private sector. It is the way a society organizes itself to make and
implement decisions—achieving mutual understanding, agreement and action. It comprises the
mechanisms and processes for citizens and groups to articulate their interests mediate their
differences and exercise their legal rights and obligations . . . “5

Good governance, according to UNDP, is about processes as well as outcomes; processes that
are participatory, transparent, accountable, and efficient, and that involve the private sector
and civil society as well as the state.6 Good governance is also important for development, and
considerable empirical evidence now points in that direction.

Role of the media

It thus comes as no surprise that the potential role of the media in improving governance and
accountability has become an area of interest to the international development community.
That media can in a general sense promote good governance is not a new idea.

A free, independent, and pluralistic media environment, offering the means and incentives for
the widest participation, can have a profound influence on people’s opportunities to access
information and services, to understand and be able to exercise their rights, to participate in
decisions that affect their lives, and to hold to account those in positions of power and
responsibility. This is reflected in a growing recognition, in the context of international
development, of the central importance of effective and inclusive communications systems.

Both UNDP and the World Bank include media among the institutions and mechanisms that can
contribute to good governance, in the above definitions and elsewhere. Media can fulfill several
critical tasks in the context of governance and reform, overlapping with and reinforcing other
factors such as access to information and freedom of expression.

According to Norris, the media has three key roles in contributing to democratization and good
governance: as a watchdog over the powerful, promoting accountability, transparency and
public scrutiny; as a civic forum for political debate, facilitating informed electoral choices and

4
Kaufman,D., Kraay,A. & Mastruzzi,M.(2007) “Governance Matters VI: Governance Indicators for 1996-2006”,
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No 4280
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=999979 Visited 13 August 2010
5
UNDP (1997) Reconceptualising Governance , Discussion paper 2, New York
6
Ibid

3
actions; and as an agenda-setter for policy makers, strengthening government responsiveness
for instance to social problems and to exclusion.7

Though there has been little systematic evaluation, a wealth of individual cases point to the
role of the media in exposing corruption, recognized as a key constraint to development. Media
can achieve such an impact, in the right circumstance, through their direct and indirect
influence on a number of key parameters of governance: curbing corruption and improving
accountability and transparency, enhancing informed participation in the political processes,
and facilitating and reinforcing more equitable and inclusive policies and actions.

An explication of the three roles suffices.

Media and Elections and the Civic Forum Role

Each country in the East Africa Community will in the next three years have a general election.
Kenya (2012), Uganda (2011), Tanzania (Oct, 2010), Rwanda (Aug 2010) and Burundi (June,
2010).

What has been and should be the role of journalists in covering the elections? What should be
the role of the EAC?

I do not intend to answer this questions but one thing is clear EAC like the media must ensure
the elections are free and fair. The must act as a civic forum for genuine public debate. They
must castigate maneuverings and abuses of fundamental human rights especially freedom of
expression and access to information. They must castigate elections rigging and offer objective
assessments of the process and results of elections and offer recommendations for
improvement.

As pointed out below the media has a critical role to mediate between the state and citizens
through facilitating debate about the major issues of the day and informing people about their
leaders. If the channels of communication reflect the cultural and social pluralism and diversity
of the society, in a fair and balanced manner, then multiple interests and voices are heard in
public deliberations.

This role is particularly important during election campaigns, as fair access to the airwaves by
opposition parties, groups and candidates. During campaigns, a free, independent and
pluralistic media provides citizens with information to compare and appraise the retrospective
record, prospective policies and leadership characteristics of parties and candidates, providing
the indispensable conditions for informed choice.

7
Norris, P (2006) The Role of the free press in promoting democratization, good governance and human
development, UNESCO, New York.

4
However, the role of the media as a civic forum remain deeply flaws where major newspapers
and television stations heavily owned by those who favour the governing or opposition
(although it is rare for the latter) party hence their coverage both in amount of space and
airtime and in tone are heavily tilted towards one party, rather than being open to a plurality of
political viewpoints and parties during campaigns.

It is therefore critical that election observer teams assess the media landscape and operations
during the elections before indicating that they were free and fair.

By contrast, where the media fails to act as a civic forum, this can hinder good governance and
even the democratic consolidation. State control and ownership of the media is a critical issue,
but threats to media pluralism are also raised by over concentration (conglomerates) of private
media ownership through oligopolies and multinational media corporations with media
empires.

