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Investment in InformationA society without objective all-around information can be compared to a severely handicapped person, one who is blind, deaf and dumb. Such a comparison may seem somewhat farfetched, and yet, if it doesn't already apply in today's Belarus, it is inexorably headed in that direction. The total control of the state television, the censoring of retransmitted outside telecasts, and the self-censoring of the still existing printed media, result in grave impairment of the society's need to be informed visually.As an illustration of the effect that even a single TV program can produce, we need only to go back to the last presidential campaign. Both opposition candidates were given two half hour segments each on state television. While both were prerecorded, the first was unfathomably broadcast uncensored. It produced a shock among the population, leading some to ask whether the regime has been overthrown. The following segment, a few days later, was already censored. By hearing exclusively only one approved point of view on the in-country media, and not being able to hear opposing views, the society can be considered to be hearing impaired. And, finally, being afraid to speak out critically against the regime in print or in public can be viewed as a form of muteness. And small wonder, since the latest criminal code changes define such criticism as a criminal offense. The access to information via the Internet and the limited ability to listen to outside radio broadcasts constitute the minor exceptions to the informational blockade imposed by the regime. To carry the handicapped person/society analogy one step further: the handicapped person is encouraged toward self-sufficiency and independent action, and yet without outside assistance and support he is unlikely to succeed. The same holds true for the handicapped and repressed society, it needs outside help to come out of its bondage. The civil society in Belarus and its democratic movement has had outside support for years, both from governments, mainly the US, and from private foundation sources. In the recent years, its effectiveness has been greatly reduced, owing to the increasingly repressive measures introduced by the regime. They started with the expulsion of the Minsk Soros? Open Society office shortly after Lukashenka's accession to the presidency. The expulsion of other aid mplementation offices followed over the years, forcing them to relocate in neighboring countries, thus making their operation both more cumbersome and limited. This led, in turn, to further cutbacks in outside support, governed in part by an insidious concept of 'limited absorption capability'. So, instead of providing greater support to the development of democracy where the need is greater, such support is reduced, because the existing agencies are less able do their accustomed tasks. Fortunately, this downward spiral has been reversed through the enactment of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004. Its reauthorization for the next two years was introduced in Congress at the end of July, proposing increased support for external radio and television broadcasting. Last year witnessed the start-up of Belarus-directed media projects in Europe. The European Union has funded a multinational radio, TV and Internet project. Unfortunately its most promising element contracted to RTVi ? the Russian international television company ? was seriously flawed. The Polish government has revived the former Radio Racja whose FM transmissions are able to cover the immediate border areas of Belarus. It is, nonetheless, a promising start, particularly if the US - funded projects are designed to substantially expand the audience, thus providing a noticeable impulse to democracy building. Television is the most popular information source. This is true in Belarus as it is around the world. Because of the local control, objective television programming needs to be beamed via satellite. Various conflicting surveys place the number of households with satellite TV receivers between 3 and 10% throughout the country. To overcome this drawback, a successful satellite TV project would have to start by building up the audience, rather than by serving a ready and waiting market. Such a buildup can be the result of increased amount of equipment, as well as of sharply focused programming. Particularly important will be the equipment distribution, subsidized if need be, in the province, where each new set may have an audience of a number of friends and neighbors. The programming should not duplicate what is currently available on the existing stations, but should focus on direct countering of regime?s propaganda, exposing the lies and broken promises, the corruption at the highest levels, and showing that life is indeed better in the neighboring democracies. The expected ongoing funding will need to be greater that what had been dedicated to date for information delivery, but not beyond the amounts proposed for the new Belarus Democracy Act. It will also require changes in the implementation machinery which will need to refocus, rather than continue repeating the less than successful experiences of the past decade. Internet is the fastest growing information source. The current Internet users represent 10-20% of the population, mainly among the computer savvy younger city dwellers. They are also the ones who are already the best informed. So, instead of providing these people with more and more information, which sometimes is diverse, but mostly duplicated, the stress should be on expanding the provincial Internet base. Substantially increasing the number of the very popular American Corners in public libraries could be one way. Another would be to financially support the direct growth of Internet-connected computer ownership. Both the satellite TV and the provincial Internet projects will require additional, though manageable, funding. But rather than to view it as an unrecoverable cost, it should seen as an investment in that hard to come by commodity in Belarus ? objective information. And if access to information can lead a people to freedom, Investment in Information can also be seen as Investment in Freedom! Walter Stankievich This article appeared in Belarusian Review, Vol. 18, No. 3 --------------------------------------------- Copyright 2006 Belarusian Review All rights reserved. belarusianreview@hotmail.com Walter Stankievich
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Belarusian Culture
Belarusians Abroad
Contents
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Thoughts and Observations
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