MAPPING DIGITAL MEDIA: GLOBAL FINDINGS DIGITAL JOURNALISM: MAKING NEWS, BREAKING NEWS Mapping Digital Media is a project of the Open Society Program on Independent Journalism and the Open Society Information Program Th e project assesses the global opportunities and risks that are created for media by the switch- over from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting; the growth of new media platforms as sources of news; and the convergence of traditional broadcasting with telecommunications. Th ese changes redefi ne the ways that media can operate sustainably while staying true to values of pluralism and diversity, transparency and accountability, editorial independence, freedom of expression and information, public service, and high professional standards. Th e project, which examines the changes in-depth, builds bridges between researchers and policymakers, activists, academics and standard-setters. It also builds policy capacity in countries where this is less developed, encouraging stakeholders to participate in and infl uence change. At the same time, this research creates a knowledge base, laying foundations for advocacy work, building capacity and enhancing debate. Covering 56 countries, the project examines how these changes aff ect the core democratic service that any media system should provide—news about political, economic and social aff airs. Th e MDM Country Reports are produced by local researchers and partner organizations in each country. Cumulatively, these reports provide a unique resource on the democratic role of digital media. In addition to the country reports, research papers on a range of topics related to digital media have been published as the MDM Reference Series. Th ese publications are all available at http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/projects/mapping-digital-media. EDITORIAL COMMISSION Yuen-Ying Chan, Christian S. Nissen, Dusˇan Reljic´, Russell Southwood, Damian Tambini The Editorial Commission is an advisory body. Its members are not responsible for the information or assessments contained in the Mapping Digital Media texts OPEN SOCIETY PROGRAM ON INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM TEAM Marius Dragomir, senior manager/publications editor; Mark Thompson, policy projects offi cer; Meijinder Kaur, program coordinator; Sameer Padania, program offi cer; Stewart Chisholm, associate director; Gordana Jankovic´, former director OPEN SOCIETY INFORMATION PROGRAM TEAM Vera Franz, senior program manager; Darius Cuplinskas, director Mapping Digital Media Global Findings A REPORT BY THE OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS WRITTEN BY Fernando Bermejo Ying Chan Iulian Comanescu Carlos Cortés Aboubakr Jamaï Tanja Kersˇevan Smokvina Marko Milosavljevic´ Christian S. Nissen Rita Rudusˇa Justin Schlosberg Russell Southwood Jelena Surcˇulija Milojevic´ Damian Tambini Martijn de Waal Graham Watts EDITED BY Marius Dragomir and Mark Thompson (Open Society Program on Independent Journalism) July 2014 © 2014 Open Society Foundations Th is publication is available as a pdf on the Open Society Foundations website under a Creative Commons license that allows copying and distributing the publication, only in its entirety, as long as it is attributed to the Open Society Foundations and used for noncommercial educational or public policy purposes. Photographs may not be used separately from the publication. ISBN: 978-1-910243-03-9 Published by OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS 224 West 57th Street New York, NY 10019 United States For more information contact: MAPPING DIGITAL MEDIA OPEN SOCIETY PROGRAM ON INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM Millbank Tower, 21–24 Millbank London, SW1P 4QP United Kingdom Website http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/projects/mapping-digital-media Layout by Judit Kovács, Createch Ltd., Hungary Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 9 Marius Dragomir and Mark Th ompson MAJOR TRENDS BY THEMES AND REGIONS ....................................................... 21 Themes ..................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER ONE Public Interest and Commercial Media: Digital Trends ............................ 41 Carlos Cortés CHAPTER TWO Public Media and Digitization: Seven Th eses ........................................... 75 Damian Tambini CHAPTER THREE Journalism and Digital Times: Between Wider Reach and Sloppy Reporting... 107 Ying Chan CHAPTER FOUR News Choice and Off er in the Digital Transition ..................................... 129 Jelena Surčulija Milojević CHAPTER FIVE Telecoms and News .................................................................................. 145 Iulian Comanescu CHAPTER SIX Access to Spectrum: Winners and Losers .................................................. 159 Marko Milosavljević and Tanja Kerševan Smokvina OSF PROGRAM ON INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM 2014 5 CHAPTER SEVEN Distributing the Digital Dividend ............................................................ 175 Christian S. Nissen CHAPTER EIGHT Business and Ownership of the Media in Digital Times ........................... 191 Martijn de Waal Regions ..................................................................................................... 211 CHAPTER NINE Digital Media in the European Union ...................................................... 213 Justin Schlosberg CHAPTER TEN Digital Media in the EU Enlargement Countries ..................................... 239 Justin Schlosberg CHAPTER ELEVEN Digital Media in the Former Soviet Union ............................................... 253 Rita Ruduša CHAPTER TWELVE Digital Media in Latin America ................................................................ 265 Fernando Bermejo CHAPTER THIRTEEN Digital Media in South-East Asia ............................................................. 277 Graham Watts CHAPTER FOURTEEN Digital Media in Asia: India and Pakistan................................................. 293 Graham Watts CHAPTER FIFTEEN Digital Media in the Arab World.............................................................. 301 Aboubakr Jamaï CHAPTER SIXTEEN Digital Media in Africa: Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa .............................. 313 Russell Southwood 6 MAPPING DIGITAL MEDIA GLOBAL FINDINGS Project Information ......................................................................... 327 Published reports ..................................................................................... 329 Translated reports ..................................................................................... 336 Reference series ........................................................................................ 337 Regional editors ....................................................................................... 337 Methodology ........................................................................................... 338 REPORT STRUCTURE ......................................................................................... 341 Context .................................................................................................... 341 1. Media Consumption: Th e Digital Factor ........................................... 341 2. Digital Media and Public or State-Administered Broadcasters ............ 344 3. Digital Media and Society .................................................................. 335 4. Digital Media and Journalism ............................................................ 347 5. Digital Media and Technology ........................................................... 349 6. Digital Business ................................................................................. 352 7. Policies, Laws and Regulators ............................................................. 354 8. Conclusions ....................................................................................... 358 9. Recommendations ............................................................................. 359 OSF PROGRAM ON INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM 2014 7 Introduction Mapping the World’s Digital Media Marius Dragomir and Mark Thompson The Project Over the course of the past decade, digital television and internet have brought about radical changes for media businesses, journalists, and citizens at large. Platforms distributing journalistic content have proliferated, technological advances have driven media companies to revamp their operations in the sometimes desperate attempt to remain lucrative and relevant, while journalists operate in an ever faster-paced industry, and citizens have access to a cornucopia of sources of news and information. By the end of 2013, over 55 percent of households worldwide had a television set receiving digital signal, some 25 percentage points more than in 2008. In the developed world that fi gure stood at more than 81 percent. By the end of 2014, the world is forecast to number almost three billion internet users, two thirds of them in the developing world. With mobile phone saturation standing at nearly 100 percent of the global population, consumption on mobile platforms has surged dramatically as well. Mobile broadband subscriptions are predicted to reach 2.3 billion by the end of 2014.1 But is this ever-more-connected world a better place for independent journalism? Th is is one of the questions that the Mapping Digital Media (MDM) project sought to answer. Th e Program on Independent Journalism (PIJ), formerly the Media Program, and the Information Program at the Open Society Foundations launched