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CONTENTS NATION WORLD BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY HEALTH/LIFESTYLE
Y
oung Is beLLer LIun oId. RIcI Is beLLer LIun
poor. BeuuLIIuI Is beLLer LIun ugIy. And
unyLIIng Is beLLer LIun poIILIcs.
Those were some rough rules of thumb reputedly
uppIIed by Ruy Cuve, Time managing editor from
1q;; Lo 1q8, In cIoosIng subjecLs Ior LIe weekIy
newsmuguzIne`s cover. Cuve`s guIdeIInes Ior IoL-
seIIIng covers muy or muy noL be used uL TIme or
other news publications these days, but the last line
ubouL poIILIcs couId very weII uppIy Lo pubIIc uuIrs
journuIIsm In LIe z1sL CenLury.
PoIILIcuI und governunce coveruge, wIIIe ever LIe
staple of news media since its earliest days chronicling
evenLs Ior 1;LI CenLury Europe, Ius never been
LIe mosL popuIur oI pubIIc communIcuLIons. TIe
reporting and commentary on the formulation and
implementation of public policy and the wielding of
sLuLe power Iuve uIwuys puIed In muss uppeuI nexL Lo
hcLIon, song und drumu.
So IL Is In LIe nLerneL uge, us dIscussIons In LIe ;LI
Forum for Emerging Leaders in Asian Journalism,
convened on SepLember z6 In YogyukurLu, ndonesIu,
Who Cares
About the News?
In a world of mounting threats,
public affairs coverage is a must.
But it is losing the scramble for
eyes and ears BY RICARDO SALUDO
WORLD
STRATEGY POINTS
With the imperative to
mobilize national and world
society to address mounting
problems, public affairs media
is needed more than ever
With the spread of democracy
and digital access, the
press is fourishing, but
entertainment and social
media are growing faster
In addressing the online
challenge, public affairs
media must have strategic
focus, open consultation, and
the readiness to experiment
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16
:NKcenSEI8KVUXZ October 1-14, 2012
urmed. As noLed by Indian Express journalist
RuvI BujpuI, one of the Konrad Adenauer-Ateneo
UnIversILy AsIun CenLer Ior JournuIIsm (ACFJ) fellows
at the forum, while The Times of India, LIe counLry`s
largest-circulation newspaper, took decades to garner
6.; mIIIIon reuders, TumII musIc vIdeo Why This
KoIuverI DI upIouded on YouTube IusL November
Iud 1q mIIIIon vIews In LIree weeks und more LIun
6o mIIIIon Loduy.
Bajpal further notes that Asians are spending far more
LIme surhng onIIne LIun reudIng news, uccordIng Lo
medIu survey hrm NIeIsen`s duLu on SouLIeusL AsIuns
wILI dIgILuI uccess. or sucI peopIe In LIe more
nLerneL-connecLed counLrIes oI SIngupore, MuIuysIu,
TIuIIund und LIe PIIIIppInes, LIe uveruge number oI
Iours spenL onIIne Is ubouL hve-IoId LIe LIme reudIng
newspupers, und exceeds LIe combIned Iours Ior TV
and print (see chart below).
I more udvunced nuLIons ure un IndIcuLIon oI IuLure
media trends, as they had been in the past, rapid
growth of online news access against traditional
InIormuLIon medIu Is seL Lo conLInue. n LIe UnILed
States, the Internet topped print and radio as the tmain
sources oI news In zo1o, uccordIng Lo duLu posL IusL
month in The transition to digital journalism
by PuuI GrubowIcz oI LIe UnIversILy oI CuIIIornIu uL
Berkeley (see top chart, next page). OnIIne use cIImbed
from a quarter to more than a third of Americans,
wILI qq%geLLIng news Irom onIIne or mobIIe devIces.
MeunwIIIe, rudIo news und newspupers IeII beIow %
Irom ubouL % sInce 1qq1.

