By
Margaret Looney
 |
|
Marguerite
Sullivan, photo courtesy of CIMA
|
When
Marguerite Sullivan started the Center
for International Media Assistance (CIMA) in 2007, she said she faced
skepticism as to whether the U.S.-based organization could help advance media
development worldwide.
But
since its launch, CIMA, which is part of the National Endowment for Democracy,
has been helping independent news outlets and foundations navigate the
ever-shifting media landscape through in-depth reports on media
research, by creating a bibliographic database of resources related to
international media assistance and by mapping
digital media around the world. (Disclosure: CIMA is an IJNet partner.)
Sullivan
began her career as a journalist, served as president of the Washington Press
Club and held posts in the White House and other federal agencies. As she
departed CIMA last month to become an independent media development consultant,
Sullivan
talked with IJNet about the global media landscape, how newsrooms are adapting
to digital disruption and the challenges independent media face.
IJNet:
How have independent media been adapting to global digital trends?
I
came to NED to start CIMA seven years ago, and the biggest and most dramatic
thing that has happened has been digital media. It certainly was around 7 years
ago, but its impact on media all over the world has been absolutely dramatic.
With
a majority of content shifting to online and mobile devices, today journalists
have to be proficient on many platforms. When I started out, you were either a
newspaper, radio or TV reporter.
Today,
journalists have to be skilled in all kinds of information: writing skills,
presenting on radio, shooting video, short-form blogging, tweeting and more.
You have to be skilled across multiple platforms.
IJNet:
Is there a particular region or country that’s been an interesting case study
for how independent media are changing?
One
place that has multiple environments of media is Africa. There are parts that
haven't yet reached the digital age, that don’t even have radio, and some parts
where radio is the only main line to get information. Then there’s the
explosion of mobile technology in Africa where people get a majority of their
information on [mobile] phones. They skipped the whole landline era.
There
are a lot of startups going straight to digital and...mobile. That’s occurring
all over the world, but there’s still one thing that should remain constant,
and that’s the basics of being a good reporter -- being unbiased, verifying
information, using multiple sources, opinions and voices. The standards for a
good journalist that we had 10 years ago, 100 years ago, remain the same today.
IJNet:
With all of these changes, what are the most constant problems you see
independent newsrooms face, and how do you think they'll be solved?
Independent
media is not just about keeping to the professional standards of journalism....
There also needs to be a strong and supportive legal environment for
journalists with freedom of information laws that are in operation and that
people can understand. Often they’re on the books but they’re not put into
effect.
...You
need high standards of media literacy when literally anyone can be a citizen
journalist. The public needs to be very discerning with what they read and
believe. Sustainable business models are certainly facing big challenges since
the whole support of media through advertising has changed...with so much media
transitioning to digital platforms. Advertising certainly still exists, but
pays much less for digital news than traditional newspaper [ads did in the past].
IJNet:
Are there any particular projects or news startups that you’ve been following?
One
that I find very exciting is the work of the African Media
Initiative. It has a number of different funding trees and several
different projects going on, like the African Story
Challenge, where they’re bringing together the best ideas in digital media
and trying to incubate those to get them further developed.
There
are also a number of networks being set up for investigative journalists around
the world. An upcoming Global
Investigative Journalism Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will bring
out a lot of interesting projects [that are] going on between journalists, and
the more collaboration there can be, the better.
IJNet:
Any advice for those in the independent media field?
We
need to look holistically and see that this is a field that has many parts.
It’s a puzzle where all the pieces have to fit together--media literacy, a
strong supportive legal environment for journalists, a government system that’s
open to transparency and professional journalists, and a sustainable
environment for media. Those are all very key pieces of the puzzle to reach an
environment with freedom of expression and independent media.
Source:
IJNET. IJNet Editorial Assistant Margaret Looney writes about the latest media
trends, reporting tools and journalism resources.
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