Community Broadcasting Promoted at the Asia Media Summit 2010
26 May 2010, Beijing. The second day of the Asia Media Summit opened
with
a panel discussion on promoting ‘On Air Diversity: the case for
community
broadcasting’. Steve Buckley, President of AMARC, Supinya
Klangnarong of
the Campaign for Popular Media Reform, Thailand, Ian Morrision of
Friends
of Canadian Broadcasting, and Ashish Sen of AMARC Asia Pacific made
the
case for community broadcasting.
Steve pointed out to the fact that community broadcasting was today
one of
the necessary pillars for a diverse media landscape. “The market
orientation of mainstream media has meant that many people who are
socially and economically marginalized are also excluded from the
means of
communication,” he said. He further added that media owned and
controlled
by communities themselves are among the most effective means of
redressing
this balance and assuring true media diversity.
While dwelling upon the history of Thailand’s ongoing political
and social
transformation, Supinya presented the case of community broadcasting
and
its strength in balancing out extreme censorship and unregulated
extremism.
Ashish drew attention to a paradoxical scene that the community
radio
sector is confronted with in the Asia Pacific region. “The good
news is
that Voice is increasingly acknowledged as a critical ingredient for
poverty eradication. But whose voice is heard in mainstream media
today?
Is it the poor or the elite.” He said. He further added “if
community
radio is to be a voice for the voiceless, issues related to equity,
equal
access to the spectrum, capacity building, and legal reform need to
be
urgently addressed. Only then will on air diversity and a 3 tiered
media
structure- public, private and community- based on inclusiveness be
rooted
in terra firma.”
The Asia Media Summit, which began on the 25th of May was concluded
today.
For further information, please contact
[email protected],org [1]
-END-
About AMARC:
AMARC is an international non-governmental organization serving the
community radio movement in over 110 countries, and advocating for
the
right to communicate at the international, national, local and
neighbourhood levels. AMARC has an International Secretariat in
Montreal.
It has regional sections in Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific
and
offices in Johannesburg, Buenos Aires, Brussels, and Kathmandu. For
more
information, please visit www.asiapacific.amarc.org [2].
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[2] http://www.asiapacific.amarc.org/
Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to
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