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IMS): Exploring a Model for Rapid Response to Threatened Media

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IMS): Exploring a Model for Rapid Response to Threatened Media “Looking for Trouble …” An evaluation of International Media Support (IMS): Exploring a model for rapid response to threatened media Kim Brice Helge Rønning Hugo Stokke R 2004: 5 “Looking for Trouble …” En evaluation of International Media Support (IMS): Exploring a model for rapid response to threatened media Kim Brice Helge Rønning Hugo Stokke R 2004: 5 Chr. Michelsen Institute Development Studies and Human Rights CMI Reports This series can be ordered from: Chr. Michelsen Institute P.O. Box 6033 Postterminalen, N-5892 Bergen, Norway Tel: + 47 55 57 40 00 Fax: + 47 55 57 41 66 E-mail: [email protected] www.cmi.no Price: NOK 90 ISSN 0805-505X ISBN 82-8062-078-8 This report is also available at: www.cmi.no/public/public.htm Indexing terms Mass media Conflicts Aid evaluation International Media Support Developing countries Project title Evaluation of International Media Support Project number 23006 © Chr. Michelsen Institute 2004 C M I Table of Contents PREFACE................................................................................................................................................................V CONTACT DETAILS ........................................................................................................................................ VI LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................VII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................VIII 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................1 1.1 INTERPRETATION OF THE TERMS OF REFERENCE............................................................................2 1.2 METHODOLOGY, WORK PLAN.............................................................................................................3 2 IMS IN CONTEXT .....................................................................................................................................5 2.1 A SHORT HISTORY OF IMS..................................................................................................................5 2.2 MEDIA IN CONFLICT SIT UATIONS ......................................................................................................7 3 THE ORGANISATIONAL S ETUP OF IMS .................................................................................... 17 3.1 RELATIONSHIP SECRETARIAT – BOARD – ADVISORY BOARD.................................................................17 3.2 WORKING- AND DECISION-MAKING PROCEDURES..................................................................................21 3.3 FINDINGS ON ORGANISATIONAL MATTERS.....................................................................................22 4 IMS’ IMPLEMENTATION MODALITIES .................................................................................... 24 4.1 THE IMS MANDATE...........................................................................................................................24 4.2 IMS’ FRAMEWORK FOR INTERVENTIONS........................................................................................25 4.3 IMS’ ACTIVITIES................................................................................................................................27 4.4 IMS’ ROLE...........................................................................................................................................29 4.5 IMS’ NETWORK OF PARTNER ORGANISATIONS.............................................................................31 4.6 IMS’ COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE ...................................................................................................33 4.7 FINDINGS RELATED TO IMS’ IMPLEMENTATION MODALITIES.....................................................33 5 IMS PROJECTS ....................................................................................................................................... 35 5.1 ANALYSIS OF THE PROJECT PORTFOLIO..........................................................................................35 5.2 CASE STUDIES.....................................................................................................................................38 5.2.1 West Africa (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast).................................................................. 38 5.2.2 The Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan)..................................................................... 42 5.2.3 South Asia (Nepal, Sri Lanka)................................................................................................... 50 5.2.4 Afghanistan................................................................................................................................... 59 5.2.5 Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan )............. 61 5.2.6 Chechnya ...................................................................................................................................... 64 5.2.7 Byelorussia................................................................................................................................... 66 5.2.8 Ukraine......................................................................................................................................... 67 5.2.9 Haiti............................................................................................................................................... 68 5.3 FINDINGS IN RELATION TO PROJECTS..............................................................................................69 6 OVERALL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................... 72 6.1 OVERALL FINDINGS............................................................................................................................72 6.2 OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS........................................................................................................75 7 LIST OF SELECT DOCUMENTS CONSULTED ......................................................................... 78 8 ANNEXES ................................................................................................................................................... 79 ANNEX 1 – TERMS OF REFERENCE ..................................................................................................................80 ANNEX 2 – INCEPTION NOTE.............................................................................................................................86 ANNEX 3 - LIST OF INDIVIDUALS INTERVIEWED:...........................................................................................90 ANNEX 4 – LIST OF IMS PARTNERS.................................................................................................................93 ANNEX 5 - STATISTICAL TABLES......................................................................................................................99 iii C M I Figures 1: Basic intergroup-relations in society 10 2: Proposal for IMS project management cycle 27 3: IMS as donor 29 4: IMS as donor and implementer 29 5: IMS as networker 30 Tables 1: A simple model of IMS interventions 10 2: A complex model of IMS interventions 11 3: IMS interventions by media threat and armed conflict 37 4: IMS interventions by degree of media threat and stage of conflict 37 iv C M I Preface The present report is an evaluation of what the evaluation team has found to be a unique and very interesting institution. International Media Support (IMS) is not yet another media NGO that promotes freedom of expression and free media, and issue alerts regarding media oppression, though it is also engaged is this type of work. It aims to contribute to something that is much more challenging, namely to support media in conflict situations, and to promote media as a tools for conflict resolution. To analyse the experiences and concrete activities of IMS in the short period that the organisation has existed has been an extremely interesting undertaking. We are very pleased that we were given the opportunity to undertake this exercise. It has provided us with new insights into international media support work, but also made us reflect on the various roles of media in different parts of the world. Thus the evaluation exercise in itself has been a learning experience to us. We hope that the evaluation also will contribute to the valuable work that IMS does, as well as to a deeper understanding of how similar organisations might develop, as well as to providing the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs with tools and insights that will be of use in its work of providing support for peace and stability and democracy initiatives. The framework for the evaluation was ideal. We as a team were given the resources to be able to undertake fieldwork, consult with specialists, meet to discuss our findings and work together on several occasions as well as to interact with the IMS staff and the Board. There are many who have contributed to this report in a number of ways. But we would initially like to express our gratitude to the FRESTA secretariat for providing such an ideal framework for the evaluation and its interest in the evaluation process, and to the Chr. Michelsen Institute that contracted us to undertake the evaluation. Then of course the work would have been impossible without
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