Difficulty in The Access to Quality Information Undermines Media Freedom
Media freedom is undermined by a lack of information infrastructures as well as the skills and literacy to access and critically evaluate information. Not only do many people not have access to be able to express themselves publicly, they are also deprived of information resources that could otherwise empower them. The lack of access is particular glaring in the context of access to the Internet and computers.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), more than 60 percent of the world’s households still do not own a computer (see Key Global Telecom Indicators for the World Telecommunication Service Sector) and no more than 35 percent of the world population consider themselves as “internet users” with the vast majority of these surveyed belonging to the “developing countries” (Ibid).
Considering that the right to free speech and press freedom are deeply interconnected with the right to access information, it is a priority to bridge the digital divide both between and within countries. Many of the youth are acutely aware of this obstacle. In fact, the participants at the recent 7th UNESCO Youth Forum underlined that democratizing access to ICTs is an urgent challenge. Universal access to information must be pursued especially in remote areas such as rural, remote and insular areas.
Despite the fact that information is yet to be accessible to everybody and at all times, there are some encouraging trends. A particularly bright spot is the development of ever cheaper and more powerful mobile telephony. Currently, there are about 5,3 billion mobile phones in use throughout the world and the numbers are increasing month by month. Some recent studies also suggest that by 2015, more than 5.6 billion personal devices will be connected to mobile networks, and at least 788 million users will be connected to the Internet exclusively from mobile platform (see Mobile Africa Report 2011, p. 11). Already, short-messaging system (SMS) is being used to disseminate latest news to mobile phones of users who would otherwise be left out of the information loop. Harnessing this development could be seen as one way to improve the access to information to the majority of people in the world.
Nevertheless, infrastructures alone are not the only consideration in the issue of access. Good access could be greatly aided with information friendly policies, and a solid implementation of freedom of information act (FOIA) or right to information act (RTI). Less than half the world’s countries have some kind of FOIA or RTI enacted, or in the process of being introduced. More countries should be part of this growing trend. This could be achieved by working with law and policy makers and special interest groups to tailor FOIA or RTI in accordance with international standards and national needs. Media practitioners are natural allies in this regard as they are well positioned to sensitize the public to this issue. Governments can also do a lot to proactively make information available through ICTs.
Enabling easy access to public information relates closely to a fair and balanced electoral process. Elections are the cornerstone of democracy, and media have a vital role in the election process. Media have the power to mobilize voters and remind them of their responsibilities and their rights. Journalists also have a duty to express citizens’ problems and expectations to the candidates. Media including social media are able to contribute to a fair election by reporting the irregularities in the organization of the elections (see Reuters Foundation, Reporting Elections: A Guide).
The challenges relating to the access to information also concern the lack of training and human capacity building, especially among youth, women, and older people. The education system should include specialized training in ICTs, and in media and information literacy (MIL). First of all, information gatekeepers such as teachers and media practitioners should become highly media and information literate in order to train their students. Moreover, MIL should be strengthened in order to enable us to be a better judge of both the good and the bad of all the terabytes of information that overload the daily lives of many people.
Food for Thought:
- What are some of the considerations for implementing FOIA or RTI in countries with no such provisions?
- How can free media in the online area better contribute to the success of democratic elections?
- Where do mobile technology and service providers fit into the long term development of press freedom and freedom of expression?
- Which strategy could enhance the media and information literacy?
- What are the priority groups who would benefit most from a strengthening of media and information literacy?