On August 4, Kenyans went into a plebiscite to choose between a New Constitution for
posterity or retention of the 47 year old Lancaster Constitution for an indefinite period.
Hundred of journalists were in Kenya to cover the campaign rallies for the two main camps-the
Greens and the Reds. The media highlighted arguments of both the competing sides and
sometimes and fairly so castigated any camp that peddled lies to win votes.

This was seen by the Reds as not being objective especially when the media refused to be used
as a platform for the naysayers and their prediction of doom. Nonetheless, the Reds and the
Greens all continued with their campaigns each camp exuding confidence and chest thumbing
how the 5th August would be a waterloo for the losers.

The media in turn organised itself to do two things to cover the voting, tallying and
announcement of results by the Interim Independent Electoral Commission on the one hand
and to run a parallel tallying and announcement of results on the other. This was to ensure that
just in case the IIEC went mute and emerged to announce results that could jolt Kenyans into
spontaneous violence again as it happened in Dec 2007 when the Kenya Broadcasting
Corporation exclusively announced the winner, they will have some say.

The collective reporting of media houses denouncing violence and sectarian interests and the
24 hour coverage of the plebiscite brought a renewed understanding on the positive roles the
media can play in entrenching democracy, good governance and genuine people’s participation
in making such a critical decision like how they would want to be governed.

It showed why a pluralistic media landscape operated and navigated by professional media
practitioners is critical in deepening democracy and ensuring everyone’s views are heard and
tolerated in the market place of ideas.

5
This coverage of the IIEC and how it conducted the plebiscite also cleared indicated that when
an agency of governance is on spotlight and it does its work professionally, efficiently and
effectively all and sundry will be handy in acknowledging and vice versa.

One would ask was the media in this case promoting good governance or not? Supposing the
IIEC made an attempt to announce a different result and the media reported it fervently would
it have been seen to be unpatriotic?

I ask this question because the relationship between the media and the state in this region has
been uneasy and conflictual. Can the media have a role in promoting good governance when
this relation is tenuous? Must the state and the media go to bed if good governance is to
thrive?

There may be no clear answers to these questions but an attempt to look at them critically
would tell us two things. First, states and state authorities in this region have a critical
responsibility and obligation to commit themselves to democratic governance and recognition
of the legitimate role the media in promotion and protection of democracy and good
governance. 8

Second, that once the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens are respected, promoted
and fulfilled the relationship between the state and the media is likely to be less conflicting and
more complementary in ensuring good governance.

Watchdogs of the Powerful/ Accountability

In performing the watchdog role, the media can check government and other agencies
adherence to corporate governance standards to ensure transparency, accountability and
scrutiny of the decisions and actions of those in power by highlighting scandals,
maladministration, corruption, policy failures etc. The media thus has a role to check on state
abuse of power.

For instance in Peru, investigations critical of then-president Alberto Fujimori were first brought
to light by the print media. Investigations exposed a pattern of wrongdoing and corruption
involving death squads, the military, and links between drug barons and political elites. These
were followed, spectacularly, in 2000, by the broadcast over cable television of videos secretly
taped by Peru’s head of security, showing votes being bought with bribes. Fujimori resigned
immediately after the broadcast.

The media has played a critical role in keeping the issue on the grand corruption scandals in
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda leading to resignations in some cases.

8
Wanyande, P (2004) Mass Media-State Relation in Post-Colonial Kenya, Africa Media Review

6
The broadcast media, radio and television, have a unique and particular role to play both in
enhancing governance and accountability and in giving voice to poor and marginalized
communities. In addition to traditional means of expression, “voice” in this context means the
capacity, opportunity, and resources of diverse segments of society to signal government as to
their needs and their perception of the quality of governance, to have their views represented
in mainstream media, and to develop their own media. Broadcast media, as we argue later, are
especially relevant and accessible to remote communities, cultural and linguistic minorities, the
very poor and illiterate people.

Amartya Sen has written that "freedom is the means and the end of development". 9 By
increasing freedom - through elections, open markets, and access to information and education
- the sum total of human development is increased. Further, we begin to understand human
development as a measure of human freedom – free from war, poverty and repression and free
to fulfill our human potential.

New freedoms, a blossoming of public debate, a resurgent community radio movement, a

proliferation of channels and titles across all media, a dynamic interplay between old and new
technologies and the sometimes rapid, sometimes agonizingly slow or nonexistent loosening of
government control over information have all characterized this revolution.

Transparency, Stiglitz notes, depends on a number of factors, such as freedom of information

legislation and public information institutions “designed to ferret out information for the
benefit of the public . . . The press is among the most important of these informational
institutions.”

Apart from their role in public accountability and transparency, the media can also play a
critical part in the democratic processes at the heart of good governance.

