Towards a New Model for Media and Communication in Post-Conflict and Fragile States

This 112-page document differentiates between media as a communication intervention in post-conflict situations and media as a structural component of rebuilding citizen-state communication channels. It contrasts communication that is inserted into the stabilisation, reconstruction, and development process of post-conflict reconstruction efforts with media that enables citizen dialogue, serves as a platform for debate and oversight, anchors governance reforms, and facilitates peacebuilding and poverty reduction. According to a policy brief about the document, it "seeks to draw lessons from a variety of donor experiences, focusing primarily on the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) at the [United States] US Agency for International Development (USAID)... These lessons point to a new model for media and communication in conflict-affected environments."

As stated here, OTI "has elevated the media and communication sector to form an integral, technical component of its work. [It] has... implemented a strategic vision of the communication sector that emphasises three interconnected categories:
• Using communication to assist humanitarian relief, peacebuilding and good governance
• supporting state responsiveness through strategic communication
• fostering the growth of an independent media sector."

This example is intended to demonstrate a distinct role for the media and communication sector in the key challenges of peacebuilding and governance reform. The document points to a trend for advancing a structural view of communications which goes beyond "banners, signs, radio advertisements and other one-off events designed to broadcast messages rather than engage in dialogue, build institutions and strengthen the public sphere.... Strategic communication specialists are going beyond simple government messaging to incorporate notions of state-citizen dialogue and government responsiveness. Independent media development specialists are also starting to think holistically about the link between the media sector and related programs, like media literacy and citizen dialogue."

The document cites such media components as: "supporting post-crisis emergency broadcasting that can also deepen public dialogue and foster a more democratic public sphere in the affected region; targeted media civic education campaigns to ensure ex-combatants are aware of transitional assistance and training, skill development programs and their changed role in their communities; training journalists on procedural aspects of war crimes trials or truth-and-reconciliation commissions, as well as sensitivity in covering these issues; or assisting local governments (in conflict-afflicted areas in particular) with outreach to diverse community groups; and ensuring equal access of all groups to government services."

According to the brief: "Thus, this paper calls for a new policy model for communication in post-conflict countries. This policy model would make media and communication a technical priority in post-conflict and fragile states, on par with other fundamental building blocks of governance, with its own dedicated financial, bureaucratic and human resources. More specifically, this paper argues that donors must divide their approach toward communication in these environments into two distinct categories: communication as a technical component of peacebuilding and governance, as stated above, and communication as a tool of donor outreach and public affairs."

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