COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY: CITIZENS, MEDIA, AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Editor: Tarik JUSI] Sarajevo, 2010 Title: COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY: CITIZENS, MEDIA, AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Publisher: MEDIACENTAR Sarajevo and Center for Social Research Analitika Publisher Address: MEDIACENTAR Sarajevo, Kolodvorska 3, 71 000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, www.media.ba Center for Social Research Analitika, Behd`eta Muteveli}a 10, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, www.analitika.ba For Publisher: Borislav KONTI] Editor: Tarik JUSI] Authors: Tarik JUSI], Tania GOSSELIN, Sanela HOD@I], Kate COYER, Joost van BEEK, Sne`ana MI[I]-MIHAJLOVI], Mirna JUSI], Adla ISANOVI] Translation: Michael MEHEN, Kanita HALILOVI], Mirza BE[IROVI], Nazifa SAV^I] Language editing: Milena MARI]-VOGEL Proofreading: Michael MEHEN Design: Samira SALIHBEGOVI] The views and opinions presented in this book are those of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Mediacentar Sarajevo or its donors. This book was created as a part of the project, ”Participatory Communication: Local Media and the Participations of Citizens in the Decision-Making Process in Local Communities,” funded by the Open Society Fund BiH and the Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative — Budapest. The project was implemented by Mediacentar Sarajevo from January 2009 to August 2010. www.lgi.osi.hu www.soros.org.ba CONTENTS Tarik JUSI] A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE BOOK 7 Tania GOSSELIN LOCAL MEDIA, DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: A THEORETICAL OVERVIEW 17 Tarik JUSI] and Sanela HOD@I] LOCAL MEDIA AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES: TOWARDS PUBLIC POLICIES FOR PROMOTION OF LOCAL MEDIA CONTENT IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 55 Kate COYER and Joost van BEEK COMMUNITY RADIO IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES 131 Sne`ana MI[I]-MIHAJLOVI] and Mirna JUSI] COMMUNICATION AS A PREREQUISITE FOR PARTICIPATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL: THE CASE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 187 Adla ISANOVI] NEW MEDIA, LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 239 THE AUTHORS 291 A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE BOOK Tarik JUSI] 7 A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE BOOK Citizen participation in the political life of local communities and in the decisions taken by local public administrations is an important aspect of democracy-building. It is a mechanism for the effective external monitoring of government work, but also a means for making public policies that are close to actual citizen needs. The likelihood that public policies are based on actual citizen needs increases together with participation, and citizens are more likely to support decisions reached as a result of participatory practices. In addition, citizen participation is considered a possible solution for the problem of ”democratic deficit”, manifested in the growing distrust of citizens towards governments, lower voter turnout and overall political apathy and skepticism towards established democratic values, procedures and institutions. In that sense, participation is especially suitable for the local government level, as decision-making processes at that level are relatively close to citizens, and the implications of the adopted decisions are quickly felt within local communities (see Mi{i}-Mihajlovi} and Jusi}; also see Isanovi} in this publication) However, for participation to occur at the local level in the first place and for it to be meaningful and successful, a number of important conditions need to be met, such as a stimulating legal framework, citizen trust in local government and the existence of a strong civil society. Additional requirements include support of participatory activities by political actors, a certain level of openness and transparency of local government, as well as developed capacities of local governments to meet the needs of participatory processes (Ibid.). Finally, for participation to happen at all, it is important for citizens to have access to relevant information on the work of local government, on political options and participatory mechanisms at their disposal, as well as overall 9 Tarik JUSI] activities within the local community. The extent to which citizens are informed becomes an important motivational factor and a prerequisite for their participation in the political life of their local community (see Gosselin in this publication). Given the importance of well-informed citizens for the development of citizen participation, and for the overall development of democracy at the local community level, this book focuses precisely on the elements and processes required for providing sound information to citizens within local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). This is why we have placed a special emphasis on the key actors of these communication processes — the media and local governments. Local media are the primary source of information on the work of local governments, as well as on the political, cultural and other relevant events within the local community. If they perform their function well, they constitute an important mechanism through which citizens can participate in the public life of their community, articulating their interests and deliberating on government performance. However, to ensure their informative function, quality, substantial and diverse media reporting on locally relevant topics is necessary, as well as a media sphere that is open towards different, often opposed, actors. At the same time, local government is becoming an ever more prominent communicator in the local community. This is a result of a number of factors and processes, such as the gradual development of communication capacities of municipal administrations; institutionalization of public relations as an important segment of local government work; communication technologies and tools that are becoming more user-friendly, inexpensive and widespread; as well as the growing demand for greater transparency and accountability of local governments towards citizens. In addition, the local administration is becoming an increasingly important 10 source of information for local media. All of these factors place the local government A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE BOOK at the very center of communication processes within the local community, transforming it into a key communication actor in this new environment (see Isanovi} as well as Mi{i}-Mihajlovi} and Jusi}; also see Gosselin in this publication). In line with this thematic approach, the chapters of this book can be divided into two groups: those that primarily deal with the role of local media as key actors in communication processes at the local level, and those that deal with local government and the way in which it establishes communication with citizens at the local community level. Together, the five chapters provide a systematic and multi- dimensional insight into the key institutions, mechanisms and communication practices within local communities, pointing towards the complexity of the communicative interactions that take place between media, local municipal administrations and citizens. In the first chapter, Tania Gosselin lays out a theoretical framework for understanding the links between local media, democratic government and citizen participation in local community life, analyzing local media within wider theoretical and empirical debates on the role of media and their influence on different actors at the local level. In that sense, the paper is primarily focused on the link between local media and politics, within the specific context of post-communist societies. Proceeding from the concept of media systems and analytical dimensions developed by Hallin and Mancini, Gosselin first identifies the key characteristics of media in post-communist societies of Central and Eastern Europe, subsequently focusing on mechanisms that local media can use to influence citizens, institutions and processes, and in that manner significantly participate in the political life of a local community. Local media are the main source of information on local events, political actors and the work of local governments, and are thus an important factor for creating the preconditions for well-informed political choices by citizens. In addition, local media 11 Tarik JUSI] can foster citizen engagement within the local community, and can be an important element in creating a sense of belonging in a community. Finally, local media significantly influence the behavior of local governments and elected citizen representatives in local councils. However, looking at the example of B&H and other post-communist countries, it becomes evident that the media are facing a number of obstacles in fulfilling their democratic role, such as political parallelism; fragmentation of the media sector and audiences; a lack of citizen trust; shortcomings of media regulation; and inadequate mechanisms for financing media. In such conditions, as this chapter concludes, significant support by external factors is necessary to truly accomplish the democratic role of local media. Tarik Jusi} and Sanela Hod`i} provide a systematic overview of the local media scene and existing public media policies and practice in B&H, observing local media in the wider context of the media sector in the country, as well as current international trends in this area. The paper starts with the assumption that the development of democratic processes at the local level depends to a significant degree on the availability of relevant local media content. However,