New World Bank report links economic development and a free press

The report, which was launched by the World Bank and the World Association of Newspapers at joint press conferences in Paris and Brussels earlier this week, contains research and scientific analysis which show that the press can spur economic development when its independence, quality and ability to reach a wide audience are guaranteed.

"This is the most serious and substantial contribution we have yet seen to the research, analysis and arguments on the positive role of a free press in economic development and the reduction of poverty," said Timothy Balding, Director General of WAN, at the press conferences.

"Perhaps for the first time on any scale, this World Bank report goes well beyond the simple argument that access to free information and a free press is a human right, moral and a self-evident good thing, to start proving the case scientifically that a strong, independent and free press is a powerful ally to economic and social development and the reduction of poverty."

"This study comes at a most opportune time, for at least two reasons," he continued. "First, in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks in the United States, freedom of information has too frequently become a casualty of the so-called war against terrorism, with numerous governments taking initiatives to restrict it in the name of national interest.

"In truth, as this World Bank study demonstrates and as the World Association of Newspapers has long argued, a free and unfettered press plays a highly positive role in accelerating economic and social development and thus, by extension, in helping to remove the conditions of poverty, controlled information and the lack of public debate, in which terrorism breeds and prospers. This study puts free information and a strong, independent press back at the centre of the priorities for effective development aid strategies.

"Secondly, this World Bank report, in our view, puts several more nails in the coffin of the idea, propounded by numerous autocratic and repressive governments, that economic and social development is somehow obstructed by the existence of a free press or that it is a higher priority that justifies the postponement of free information and free expression until a satisfactory level of economic development has been achieved," he said.

"The Right to Tell - The Role of the Mass Media in Economic Development" includes 19 chapters from a wide range of authors including Nobel Prize winner and former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz, 'Irrational Exuberance' author Robert Shiller, and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Writers from the developing world also describe the challenges faced by the media in specific countries, including the former Soviet Union, Thailand, Bangladesh, Egypt and Zimbabwe -- and illustrate the media's potential as a catalyst for change and growth.

The book provides evidence on media performance and regulations in countries around the world and highlights what type of public policies and economic conditions might hinder or enhance the media in supporting economic development. Contributors explore the role of the media as a watchdog of government and the corporate sector, the media's power to influence markets, its usefulness as a transmitter of new ideas and information, and its ability to give a voice to the poor. They also tackle the potential harm an unethical or irresponsible press can cause and the impact of insult laws and other policies that hamper the operation of a free press.

"We are developing the tools to convince governments and politicians and decision-makers around the world that a free and open media is something they need to have for successful economic reform," said Mark Nelson, a Programme Manager for the World Bank Institute and a contributor to the book.

Said Mr Balding: "We hope that these arguments will help raise the importance of press development aid on the agenda of inter-governmental agencies -- including the World Bank itself."

For information on obtaining "The Right to Tell - The Role of the Mass Media in Economic Development", write to lkilman@wan.asso.fr.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 71 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 100 countries, 13 news agencies and nine regional and world-wide press groups.