Transcript Document

GPB 4/ COM 7146:
Public Interest CommunicationFrom National Traditions to
International Governance:
Jeremy Shtern
20/07/2015
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1.
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3.
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4.
5.
6.
Introduction
WSIS (SMSI)
Public Service Broadcasting
Topic Overview
Methodology: define, describe, defend
Case Studies
Conclusions/ Suggestions for further research
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1.1 research question
General:
How is the concept of public service
broadcasting being transferred into the
discussions of internet governance?
Specific:
How do governments contributions’ to the
WSIS reflect their national traditions of
public service broadcasting?
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1.2 context of this study
doctoral project: ‘From Broadcasting to
Communication: Public Service Communication
and the Internet’
1.3 aims of this study
 “theory building” (Livingstone 2003)
 Prototype concepts, metrics and identify areas
for further research
 Engage WSIS, Canada in global context and PSB
in transition as research subjects
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Why a Summit on the Information Society?
http://www.itu.int/wsis/basic/why.html
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Phase 1: Geneva 10-12 Dec., 2003
“The objective of the first phase was to develop and foster a clear
statement of political will and take concrete steps to establish the
foundations for an Information Society for all, reflecting all the
different interests at stake. At the Geneva Phase of WSIS:
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43 Heads of state/government and Vice-Presidents,
82 Ministers
26 Vice-Ministers and Heads of delegation
as well as high-level representatives from international organizations, private sector, and
civil society
More than 11,000 participants from 176 countries attended the Summit and related
events.”
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Definition:
“the issue of public service broadcasting can be
reduced to this: What social and cultural goals
require a specially mandated, noncommercially driven organization, publicly
owned, publicly funded to the extent
necessary, and publicly accountable?”
(Raboy, 1995 p. 2)
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Communication/ Culture Issues:
public interest communication in the WSIS
process, links between PSB and internet
governance discussions
 Policies
Public Service Broadcasting structures, National
government level contributions to WSIS
 Nations
Canada, U.K., U.S.A.
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4.1 Comparative analysis: Define
“the similarities and differences (mainly differences) of
conditions or outcomes among large scale social units,
usually regions, nations, societies and cultures”
(Smelser 2003 p. 645- italics and brackets in original)
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“a study that compares two or more nations with respect
to some common activity” (Edelstein 1982 p. 14).
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4.2 Describe: Key Points
“Seek relations among
dimensions of national
variation”
 “Diversity within a
common frame work”
 “Methodological
standardization
favored”
 “Meta-theoretical:
theory building,
modeling”
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4.2.1: sampling choices:
“diversity within a common framework”: different
perspectives from similar actors
 Countries seeming to have differing levels of
contribution to/ perspectives on WSIS
 Countries with differing traditions of PSB
 Developed/Western countries:
Despite presence of PSB in developing countries,
difference in perspectives on digital divide issues
too great for comparison of WSIS contributions
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4.2.2 Research design issues
 Methodological standardization/ creation of a
common framework
 Need to move beyond description (compare &
analyze)
“although comparative research readily generates national
findings together with some rather broad, perhaps global
conclusions, the interpretative effort devoted directly to
cross-national analysis can be distinctly underwhelming,
too often taking the form of nation-by-chapter reporting
which leaves the making of comparisons up to the
reader” (Livingstone 2003 p. 481)
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Conclusions
Canada
U.S.A
PSB- WSIS?
‘Hard’ methods
•Theme by theme
•Metric created,
data mapped
•Standardized
categories
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‘Soft’ methods
U.K.
•Unit by Unit
•Qualitative
Descriptions
•Documentation
as source
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Broadcasting Research Unit
guidelines to PSB (U.K.)
B. An Information Society for All: Key Principles
(WSIS Declaration of Principles)
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a)
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8.
