Perils of Powerpoint

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Paradigms, broadcasting, key issues, analysis
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PARADIGMS
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Paradigm spectacles
1. Functionalism
2. Liberal Pluralism
3. Power view
4. Participative
5. Chaos theory
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Paradigms 1 Functionalism

• Policy systems to harmonise for the
  reproduction of the whole entity.
• Relevance to policy on media
• Plays integrative role eg. get agreement that
  political parties will not be allowed to have
  radio station licences.
• Gives predictability, avoids ad hoc decisions
  there are agreed rules procedures for getting
  licences.
• Should go through clear stages/steps

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Paradigms 2 Lib pluralism

• Policy reflects interests competition and
  contest among those who can.
• Highlights elite politics of policy.
• Policy sales seen to the most rational
  outcome for the whole.
• Relevance to policy on media
• Fair open competition for licences.
• Recognise diff interests amongst power-holders
  who need to be satisfied by policy process if
  result legit.

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Paradigms 3 Power view

• Policy reflects the rulers .
• Highlights final power in policy
• Focus on class and gender.
• Relevance to policy on media
• Policy decisions ( ambiguity) reflect not just
  compromise but control.
• Do govt, international orgs, owners or
  advertisers call the final shots?
• Sometimes policy as political theatre
• Discourse of policy coverage is nb.

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Paradigm 4 Participative

• Policy as consultative and empowering of
  powerless.
• Relevance to policy on media
• Are there provisions for media workers, and
  audiences, to make input or register complaints?
• Are there provisions for access to public service
  media by all voices?
• Grassroots ownership community media
  possibilities.

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Paradigm 5 Chaos theory

• Policy as piecemeal muddle.
• Disorderly, ad hoc.
• Media relevance
• Policy arises from poor info, poor process,
  false perceptions, flawed cause-effect views,
  inconsistencies, irrational humans.

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Summing up

• Paradigm insight
• policy as integrative
• policy as politically contested
• policy as power of the dominant
• policy as empowering
• policy as patchy

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Exercise

• Apply the paradigms to an internal policy issue
  a policy on smoking in the newsroom.

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In whose interests?
Govt interest
POLICY

• Public
• interest

Private sector interest
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Summing up

• Key issues facing media policy
• Question whose interests served?
• Item First 3rd World policy issues.
• Horwitz, Crede Mansell, Linden

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SINGLING OUT BROADCAST
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Outside of USA

• Historically authoritarian
• media content
• industry structure
• Form
• state monopoly
• public must pay licence fees
• universal service notion

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Why broadcast not print?

• Rationale
• uses public frequency spectrum
• nation-building power
• Exceptions are the rule!
• Print is regulated in many countries!
• Rationale seen as powerful

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Regulatory rationales

• Broadcast liberalisation is also regulated
• Spectrum and order argument
• Social factors arguments
• License commercial broadcasters.
• Thus policy covers all broadcasters
• Eg. Local content, morals, elections, news,
  language, univ service, tariffs, etc.

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Perspectives

• Broadcast control in whose interests?
• the society (functionalist view)
• government/ruling class (power)
• elite private interests (pluralist)
• consumers communities (participative)
• nobody, random beneficiaries (chaos)

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Convergence confuses

• Digital broadcasting
• Policy when frequency not at stake?
• Different channels
• When broadcast goes via Net?
• Other frequency use
• When goes via 3G or WiFi?

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Summing up

• Broadcast policy issues
• Historically more susceptible to policy and
  regulation
• Frequency and social issues
• Convergence issues

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KEY ISSUES
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Key issues
A. Role of state B. Philosophies
C. Scope of policy D. No policy failure
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A. Role of the state

• The most NB site of policy?
• Role of independent regulators?
• Role of foreign influences?
• Role of international orgs?
• Role of the media?

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B Philosophies values

• Libertarian/commercial values
• Light touch - abstentionist
• Democratic values
• Consultative, self-regulatory
• Social democratic values
• Directive
• Statist/control-freak values
• Heavy touch

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C Scope of policy

• Policing policy, or regulate the regulatable
• Selection of gender sources?
• Defining field
• Training? Freebies? Plagiarism?
• Also Capacity, monitoring, review.

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D Impact issues

• Formal vs informal policies.
• Living vs dead-letter policies
• No policy can be a policy position
• de facto, it is status quo friendly.

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D Impact issues cntd

• Assessing policy success
• Measurable indicators needed
• Evaluation must be done
• When policy fails
• Impractical unrealistic
• Inflexible re changing conditions
• Policy vs practice
• Where does fault lie?

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Re-cap

• Definition purpose of policy.
• Who, what, where, when, how, why, so what?
• Issues in policy, structure-content-systems
• 4 paradigms functionalist, liberal, power,
  participative
• Broadcasting, convergence
• Key issues philosophy, scope, impact

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POLICY ANALYSIS
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Ingredients of good policy

• It should be relevant and clear
• Why this policy, whats the purpose?
• (eg. predictability, enabling, empowering)
• Whose problem/possibility is addressed? Thus
  Donts and dos.
• Who the policy is for? Whose interests?
• Clear objectives are spelled out.

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Ingredients of good policy

• It should address
• Who should implement it?
• Where is it made, where does it apply?
• How is it made, how is it applied?
• What paradigm informs it?
• Good policy shd be comprehensive.

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What makes for good policy?

• Clear definition of what it covers (scope), and
  whether it is formal or not
• eg. What exactly is convergence if you wanted
  a policy on this?

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Good policy

• Specifies its own genesis -
• Who makes/made the policy
• Stakeholders? (Ownership)?
• What interests politics?
• Where? How? Why (legitimacy)?
• Who makes/made the final decision? (power?)

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Good policy also

• Recognises inputs
• External policy determinants context
• Underlying values made explicit
• Research that is conducted
• Consultative contributions.
• Has suitable philosophy of implementation as
  regards objectives.
• 6. Is practical (esp. budget time issues)

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Good policy further

1. Is assess-able (yields indicators)
2. Specifies who communicates it and how.
3. Tells who monitors assesses.
4. Sets out who must take corrective action or
   initiate policy review, and when.

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Checklist Cover all points

1. Relevance, purpose, interests, objectives. (
   paradigm)
2. Definition of what it covers.
3. Who will make the policy, who adopt it?
4. List of inputs external, values, research,
   consultation
5. What philosophy of intervention?

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Checklist Cover all points

1. Practical implications (budget, time)
2. Assessment what indicators are there? How gauge
   degrees of success or failure?
3. Who will communicate the policy?
4. Who will monitor and assess?
5. Who will action change?

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Conclusion

• Policy is a major factor for media
• It matters!

Thank you
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