Report Links Revolution to Media Progress in Post-Soviet Countries
A marked regional gap persists in terms of the sustainability of independent media among countries of the former Eastern Bloc, according to the newly-released “Media Sustainability Index 2004: The Development of Sustainable Media in Europe and Eurasia,” a USAID-funded publication.
 “The MSI 2004 continues to show the split between Eastern Europe and Eurasia, with most Eastern European countries advancing in terms of media development while most Eurasian countries have either remained the same or have actually regressed,” reports Peter Graves, Senior Media Advisor for the USAID Bureau for Europe & Eurasia. “Although this regression means a harder life for indigenous advocates of free speech, governments are spending much more time and effort in attempting to squelch independent media. This in and of itself indicates to me that our efforts to support the development of independent media are having a useful effect and only need to be bolstered. As we have most recently seen in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, autocratic governments that stifle free speech have limited life-spans. Their days are numbered.”
In fact, the report credits recent revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine for influencing improved performance of the media sector in these two countries (Timing precluded analysis of the impact of the Tulip Revolution on Kyrgyzstan’s media sector for this edition.) Other positive trends cited for contributing to the growth of independent media in the region include the increasing availability of information sources and improved business management practices. Failure to implement free speech and regulatory legislation and the dearth of professional journalism training were among the most formidable obstacles to media development identified in the countries studied.
The MSI, developed by USAID and further refined by the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), is published for media professionals, public officials, scholars, private investors and others concerned about media and its role in democratic and economic reform in the E&E region. It is the only study that critically examines the entire media sector in each of the 20 countries in Southeast Europe and Eurasia, and features country-by-country rankings and observations from local and international media professionals. The MSI analyzes freedom of speech, plurality of media available to citizens, professional journalism standards, business sustainability of media, and the efficacy of institutions that support independent media. The report reviews trends over a four-year period, from 2001 through 2004, and examines where countries have improved, identifies where backsliding has occurred, and forecasts what can be expected for the future of independent media in the region. The MSI is available for download free at: http://www.irex.org/msi/index.asp.
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, USAID has provided roughly $300M in technical assistance, training, equipment, legal assistance with drafting supportive legislation and direct funding to promote the development of private and public media in countries across Eastern Europe and from within the former Soviet Union. The Bureau for Europe & Eurasia supports projects that are implemented through non-governmental organizations which operate independently of any government or political parties. The ultimate development goal for independent media programming is to cultivate indigenous, private and public media that are self-sustaining without foreign assistance—a challenge in a region that continues to grapple with the transition to democracy from a long history of authoritarian and communist rule.
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