Agenda setting role

Media can raise awareness on social problems informing elected officials about public concerns
and needs. This provides opportunities for people to articulate their concerns and ideas to one
another and to government, a role that is particularly important for poor and marginalized
groups.

Thus media have the potential not simply to influence government agendas, but to reinforce
the overall capacity of society to constitute political discussion and debate, and to enhance the
participation of people, including marginalized groups, in the process of governance. But over
time and in the right circumstances, the media can also help to build the practices and culture
of democracy and good governance within society as a whole.

Beyond governance, media are implicated in several dynamics that can combine and intersect
to reinforce development and overall social well-being in different ways. Particularly relevant is

9
Amartya Sen. 1999. Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books.

7
the role of media in the long tradition of communication for development, and the growing
influence that media have in value formation, and cultural evolution and change.

Media have long been regarded by those in the field of communication for development as
tools that can be deployed to promote developmental change, but they were for the most part
considered independently of media policy and regulation processes. Thinking about how media
can be used, and to what specific ends, has nevertheless shifted significantly over the years. In
the early days, many in the field understood media mainly as a top-down tool for the
dissemination of information. The challenge was to convey development “messages” on diverse
subjects such as health awareness, disease prevention, agricultural practice, water
management, or environmental responsibility.

Citizens need access to the means of communication and voice in order, also, to be able to
speak with one another, to discuss their conditions and aspirations, and to develop the capacity
for engagement and for action to improve access to services and rights under the law. The
approach values local knowledge, it respects local cultures, and it puts people in control of the
means and content of communication processes.

Communication for social change is a process of public and private dialogue through which
people determine who they are, what they need, and what they want in order to improve their
lives. It has at its heart the assumption that affected people understand their realities better
than any “experts” from outside their society and that they can become the drivers of their
own change.

A number of studies in the field have drawn particular attention to the role that local and
community-based media can play in empowering and enabling the participation of people and
communities facing exclusion and marginalization. The Rockefeller Foundation report Making
Waves: Stories of Participatory Communication for Social Change compiled 50 case studies and
draws extensively on stories of community radio and television projects to provide a vivid
account of people and communities appropriating media as means of empowerment, and social
change. The report concludes that the communication for social change model has two critical
implications for participation in development that are related to issues of power and of
identity:

The democratization of communication cuts through the issue of power. Participatory

approaches contribute to putting decision making into the hands of the people. It also
consolidates the capability of communities to confront their own ideas about development with
development planners and technical staff. Within the community itself, it favors the
strengthening of an internal democratic process.

A second area of particular relevance is the increasingly important role that media play in the
development and evolution of cultural forms, identity, and diversity. Beyond the idea of
disseminating information, entertainment, or even education, media’s deeper cultural role has
been the subject of considerable interest and study.

8
A high-level European Commission report concluded: The role of the media goes much further
than simply providing information about events and issues in our societies or allowing citizens
and groups to present their arguments and points of view: communication media also play a
formative role in society. That is, they are largely responsible for forming (not just informing)
the concepts, belief systems and even the languages—visual and symbolic as well as verbal—
which citizens use to make sense of and interpret the world in which they live. Consequently,
the role of communication media extends to influencing who we think we are and where we
believe we fit in (or not) in our world: in other words, the media also play a major role in
forming our cultural identity.

The influence of the media does not remain only, or even primarily, at the level of the
individual. Communications scholar James Carey points to the “ritual” effect of participation,
association, fellowship and the possession of a common faith . . . A ritual view is not directed
towards the extension of messages in space, but the maintenance of society in time; not the act
of imparting information but the representation of shared beliefs.

In developing countries, a role for media has sometimes been articulated as that of “nation
building,” creating a common sense of identity, and contributing to a consensus on the type of
nation that is being strived after. A cultural frame emphasizes also the contribution of diversity
and a commitment to pluralism. and to ensuring that all cultures are respected equally and are
represented in media. Such an approach is particularly relevant to media in countries with large
communities of marginalized groups and indigenous peoples and where traditional structures
and belief systems are undergoing rapid change and evolution.

Conclusion

Free, independent and pluralistic media do not just have a role to play in good governance;
they are a critical constituent component of good governance. Thus, free media matters, both
intrinsically and instrumentally for good governance to be entrenched. Policies which eradicate
limits on free exchange of information and communication, whether due to state censorship as
seen in the case of KBC above, intimidation and harassment of journalists, or private media
oligopolies, therefore have important consequences for those seeking to strengthen good
governance like the East African Community.