Number 245, July 2002
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CTV, funded by WACC from 1998-2000, does not get any Government funds for providing non-profit, Public Service broadcasting. Furthermore they are charged the same licence fees as the commercial station. John Yates of CTV explains to Action why he is prepared to go to jail to highlight this unfairness:
In the media, especially US journalism in the past six months or a year, I see some very dark trends, I think all of you work in global political issues, this is not a discussion that ends at the borders of the United States, this is about the US role in the world, how the world’s going to be governed in the next generation, how we’re going to resolve the daunting social problems that face us, and the role the United States is going to play in the continuation or resolution of the those problems.
For a small country, with a population of three-quarters of a million people, Fiji has a relatively extensive media infrastructure. There are three major dailies (The Fiji Times, The Daily Post and The Sun), one commercial television station (Fiji One), eight commercial radio stations, three monthly business magazines and a number of other commercial publications. A research media survey carried out in 2000 showed that newspaper readership is generally falling (Pacific Media Watch, April 2000). Yet, although Fiji One TV station claims to access 80% of Fiji’s population, newspapers have still a major role to play in Fiji society as a source of information. (Source: Lynda Duncan, Pacific Journalism Review June 2002, p. 10-11). While the image media and dailies exert the greatest impact, radio probably still has the highest rate of penetration of Fiji’s homes and grass roots communities. Unfortunately, due to financial constrictions, radio has lost much of its public service ethos, with mostly music-heavy programmes and little thought provoking reporting.
Europe (presented by Gianna Urizio)
Our small organisation is called to act in a context of growing uncertainty, but also of new possibilities and opportunity.
The GNU operating system, together with the kernel, Linux, are responsible for a worldwide surge in non-proprietary, free and open source software. Reaching maturity, free software is challenging user-restricting (and expensive) proprietary platforms, these developments hold enormous promise especially in developing countries. Speaking at the Department for International Development in London, Richard Stallman told Action:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal...
1 Corinthians 13 verse 1
In the Latin American world a new word is becoming popular. It was first used by Eduardo Galeano, the renowned Uruguayan author, when quoting some fishermen he met on a South American coast.
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Dr Musimbi Kanyoro is General Secretary of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), based in Geneva. For nearly ten years prior to this she was Executive Secretary for Women in Church and Society at the Lutheran World Federation. She has a PhD in linguistics from the University of Texas and in 1999 completed her doctorate in theology at the San Francisco Theology Seminary.