Tamil video has over 60 million YouTube views, ten
times The Times of India readers YouTube
Chart from Ravi Bajpal, 7th Forum of Emerging Leaders of Asian Journalism
Who cares about the news?
Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapre Thailand Vietnam
Internet
Broadcast TV
Listening to the radio
Reading a print newspaper
25
20
15
10
5
0
14.0
20.3
Digital consumers aged 15+
Total average spent with internet and main media per weel
8.3
4.0
19.8
10.6
5.8
4.3
21.5
13.3
6.3
3.6
25.0
13.3
6.3
3.6
16.6
10.9
5.2
3.7
16.0
16.6
4.8
3.9
H
o
u
r
s
COUNTRY COMPARISONS OF TIME SPENT ON THE INTERNET VS. TRADITIONAL MEDIA
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HOW LONG DO INACCURATE TWEETS LAST?
WHERE AMERICANS GET NEWS
Pew Research Center Survey, June 2010
Chart from RAPID: Minimizing the spread of false rumors in social media during a
disaster, Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey, U.S.A.
The need for news. Even us pubIIc uuIrs coveruge
loses ground to entertainment and social media,
there is perhaps no other time in human history when
reporLIng und unuIysIs oI poIIcy und governunce IoIds
greater urgency and importance for the world than
Loduy. NoL onIy Is pubIIc uuIrs journuIIsm needed Lo
impress upon humankind the entrenched worldwide
economic and lifestyle trends endangering both planet
und peopIe. TIese IoomIng envIronmenLuI und socIeLuI
LIreuLs, Irom gIobuI wurmIng Lo hnuncIuI meILdown,
uIso demund mobIIIzuLIon oI poIILIcuI IeudersIIp und
huge segments of humanity to undertake needed
soIuLIons - cIeurIy u job Ior pubIIc uuIrs medIu.
If world problems require more political and
governunce InIormuLIon und udvocucy, so does LIe
expunsIon oI boLI democruLIc und dIgILuI spuce
ucross LIe gIobe, Irom Arub und Myunmur sprIngs Lo
ucebook und LwILLer. Press Ireedom und onIIne uccess
Iuve udded eyebuIIs by LIe mIIIIons seekIng news und
opinion once denied them by despotic regimes or only
recenLIy mude uccessIbIe vIu broudbund und WI-I.
Indeed, while social
websILes were gIven
much credit for the
uprisings in North
AIrIcu und LIe MIddIe
East, traditional media,
especially satellite TV,
was the bigger factor in
LIe Ireedom sLruggIes.
TIuL`s LIe urgumenL
in TIe Arub SprIng`s
Three Foundations
by Heidi Lane of the
U.S. NuvuI CoIIege,
published in The
Concordian, a journal
on European security
und deIense Issues.
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:NKcenSEI8KVUXZ October 1-14, 2012
TIe socIuI medIu expIosIon, moreover, wILI LIe
bIIndIng speed und reucI oI ILs vIruI onIIne erupLIons,
has made truthful, credible, and impartial media
even more IndIspensubIe. WILIouL IL, unLruLIs,
disinformation and misimpressions can rapidly spread
LIeIr IncendIury venom, IncILIng suspIcIon, unger und
vIoIence beLween communILIes or even counLrIes.
TIe dunger oI IuIse InIormuLIon goIng vIruI Is
particularly pernicious in emergency situations, as
warned in RAPD: MInImIzIng LIe spreud oI IuIse
rumors in social media during a disaster, published
In New Jersey`s SLevens nsLILuLe oI TecInoIogy sILe.
Its chart plotted Twitter relays as long as three weeks
uILer LIe mIsLuken InIormuLIon wus hrsL LweeLed, wILI
us muny us zo,ooo reLweeLs oI wrong rumors.
BujpuI uIso cILed LIe dunger oI onIIne mIsInIormuLIon.
He recalled the AugusL exodus In NorLI ndIu of
hundreds of thousands of people, reportedly triggered
by IuIse rumors oI conIcL In NorLI Assum sLuLe,
complete with doctored images uploaded on social
medIu. TIe IncIdenL Ied New DeIII Lo bIock severuI
sites. CIeurIy, wIere IIes cun go pundemIc In seconds,
LIe unLIdoLe cun onIy be u reIIubIe, objecLIve und
proIessIonuI press LIuL LIe pubIIc cun Lurn Lo, Lo verIIy
LIe vIruI.
Media, the honest broker. And if it may seem
LIuL oId-IusIIoned objecLIve, unbIused reporLIng und
commentary are no longer seen as necessary, desirable
or even possIbIe, journuIIsm`s uge-oId ImpurLIuI LruLI-
seekIng mIssIon Is needed more LIun ever wILI LIe
proIIIeruLIon oI prInL, broudcusL und onIIne ouLhLs
openly or subtly backed and directed by all manner of
purLIsun InLeresLs und udvocucy.
rom bIoodIed eLInIc IucLIons In posL-conIcL sLuLes
to establishment parties and big business in the First
or Third Worlds, a broad and colorful spectrum of
InLeresL groups Iuve Invuded LIe so-cuIIed public
space oI opInIon-mukIng und conLendIng. WIo wIII
help the populace piece together from the partisan
pieces of truth that daily proliferate, a cogent,
unsIunLed und non-purLIsun perspecLIve? OnIy LIe
oId medIu und LIe new ones LIuL Iuve udopLed ILs
LrudILIonuI prIncIpIes und prucLIces.
Tuke LIe MIddIe EusL sILuuLIon even beIore LIe Arub
SprIng, us surveyed In LIe zoo; CompuruLIve ReporL
on LIe SLuLe oI LIe MedIu In EgypL, Jordun, ebunon
und Morocco, pubIIsIed by LIe U.N. DeveIopmenL
Programme (UNDP), the International Foundation
for Electoral Systems (IFES), and the Arab Center
Ior LIe DeveIopmenL oI LIe RuIe oI uw und nLegrILy
(ACRLI). AuLIor Dr. SussIn AssuI oI ACR noLed LIuL
state and political or commercial media dominate,
wIIIe LIe growLI oI prIvuLe, IndependenL press Is
LIreuLened by LIe growIng reIIgIous und hnuncIuI
power oI some oI LIe ruIIng eIILes.
Even LIe WorId Bunk, wIIcI sLuuncIIy supporLs press
Ireedom Lo counLer corrupLIon und mIsgovernunce,
devoLed CIupLer q In ILs zo1o reporL, Public Sentinel:
News Media and Governance Reform, to the
probIems spuwned by Ireedom In posL-conIcL ruq
und ELIIopIu. n boLI counLrIes, LIe rIse oI InLenseIy
secLurIun medIu reLurded eorLs Lo buIId nuLIonuI
harmony and unity, as well as the public trust needed
by LIe governmenL Lo IuncLIon weII.

