Synopses & Reviews
A free press is not a luxury. It is at the core of equitable development. The media can expose corruption. They can keep a check on public policy by throwing a spotlight on government action. They let people voice diverse opinions on governance and reform, and help build public consensus to bring about change. Such media help markets work better. They can facilitate trade, transmitting ideas and innovation across boundaries. The media are also important for human development, bringing health and education information to remote villages in countries from Uganda to Nicaragua. But as experience has shown, the independence of the media can be fragile and easily compromised. It is clear that to support development, media need the right environment-in terms of freedoms, capacities, and checks and balances. The World Development Report 2002, Building Institutions for Markets (rep. no. 22825), devoted a chapter to the role of the media in development. This volume is an extension of that work. It discusses how media affects development outcomes under different circumstances and presents evidence on what policy environment is needed to enable the media to support economic and political markets and to provide a voice for the disenfranchised. To this end, it draws together the views of academics as well as perspectives from those on the front line-journalists themselves.
Synopsis
The media industry plays a critical role in any economy. It can influence economic, political, and social outcomes. The media serves as a voice of the people and can disseminate important economic information. It can promote greater degrees of freedom and can foster a freer flow of information.
This book is concerned with the factors which determine how the media industry supports economic progress. It cites examples which show the value of the information provided by the media.
Synopsis
An independent press is essential to sound and equitable economic development. The media helps to give a voice to the poor and the disenfranchised. An independent press also provides a solid foundation for a free and transparent society.'The Right to Tell' contains an outstanding list of contributors from Nobel Prize winner and former World Bank chief economist, Joseph Stiglitz to Robert J. Shiller author of 'Irrational Exuberance', and Nobel Prize winner and novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Contributors to this volume explore the role of the media as a watchdog of government and the corporate sector, and the policies that prevent the media from exercising that role. 'The Right to Tell' assesses the media's function as transmitters of new ideas and information. This book also evaluates the damaging effects that an unethical or irresponsible press can cause to a society.Several of the book's contributors describe the role of the media and the challenges they face in specific countries including Bangladesh, Egypt, the former Soviet Union, Thailand, and Zimbabwe. These fascinating case studies highlight the media's ability to act as a catalyst for change and growth.