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MSI Europe & Eurasia 2004

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The Development of Sustainable Med ia in Europe and Eurasia

ISSN:1546-0878

Executive Summary
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The Media Sustainability Index (MSI) 2004 provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of media development in 20 countries over a four-year span from 2001 through 2004. Some trends, both negative and positive, mark the media environments in countries in Europe and Eurasia consistently over time, while other patterns are more spontaneous. For example, politicized media coverage and self-censorship serve as persistent obstacles to development in almost all of the countries reviewed. By contrast, recent revolutions in two countries sparked improvements in their respective media sectors. While the evolutionary trends evident in the MSI 2004 are significant for their consistency across multiple countries, the revolutionary trends could prove to be just as formative, if they maintain their staying power.

Positive Trends

The Revolution Effect

In Georgia in 2003 and Ukraine in 2004, revolutions have been partly shaped by active media sectors just as media have been altered by revolution. Following the Rose Revolution in Georgia, far-reaching changes unfolded during 2004. According to the 2004 MSI scores, Georgia’s media moved forward in all categories—except supporting institutions, which remained fairly constant. Passage of a law guaranteeing freedom of speech, the legislative approval of a new tax code exempting print media from almost all taxes, declining crimes against journalists, and more public access to a variety of media all contributed to advancing the media system. Furthermore, foreign direct investment in the media increased, largely without interference from political influence.

Despite these improvements, however, the continuing evolution of the Georgian media sector is not guaranteed over the longer term. In fact, media seemed to allow the new government a grace period from objective coverage following the revolution. As many media owners had supported the politicians ascending to office, self-censorship began to increase. If progress in Georgia’s media continues, it will be marked by the effective implementation of legal reforms and further progress in business management, the two most significant scoring increases from 2003 to 2004.

Prior to the elections on October 31, 2004, in Ukraine, journalists were consistently pressured by the government, and there was little professionalism in news coverage. Broadcast media abided by temniki, the unofficial but strict guidelines imposed on news reporting. But after the second round of voting, major changes occurred. Journalists reacted against the political pressure and cast aside the temniki. The mostly negative coverage of presidential candidate and eventual winner Viktor Yushchenko became suddenly more balanced and awakened eastern Ukraine to another political perspective. Regional news outlets were key conduits in providing objective coverage as the Orange Revolution took place.

In Ukraine, the euphoria that followed the Orange Revolution resulted in a jump in MSI scores despite poor performance during the rest of the year. Furthermore, the favor of the traditional ownership of national media has often followed the political power, meaning that media might simply switch loyalty to the Yushchenko regime without improving the professionalism of their reporting. Clearly, a longer term view is necessary to gauge whether there is enduring progress in the regional media. But for now there is no discounting the evidenced improvement in professionalism and business development, trends that bear watching in 2005 and beyond.

As the MSI 2004 went to press, Kyrgyzstan remained in chaos following a revolution that could yield even more unpredictable results in the media sector. With much of Central Asia mired in a weak and repressed media environment, the events in Kyrgyzstan could result in opportunities for movement forward unless the new guard of politicians—many of whom served under former President Akayev—turns out to have the same approaches, including toward media independence, as the old guard.

Media Plurality

An evolutionary trend experienced in most of the 20 countries covered by the MSI is the increasing availability of information sources. The ubiquity of media sources is consistent in the more developed countries of Southeast Europe as well as those in Central Asia. While the plurality of media does not necessarily equate to quality or diversity of coverage or affordability of media, these factors are improving as well. In Albania, for example, media plurality is “one of the undeniable successes of the country.” In Bulgaria, scores indicate consistent improvement in the availability of quality media that has stood the test of time and political shifts. Furthermore, many of the 20 countries (with nearly half demonstrating that the plurality of news sources is sustainable or nearly sustainable for this indicator in 2004) do not overtly restrict access to media, with the main obstacle being the financial limitations of the people, especially in rural regions. As economies in many countries improve and Internet access expands, more affordable and more accessible media likely will be available going forward. However, news and information continue to be scarce in rural regions, particularly in Central Asia and the Caucasus, a serious problem that shows little chance of abating in the near term.

On the other hand, the large number of print media—particularly in countries such as Albania and Montenegro—is not sustainable and should decline over time as the media market matures. This does not necessarily imply a reversal in democratic trends, as fewer but stronger commercially viable and therefore more independent outlets can provide citizens with information of greater breadth and depth. Currently in Serbia, for example, the high number of media outlets tends to damage the objectivity and reliability of sources because many sensationalize to boost readership or viewership.

Business Management

Another positive, yet slowly emerging trend is seen in advances in aspects of business management. In many countries addressed by the MSI, improving advertising markets have meant more revenues for media outlets. In Ukraine, ad sales were up in 2004 due to a booming economy. In Georgia, ad income exceeded that of sales and subscription revenue. In Moldova, ad revenues increased in 2004 despite low foreign direct investment and television competition from Romania. In Bulgaria, ads provided a sound source of revenue in 2004. Serbia was marked by a dynamic advertising market and ad revenues that appeared to be on an upward cycle, despite higher operating costs. In addition to the gradually improving ad market, many print media benefit from tax breaks, especially from the value-added tax (VAT).