Times of India news video on North India exodus
triggered by false rumors online
Who cares about the news?
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CONTENTS NATION WORLD BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY HEALTH/LIFESTYLE
The global good governance drive. A hnuI Iorce
Ior more pubIIc uuIrs coveruge Is LIe worIdwIde
movemenL uL nuLIonuI und InLernuLIonuI IeveIs Ior
more open, LrunspurenL, uccounLubIe und responsIve
governmenL. rom muILIIuLeruI InsLILuLIons IIke
the United Nations, the World Bank and the Asian
DeveIopmenL Bunk, Lo IeudIng domesLIc und
multinational corporations, and all the way to the
ordInury mun und womun on LIe sLreeL - uII IeveIs
of world society are pressing the public sector in
more und more jurIsdIcLIons Lo serve wILI InLegrILy,
Lrunspurency und responsIbIIILy.
TIIs cIurIon cuII Ior gIobuI good governunce Ius been
Luken up even by LIe nuLIonuI Ieuders IL uIms Lo IoId
accountable, with the formation a year ago of the
Open GovernmenL PurLnersIIp. OGP groups dozens oI
countries LIuL Iuve pIedged Lo InsLILuLe Lrunspurency
reIorms InLended Lo gIve cILIzens u cIeurer vIew, u
Iouder voIce, und u bIgger sLIck In LIe conducL oI
governunce. NeedIess Lo suy, LIuL nobIe gouI wouId be
u pIpe dreum wILIouL pubIIc uuIrs medIu.
n sum, LIereIore, poIILIcuI und governunce journuIIsm
LIuL seeks Lo be Lrue und ImpurLIuI, Is even more
necessary in a world of intensifying planet-wide