Universal accessibility
(geographic)
Universal appeal (general
tastes and interests)
Particular attention to
minorities
Contribution to sense of
national identity and
community
Distance from vested
interests
Direct funding and
universality of payment
Competition in good
programming rather than
for numbers
Guidelines that liberate
rather than restrict
programme makers
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
The role of governments and all
stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for
development
Information and communication
infrastructure: an essential foundation
for an inclusive information society
Access to information and knowledge
Capacity building
Building confidence and security in the use
of ICTs
Enabling environment
ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of
life
Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic
diversity and local content
Media
Ethical dimensions of the Information
Society
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International and regional cooperation
Category
PSB elements
WSIS elements
accessibility
1. Universal accessibility (geographic)
b)Information and communication
infrastructure: an essential
foundation for an inclusive
information society
c)Access to information and knowledge
diversity/ universality in
applications
2.Universal appeal (general tastes and
interests)
3.Particular attention to minorities
g)ICT applications: benefits in all aspects
of life
h) Cultural diversity and identity,
linguistic diversity and local content
Community building
4.Contribution to sense of national identity
and community
k) International and regional cooperation
Comprehensive
Public funding
6. Direct funding and universality of
payment
a) The role of governments and all
stakeholders in the promotion of
ICTs for development
Targets Contribution over
Capital
8.Guidelines that liberate rather than
restrict programme makers
7.Competition in good programming rather
than for numbers
f) Capacity building
d) Enabling environment
Vested interests/ ethical
dimensions
5. Distance from vested interests
e) Building confidence and security in the
use of ICTs
j) Ethical dimensions of the Information
Society
4.3: defend
“ I believe that at this stage of out thinking, most social
scientists have come to endorse the valid view that the
best methodological strategy In comparative study is to
gain a foothold wherever we can. This means relying on
multiple kinds of data and methods- quantitative and
qualitative, hard and soft, objective and intuitive- and
using and weighing all of them in an effort to improve our
understanding and explanations”
(Smelser 2003 p.648)
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5.1 Category: accessibility
1. Universal accessibility (geographic)
b)Information and
communication infrastructure:
an essential foundation for an
inclusive information society
accessibility
c)Access to information and
knowledge
- Left to market, PBS has no universal
mandate- “the US is extremely
difficult to cover efficiently with
signals, and this fact came to
influence broadcast policy in the US
more than any other” (Smith 1998
p.40)
-achieving ubiquitous and
affordable access to ICT
infrastructure and services
requires a stable, predictable
and fair national economic
climate that can attract private
capital
-affirm declaration of human
rights and right to information
Metric rating: -3
Metric rating: -3
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The position in both
cases is not one
opposing universal
access, but is one
of
Market reliance
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5.1 Category: accessibility
1. Universal accessibility (geographic)
b)Information and
communication infrastructure: an
essential foundation for an
inclusive information society
accessibility
c)Access to information and
knowledge
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“Britain has always faced considerable
difficulty in achieving total national
coverage for any single channel: but its
broadcasting policy has always been to
provide each national channel with as
near total UK coverage as possible,
and so rural Scots and Welsh (and the
Northern Irish) have always had their
broadcasting transmission very heavily
subsidized by metropolitan audiences.”
(Smith 1998 p. 39)
[developing] countries also
suffer from lack of telecoms
infrastructure and computer
equipment. Yet we have seen,
even in the poorest countries,
where the market has been
allowed to develop, it can
unleash immense demand for
ICT services, and a surprising
ability to pay for them.
Metric rating: +5
Metric rating: -3
-The
British position
that access to
information and
knowledge as a
public service for
the broadcast media
has not been
extended
internationally to
the internet
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5.1 Category: accessibility
1. Universal accessibility (geographic)
b)Information and communication
infrastructure: an essential
foundation for an inclusive
information society
accessibility
c)Access to information and
knowledge
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“The CBC (Radio Canada)
shall:
Be made available
throughout Canada by the
most appropriate and
efficient means”
- “The Broadcasting Act,
section 3 (vii)
Canada’s vision of the
global information
society is to include all
people, everywhere in
the world. It must not be
a “rich man’s club”. It
must also include those
who are now excluded
because they are poor.
Metric rating: +5
Metric rating: +3
Consistent in
ideal, if not in
policy support
-delicate
political
statement
-no mention
of market
reliance
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Metric- “Accessibility”: PSB/WSIS policy Correlations
WSIS- public interest
PSB:
PSB:
public
market
reliance
interest
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WSIS- market reliance
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5.2 Category: diversity/ universality in
applications
2.Universal appeal (general tastes and
interests)
3.Particular attention to minorities
g)ICT applications: benefits in all
aspects of life
h) Cultural diversity and identity,
linguistic diversity and local content
diversity/
universality in
applications
PSB has primarily been focused
educational content, and has been oft
been criticized for featuring “elitist”
programming”
“A truly global information society
will be based on the development
of local content and the freedom
of individuals to access the culture
of their choosing in the language
of their choosing”
Though not in
their declaration,
these sentiments
do not reflect the
tradition of PSB
in the US.