While increasing revenue from advertising does not guarantee a sustainable and independent media, it certainly provides an important underpinning for progress against other challenges. The MSI data show an increase or relative consistency in the competency of business management from 2001 to 2004. However, some media in Central Asia have not yet started to benefit from development of the advertising market. In those countries, advertising contracts are too often used as political tools, and cronyism frequently dictates where ad money is directed.

Negative Trends

Media Law Implementation

One of the most pervasive negative trends facing media in the countries reviewed is the weak judicial sector and grievous shortcomings in effectively implementing legislation designed, at least in theory, to protect free speech and regulate media fairly and transparently. While many countries have good laws on the books, most MSI panels reacted strongly to the failure to put them into practice. In fact, the average score for this specific category is 1.94, indicating the unsustainable implementation of media laws in 2004. According to one panelist in Azerbaijan, “The law and its implementation are united. If the existence of the law was presented separately, it could be scored as a 3.5 (out of 4). But the implementation brings the score equal to 0.” Problems in implementing free-speech legislation were noted in one form or another by all countries except Croatia.

Another aspect is the court system’s failure to adjudicate media-related cases fairly. MSI panelists from many countries mentioned that judges and lawyers are poorly trained and often either politically motivated or corrupt. In cases such as Russia, courts are used as political tools to pressure media, particularly in the run-up to elections. In Montenegro and Kazakhstan, among other countries, libel still is included in the criminal code, and civil suits are often used purely to punish journalists and media outlets. In several countries, the legal burden of proof falls to the defendant, as in Moldova and Albania. These factors, combined with a public that is generally apathetic about violations of free-speech rights and a journalism community that is unaware of its rights, suggest this trend could continue downward in the coming years.

Self-Censorship

Poor legal implementation is closely linked to another negative trend, ubiquitous self-censorship. Self-censorship takes place because journalists are afraid of losing their jobs with no labor contracts in place, as in Albania and Central Asia. Self-censorship also flourishes because journalists fear legal persecution through the underdeveloped court systems. There are more subtle forms of self-censorship as well. For example, even with the improvements in Georgia following the revolution, journalists are loath to criticize the new government during a post revolution grace period.

Political and business pressure on media routinely lead to self-censorship. This is evidenced in Ukraine, where coverage shifted from an overwhelmingly negative view of Yushchenko to glowing support of him after the revolution. In Romania, one panelist said simply, “We all practice self-censorship.” In Moldova, self-censorship is widespread in both public and private media. In countries such as Albania and Georgia, the trend occurs differently: Crimes against journalists are declining but are replaced by more active self-censorship.

The Albanian MSI review notes, “Journalists are simply tired of pressure and threats and have decided to avoid investigating dangerous topics.” Belarus and Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan all have more virulent forms of self-censorship brought on by political pressure. Across all countries in 2004,the average score for the indicator dealing with self-censorship was a shockingly low 1.43. This is not to say that media are always the victims of political and business elites. In fact, outlets can be complicit in promoting one interest or another due to their own links to political and business groups.

Education

A more subtle, yet still significant, media-development trend is the consistent dearth of sound university journalism education. Faculties with outdated curricula and poor resources are failing to prepare new generations of journalism professionals committed to media independence. Panelists in almost all countries reviewed by the MSI, with the exception of Croatia, reported that journalism students received very little practical training or exposure to modern techniques and equipment. The average score for this indicator in all countries in 2004—1.85—reflects these deficiencies. Furthermore, students who sought a better education outside of their home countries either did not return or came back to take more lucrative jobs in other industries. The poor educational standards throughout the 20 MSI countries portend a continuing struggle to develop professional journalism over the long term. This trend has negative implications beyond the media sector. Young people graduating from journalism faculties without a profound commitment to independent media or proper professional skills will not be fully able to help in establishing the media as a healthy contributor to the economy, or as a counterbalance to the political sector.

With four years of data collected, the MSI now charts significant advances in the media systems of multiple countries, including Montenegro and Macedonia, where there has been significant progress, as well as those such as Belarus and Uzbekistan, where the ruling regimes (sometimes in combination with economic factors) have made even small amounts of progress impossible. The evidence over time makes clear that media systems can make headway on all the facets assessed by the MSI panels and that in some cases this development is significant enough to withstand political change. In the years to come, the MSI will show whether these advances become firmly entrenched in more countries and if change, evolutionary or revolutionary, will bring citizens in more countries the information they need and deserve.

Download MSI 2004 executive summary charts (PDF), which plot regional and country performance according to the objectives of free speech, professional journalism, plurality of news sources, business management, and supporting institutions.