Nations in the Open Government Partnership: OGP
needs media
LIreuLs, expundIng democruLIc und dIgILuI spuces,
proliferating partisan media, and the growing
gIobuI movemenL Ior Lrunspurency, uccounLubIIILy,
und good governunce.
*URZLQJFKDOOHQJHVLQSXEOLFDDLUV
journalism. Now LIe bIg quesLIon Is: Hus medIu
meusured up Lo LIIs vusLIy enIurged und eIevuLed roIe?
To be sure, poIILIcuI und governunce journuIIsm Is
LIrIvIng und, In muny pIuces, ourIsIIng vIgorousIy.
Asian newspaper readership has been rising with
LIe regIon`s Incomes. However, us LIe YogyukurLu
journalism forum has heard, if compared with the
exponenLIuI growLI In enLerLuInmenL und socIuI medIu,
journuIIsm Is IosIng ground every second In
LIe zqJ; scrumbIe Ior IumunkInd`s eyes und eurs.
As LIe WorId Bunk reporL`s DemocruLIc PubIIc Spuce
model outlines, the press is just one player in a broad
spectrum of factors and entities shaping public
awareness and political debate (see graphic from
page 7 of report). n LIe Irumework by Hurvurd
Kennedy ScIooI oI GovernmenL proIessor Pippa Norris
und IeIIow Bunk consuILunL on medIu und governunce
Sina Odugbemi, interpersonal communications and
mass media systems are two key sources of public
uuIrs InIormuLIon und InsIgIL. BuL us enLerLuInmenL
and social media hog more and more public attention,
LIey ure crowdIng poIIcy und governunce ouL oI LIe
everyduy dIscourse und medIu oI peopIe.
WIuL`s worse, wILI HoIIywood, GoogIe, ucebook,
iTunes and other fun media hogging more and
more oI peopIe`s uLLenLIon spuns, LIe press Is uIso
losing out in the cutthroat business of snaring and
converLIng reuders und vIewers InLo puyIng cusLomers
or udverLIsIng mugneLs. As journuIIsm`s sIure oI
nuLIonuI und gIobuI medIu revenues decIIne vIs-u-vIs
entertainment and social media, so do the resources
uvuIIubIe Lo expund und enIunce pubIIc uuIrs
coveruge. And LIuL deprIvuLIon erodes LIe quuIILy oI
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20
:NKcenSEI8KVUXZ October 1-14, 2012
coveruge und udds unoLIer IundIcup In LIe ruce Ior
vIewers und reuders.
Even In murkeLs wIere news medIu Is IoIdIng ILs
own or gaining ground against other attention
competition, other factors make the job of timely,
IucLuuI, ImpurLIuI, InsIgILIuI, und reIIubIe coveruge
mucI Iurder. ndeed, In socIeLIes wIere expundIng
Ireedoms und LIe udvenL oI eIecLIons Iuve mude
LIe cILIzenry more keen Ior news und commenLury,
powerIuI InsLILuLIons, vesLed InLeresLs und socIuI
IucLIons Iuve InLensIhed LIe pressures und
InducemenLs LIey brIng Lo beur on LIe press.
THE DEMOCRATIC PUBLIC SPHERE MODEL
Created by Pippa Norris and Sina Odugbemi, World Bank
Hence, it is no surprise that many issues raised by
sLudenLs In LIIs wrILer`s eLIIcs und poIILIcs cIusses uL
LIe ACJ reecL LIe InLensIIyIng eorLs Lo Induce,
InLImIduLe, or oLIerwIse Inuence LIe medIu. n
particular, corruption among journalists through
Iuvors, IreebIes, und ouLrIgIL brIbes wus LIe mosL
common answer when students were asked to identify
LIe IeudIng medIu eLIIcs probIem In LIeIr counLrIes.
In addition, as noted earlier, along with the state,
big business as well as ethnic and sectarian groups
with ample resources are building up their own news
medIu, espousIng LIeIr respecLIve LeneLs, InLeresLs,
Who cares about the news?
The democratic public sphere
Rich and robust
civil society
Watchdog
role
Agenda-setting
role
Interpersonal
communications
Freedoms of speech, press,
assembly, and conscience, and
rights of access to information
Constitutional and legal
framework protecting civil
liberties
Pluralistic communication systems
facilitating widespread access and
the free fow of information
Inclusive and equal
opportunities for
participation and voice
Mass media