Metric rating: -3
Metric rating: +2
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5.2 Category: diversity/ universality in
applications
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2.Universal appeal (general tastes and
interests)
3.Particular attention to minorities
g)ICT applications: benefits in all
aspects of life
h) Cultural diversity and identity,
linguistic diversity and local
content
diversity/
universality in
applications
Establishment of local channels within
national networks, including
throughout the devolved states of
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland,
however, programming still argued to
project and reflect a strong lean
towards “Englishness”.
No specific mention, but, by
implication:
“Governments have a vital
role to play in ensuring that
private operators work to the
wider public good… Each
country will of course need
to decide which policies are
best suited to its
Circumstances”
-The
Metric rating: +3
Metric rating: -3
British position
that access to
information and
knowledge as a
public service for
the broadcast media
has not been
extended
internationally to
the internet
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5.2 Category: diversity/ universality in
applications
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2.Universal appeal (general tastes and
interests)
3.Particular attention to minorities
g)ICT applications: benefits in all
aspects of life
h) Cultural diversity and identity,
linguistic diversity and local content
diversity/
universality in
applications
-Mandated
into system of PSB
however, criticized for
Federalist agenda in
universality and minority
programming
“The Canadian contribution to
internet content is made in
English, French and several
indigenous languages. This
practice demonstrates that a
society can use technology to
foster cultural diversity” Canada's
vision of the global information
society is to include all people,
everywhere in the world It must
include youth, women, indigenous
peoples, the minorities, the
disadvantaged and the
marginalized”
Continued
support for
the
importance of
discussion
diversity and
universality
as issues in
governance
discussions.
Metric rating: +3
Metric rating: +5
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5.3 Category: Community building
4.Contribution to sense of national identity
and community
k) International and regional
cooperation
Community building
-not
- Not mentioned, except as
WSIS process pushes
forward American position
-low function
priority
explicit in PSB framework
Metric rating: -4
Metric rating: -3
- cornerstone of BBC mandate
Extension of offers of
expertise to developing
countries
Metric rating: +4
Metric rating: +1
-fundamental to both broadcasting
policy and “National Unity
Strategies”
-mention of specific
programs including econtent projects, IDRC work
etc.
Metric rating: +5
Metric rating: +4
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-looking inward
with idea of
sharing
-promoting
community building
expertise and work
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5.4 Category: Comprehensive Public funding
6. Direct funding and universality of payment
a) The role of governments and
all stakeholders in the promotion
of ICTs for development
Comprehensive
Public funding
-
some direct funding for PSB,
mostly through user supported
fundraising, thus, not universal
- Market solutions, fierce
opposition to digital
solidarity fund
- Consistent
reliance on
market
Metric rating: -3
Metric rating: -5
-TV license programme provides
Promotion and regulation of
market solution, against
digital solidarity fund
payment within clear and
predictable universal funding
Metric rating: +5
-mixed system with some public
money neither entirely direct nor
clear on level of universality and
individual’s support
Metric
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rating: +2
- Perhaps no
public service in
global terms
Metric rating: -4
-no explict support for fund
but mention of previous
finical commitments to
ICT4D, promises for more.
Metric rating: +3
-Development
assistance as a
fundamental
Canadian area
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5.4 Category: Comprehensive Public funding
6. Direct funding and universality of payment
a) The role of governments and
all stakeholders in the promotion
of ICTs for development
Comprehensive
Public funding
-
some direct funding for PSB,
mostly through user supported
fundraising, thus, not universal
- Market solutions, fierce
opposition to digital
solidarity fund
- Consistent
reliance on
market
Metric rating: -3
Metric rating: -5
-TV license programme provides
Promotion and regulation of
market solution, against
digital solidarity fund
payment within clear and
predictable universal funding
Metric rating: +5
-mixed system with some public
money neither entirely direct nor
clear on level of universality and
individual’s support
Metric
20/07/2015
rating: +2
- Perhaps no
public service in
global terms
Metric rating: -4
-no explict support for fund
but mention of previous
finical commitments to
ICT4D, promises for more.
Metric rating: +3
-Development
assistance as a
fundamental
Canadian area
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Preliminary Results: PSB/WSIS policy Correlations
WSIS- public interest
Weak Correlation
Strong Correlation
PSB:
PSB:
public
market
reliance
interest
Weak Correlation
Strong Correlation
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WSIS- market reliance
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Comparative analysis provides valuable
methodological tool for theory building,
developing conceptual ideas
 Metric needs further refinement
 Larger population samples to suggest
significance in tendencies observed through
metric
 Value of triangluation and using multiple, mixed
(qualitative + quantitative) methods
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