Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Opportunities for groups concerned with democracy, equity, culture, technology and communication
CIMA: Center for International Media Action
February 2011
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There’s a lot going on right now in the realm of media policy and infrastructure in the United States.
Government initiatives, funding bubbles, nonprofit programs and community projects are buzzing around
such topics as “digital public media”; “the future of media and information needs of communities”;
“broadband adoption”; “arts and social change”; and “community radio.” At the same time, media outlets
and nonprofits are reconfiguring in an economic downturn. Advocates and communities are responding with
urgency to policy developments, business deals and grant opportunities affecting the development of the
internet, journalism, culture and communication.
Efforts to increase equity and meet community needs may be urgent, but they are confronting deeply
entrenched, systemic problems and persistent historical trends. What does it look like to tackle immediate
policy and activist campaigns while working for profound, time-consuming, long-term political, economic and
cultural transformation?
This brief report, “Working Together to Shape the Media,” brings together observations and
recommendations from dozens of organizers, nonprofit researchers, advocates, network-builders and
funders working at the intersection of media and social change.
Key findings:
1 There is a potentially powerful movement to develop communications, information, and cultural
systems that can advance democracy, equity, justice and the rights for all to have healthy, thriving
communities. Significant assets and strengths among existing organizations can be leveraged
through strategic partnerships.
2 This collective potential is restricted when critical components of the movement remain under-
resourced. National and regional organizations working for media in the public interest need to
invest in community-rooted partners who have the information, relationships, history and expertise to
effectively reveal community needs, generate innovation and implement solutions.
3 Urgent short-term activities need to be linked into a longer-term framework. Rapid-response, tactical
coalitions and campaigns need to be paired with activities for sustaining and growing this movement.
This publication was developed by CIMA: Center for International Action, an organization that between 2003 and 2010
focused on strategy-development and alliance-building support for groups concerned with equity and rights in media
and communications policy. The research was conducted for CIMA’s internal planning; the summary report was written
to contribute to conversations among our allies and partners.
For more information on this report, contact Aliza Dichter, liza @ mhcable.com
Working Together to Shape the Media
Opportunities for groups concerned with democracy, equity, culture, technology and communication
TABLE OF CONTENTS
For more information on this report, contact Aliza Dichter, liza @ mhcable.com
Working Together to Shape the Media
Opportunities for groups concerned with democracy, equity, culture, technology and communication.
CIMA: Center for International Media Action
February 2011
INTRODUCTION
There’s a lot going on in the realm of media policy and infrastructure in the United States.
National Stimulus grants are funding local broadband projects that aim to close digital divides.
The old public broadcasting model is challenged from all sides as the categories and institutions
of “public media” are reorganized. After a 10-year grassroots campaign, the federal government
passed the Local Community Radio Act, creating new opportunities for community radio across
the United States. The Federal Communications Commission has launched a program
investigating “The Future of Media and Information Needs of Communities....” on the heels of
think-tank reports and community forums on the same topic.
“Internet freedom” and “access for all” are the high stakes for nonprofit and community-based
coalitions engaged in a series of current policy struggles. Media and telecom conglomerates are
jockeying to be able to control networks and wealth. Media jobs, media outlets, libraries,
governments and nonprofits of all types are operating with rapidly shrinking public and
philanthropic money.
The economics and ecology of media are being reconfigured, raising a “transform or die”
challenge across the commercial and nonprofit spectrum of journalism and culture.
These may be urgent times for advocates, media-makers and community groups working on
these issues, but they are confronting deeply entrenched, systemic problems and persistent
historical trends. The immediate goal may be to influence a policy change or shape a media
project. But if the purpose is meeting community needs through the media of the future,
important questions lie before us: How to shift the role of corporations in our democracy? How to
increase equity and reduce poverty? How to undermine age-old systems that disadvantage
people on the basis of wealth, race and other social status?
What does it look like to tackle immediate policy and activist campaigns while working
for profound, time-consuming, long-term political, economic and cultural transformation?
This report summarizes ideas we’ve gathered in response to that question.
Groups need to anticipate a drop-off in support and interest for hot topics
Many groups and media projects have been drawn into current hot areas, but funder
interest may not be sustained, and government agendas shift with political change.
Because they have experience developing and sustaining through scarcity, people
and groups with long histories in this work can provide longer-range perspective.
“Hot” issues can draw attention away from other longstanding problems
Issues of harmful or negligent media representation remain a top concern for
marginalized communities, but those issues are not getting systematic, strategic
attention from media-advocacy groups. Local social-justice groups report that efforts
to engage them in media or telecom policy can conflict with other community needs
and political priorities. With the speed of technological change and convergence,
current media/communications projects can't afford to ignore rapidly approaching
issues such as privacy and surveillance, biotechnologies, health impacts of
technologies and the changing role of government agencies in media development.
Personal connections, politics and social privilege remain factors in money flow
Observers see grants going primarily to groups that fit a certain “professionalized”
approach, and to those few organizations that have established relationships as
favorite grantees of particular funders. Money and jobs for people who come from
community/justice work tend to go to those who have more in common with the
dominant players (i.e., are white, male, and/or have academic credentials).
Similarly, the increasing nature of media and art in prioritizing communities and
collaboration is not reflected in the current dominant ways of funding arts and media.
Key to unlocking this power, according to movement observers, is for groups to think
differently about their assets and to invest in developing strategic partnerships. Media-
change groups can connect with a much wider range of allies through big frameworks
around democracy and equity, and also by providing mutual support and value.
We identified seven approaches where investments now of money, time and other
resources have potential for long-term impact.
RESEARCH PROCESS
1. A brief study of convenings where concerns about media intersected with social justice
activism. Dr. Seeta Peña Gangadharan conducted this research, using a web scan to
identify the stated types and goals of recent (2008-2010) gatherings focused on media-
change, and categorizing the events based on host, sponsor, attendee or observer
descriptions. A “snowball” method was used, starting with known groups and events over
a wide range of media/communications work and expanding from there. The purpose was
to extract who the convening served and to what end, resulting in a general analysis on
the visibility and frequency of collaborative, long-range strategy events.
RE/SOURCES
Much thanks to the following individuals for their time and thoughtful reflections