systems
Gatekeeping
role
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CONTENTS NATION WORLD BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY HEALTH/LIFESTYLE
und udvocucIes. ReporLers, vIsuuI medIu prucLILIoners,
writers and editors employed in such entities produce
much material that would be considered news, while
cIeurIy wILI u Iocus or LreuLmenL LIuL Iuvors LIe
IundIng enLerprIse or communILy. TIIs Ius gIven rIse
Lo quesLIons ubouL udvocucy journuIIsm, us u number
oI ACJ sLudenLs Iuve ruIsed In eLIIcs cIuss.
MeunwIIIe, in countries emerging from decades of
uuLIorILurIun ruIe, or sLIII under ILs Iron hsL, sLuLe
censorship, control, or suppression remains the top
concern. And In LIe currenL busIness reporLIng cIuss,
students recounted a widening array of methods by
wIIcI mujor compunIes und LIe pubIIc reIuLIons hrms
LIey reLuIn, Lry Lo eIIcIL IuvorubIe copy or suppress
unsuvory news. Even In u reIuLIveIy Iess deveIoped
busIness envIronmenL IIke CumbodIu, prInL reporLers
receIve $1o-$zo gusoIIne money Ior coverIng
corporuLe evenLs, wIIIe TV cumerumen geL $o.
Lastly for now (but certainly not for good, since
LIere ure oLIer ImporLunL deveIopmenLs ImpucLIng
on media), the entry of foreign media into Asian
counLrIes Is uddIng compeLILIve, hnuncIuI und
IdeoIogIcuI pressure on LIe domesLIc medIu. On LIe
one hand, high-quality standards and deep pockets
oI gIobuI medIu gIunLs cunnoL buL prod IocuI ouLhLs Lo
ruIse LIeIr own edILorIuI und producLIon vuIues. TIuL
Ius ILs obvIous udvunLuges Ior press deveIopmenL, buL
couId sLruIn IImILed resources. On LIe oLIer Iund, LIe
domInunL WesLern medIu perspecLIve on InLernuLIonuI
deveIopmenLs cun udvunce IoreIgn InLeresLs und vIews
to the detriment of the national or Asian interests in a
gIven Issue, IIke LIe SouLI CIInu Seu LensIons.
Questions for the Asian journalist. In light of the
IoregoIng deveIopmenLs und Lrends, muny LougI
questions face the Asian journalist keen to uphold
LrudILIonuI LeneLs oI LIe proIessIon. WIIIe eucI wIII
necessurIIy requIre Iur more exLensIve dIscussIon
LIun cun be gIven In LIIs urLIcIe, u IIsLIng oI some
Issues oILen ruIsed by sLudenLs deserves LIe uLLenLIon
oI pubIIsIers, edILors, und oLIer medIu Ieuders. TIey
need to be aware of these concerns and to address
LIem In consuILuLIon wILI sLu, wIo muy need Lo
be enLIced Lo openIy voIce LIeIr vIews us purL oI
producLIve, eecLIve dIuIogue und resoIuLIon.

How should journalists deal with the media
corruption widely practiced and accepted in
some counLrIes, especIuIIy wIere sLu puy
is constrained and there is a widespread
acceptance of such practices among
journalists?

In the quest for audience and readership, how
far should media go along the infotainment
road, injecting fun and social media elements
in news programs?

Should local media consolidate in the face
of limited resources and rising competition
from social and foreign media? (Notably,
research shows that media concentration in
fewer entities raises the likelihood of being
Inuenced or cupLured by poIILIcuI ucLors.)

With the spread of press freedom as well as
unbrIdIed onIIne medIu gIvIng rIse Lo secLor-
interest publications, programs and websites,
IncIudIng LIose voIcIng LIe unImosILy
between political and social groups, should
journuIIsLs us u group move Lo moderuLe
IrucLIous udvocucIes Lo uvoId socIuI sLrIIe und
subsequent state controls?

How can journalists harness social media and
cILIzen reporLers wIIIe muInLuInIng sLundurds
oI news coveruge?

What is the optimum balance between
AmerIcun-sLyIe udversurIuI reporLIng und
AsIun-sLyIe deIerenLIuI coveruge Lo udvunce
good governunce und uccounLubIIILy, wIIIe
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