Community media is described by Ellie Rennie (2006), in an exceedingly broad sense, as "community communication." Essentially, it's elusive to define the term in an absolute manner as a result of it will take thus several forms, be applied by thus many completely different groups of folks, and be directed at such a wide range of issues. The premise, however, that community media may be a facilitative tool for discussion and engagement of the normal citizenry has some inherent implications. A serious implication is that community media is for the foremost half freelance of the market-driven business and mainstream media outlets. This, in turn, permits for various models of community media to supply either a large open editorial policy or a more fine-tuned approach that's still loyal to the encouragement of community participation. The key characteristics of community media convey a more clear understanding of its definition along with its depth and dimension in terms of how it takes shape within the civic landscape (Rennie, 2006: 208).
The South African definition is that community media are either a geographic community or a community of interest. Ideally then, community media are made, managed and owned by, for and regarding the community they serve, that can either be a geographic community or one amongst interest. "Community media could be a two-means method, in which the communities participate as planners, producers and performers and it is the suggests that of expression of the community instead of for the community."
It appears easier to posit an ideal definition of community media than to extrapolate a definition from the actual community-based media initiatives existing on the bottom (McQuail, 1994). The media used are completely different and, as is that the case with video, sometimes the medium used itself poses challenges to the notion of community participation. The possession and management patterns are diverse, although they can be broadly defined as non-governmental and non-corporate. The levels of community participation are equally diverse. And the aims are quite specifically totally different, although again, generally the aims are all for a few facet of community development.
The concept of community media implies that for communities to be heard at national level, they have to be heard at grassroots level first. The potential to communicate and receive communication is a social good, which ought to be fairly, universally and strictly equal. Curran and Gurevitch (1991) state that the full concept of citizenship presupposes an informed participant body of citizens, most generally, if we suppose there to be a right to speak then it implies an equal individual claim to hear and to be heard. Equally, Freire (1990) observes that the less individuals are consulted, the less democracy a nation has.
Community broadcasting seeks to foster dialogue about, reach consensus on and build solidarity in promoting and protecting human rights and achieving sustainable development, including peace and reconciliation (McQuail, 1994). Community broadcasting is concerning both access to and dissemination of information. It acts as media for the flow of knowledge to and from communities, on the one hand, and therefore the national and international levels, on the opposite hand (McQuail, 1994). It provides access to needed external information as well as advocacy on problems of concern, with relevant policy making levels informed by experiences at the community level and solutions generated therein. In a broader sense, community broadcasting permits greater participation by communities in national and international affairs. It's a twin role - that of a mirror (reflecting the community back at itself) and that of a window (allowing the skin world to appear in at its experiences).
Fraser, Colin and Sonica Restrepo Estrada (2001) argue that community media provide a important alternative to the profit oriented agenda of company media. They're driven by social objectives instead of the non-public, profit motive. Community media empower individuals rather than treat them as passive shoppers and that they nurture native information instead of replace it with standard solutions. Possession and management of community media is rooted in and accountable to the communities they serve, and they're appropriate approaches to development, (Buckley, 2000). The character and purpose of community media initiatives ought to be the foremost important determinants. Resource shortcomings of any kind will be addressed through alternative strategies. Steve Buckley (2000) observes that democracy and communication are inextricably linked, thus much so that the existence or otherwise of bound forms of communications can be a measure of the limits to that democracy itself has developed or is held back.
Curran & Gurevitch (1991) state that the character of community media is participatory and its purpose is development, "processes of public and private dialogue through which folks outline who they're, what they want and the way they'll get it. Community participation is so seen as each a means that to an finish and an finish in itself. The processes of media production, management and ownership are in themselves empowering, imbuing important analytic skills and confidence about interpretations reached and solutions found. The medium chosen must, therefore, be one that enables, enhances and sustains community participation.
From the on top of considerations, it follows that the selection of media to be utilized in a local community is essentially specific to that community. What works in one community might not work in another (Lesame, 2005). For instance, gender and age are factors to be taken into consideration when discussing sexuality, however the manner in which they're taken under consideration differs across communities. Literacy levels, access to radio receivers in the community at large, familiarity with symbolism and different visual devices used in audio-visual media are other considerations. The selection of theatre, native language newspapers, radio or video - or any combination thereof - is and should be enthusiastic about each internal and external factors (Bessette, 2004).
Internally, the selection ought to address the development aims of the community concerned and build on what kinds of communication already exist, particularly where the community concerned incorporates a history or tradition of academic music and dance. And externally, the selection should guarantee ease and effectiveness of impact on the national and international actors the community desires to speak to. As an example, video may be a powerful medium to boost awareness concerning human rights concerns, however it is conjointly a medium which does not essentially or typically allow for the complexities of a scenario to be expounded on and can therefore cause simplistic interventions for resolution. Participatory community-primarily based coming up with to create the selection of a medium ought to take these internal and external considerations into account.
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Dorish Hill has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Communication, you can also check out her latest website about:
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