2.9 Alternative media
Over the last 20 years, the media sector has been influenced by the fast pace of technological developments. Satellite and cable technology, interactive media and the information highway are developments that, if adequately used, can contribute to a more open dialogue. The media can be a powerful force for social change. It can create awareness and affect policy, it can help to inform, educate or train and it can give a voice to the under-represented. However, it can also be a powerful tool for maintaining a status quo. It is therefore important to be able to communicate openly, to stay informed and to be able to be heard. In this section organisations that contribute to transparency of information and the media in general are described.
The Africaserver is the Internet gateway to Africa. It aims to bring together information from and about Africa and to gather and present the activities in the Netherlands with regard to Africa. The information is meant for a broad audience, for visitors to Africa, for Africans in the Netherlands and for people from the African continent.
Antenna was founded in 1986 as independent foundation to support NGOs, local government and educational institutions with the introduction and facilitation of ICT. Antenna is the ICT partner for around 500 organisations in the field of labour, women’s emancipation, environment, development, social change, education, human rights, peace and fair trade. Since 1986, Antenna Netherlands is closely linked via the Antenna Association based in Geneva with sister organisations in France, Switzerland (Antenna Technologie), Colombia (Antenna Colnodo) and India (Antenna Trust).
VIIO facilitates contacts among information managers, specialists, librarians, policy-makers, publishers and other professionals interested in the role of information in development. The association provides these people with a common platform through which to exchange ideas. VIIO has chosen a decentralised method of working which is best served by activities undertaken in working groups. The association wishes to contribute to the development of a coordinated information policy in the Netherlands and to address prevailing information issues in both Western and developing countries.
FreeVoice, founded in 1986 by the Netherlands Association of Journalists,
the Society of Chief Editors and the Dutch Newspaper Association, supports independent media organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The objective is to contribute to the democratisation processes by promoting freedom of information, pluriformity of the news supply and forming of opinion in the developing world. This happens through assistance, financing, management and execution of projects in the field of mass media, primarily media for the written word and radio. Since its foundation, FreeVoice has supported more than 440 projects mainly in developing countries; in recent years the focus is on more ownership and increased capacity in The South. Furthermore, initiatives have been approved that support freedom of the press around the world, as well as concrete emergency aid projects in special situations, arising in developing countries.
IICD assists developing countries to realise locally owned sustainable development by harnessing the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs). It is an independent non-profit foundation, established by the Netherlands Ministry for Development Cooperation in 1997. IICD realises its mission through two strategic approaches: 1) country programmes bring local organisations together and help them to formulate and execute ICT-supported development policies and projects. The approach aims to strengthen local institutional capacities to develop and manage country programmes (currently implemented in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Ghana, Jamaica, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia); and 2) thematic networks link local and international partners working in similar areas, connecting local knowledge with global knowledge and promoting South-South and South-North exchanges. The focus is on sectors and themes like education, health, governance, the environment, livelihood opportunities – especially agriculture – and training.
Through its productions LokaalMondiaal aims to reveal the many facets involved in the area of development co-operation (global relations and initiatives grown from a need to help developing countries of the world). By introducing the local efforts of volunteers and organisations to its viewers, LokaalMondiaal aims to expand awareness of international issues at a locally recognized level. In this way LokaalMondiaal aspires to lay down a good foundation for developing better, more aware attitudes. The Foundation LokaalMondiaal works with around hundred volunteers. They are educated in television- making, including scriptwriting, filming, editing and interviewing.
OneWorld NL is the largest Dutch information provider on the Internet about international cooperation, human rights and environment. OneWorld NL is part of the OneWorld Network, the leading internet news and information provider of the global civil society. OneWorld aims to be the online media gateway that most effectively informs a global audience about human rights and sustainable development.
OneWorld has a vision of equitable and sustainable distribution of wealth amongst the world's population, underpinned by global attainment and protection of human rights and by governance structures that permit local communities control over their own affairs. The mission of OneWorld is dedicated to harnessing the democratic potential of the internet to promote human rights and sustainable development.
Noticias is an independent organisation that provides information on Latin America in the Netherlands. In 1995 Noticias started with the Bazar Latino later renamed Platform Latin America in the Netherlands (PLAN). The aim of PLAN Noticias is to provide a central venue for information and activities on societal and cultural issues regarding Latin America. It advises, assists and promotes organisations in the Netherlands and Latin America in the development and implementation of ICT projects.
The Press Now Foundation aims 1) to inform politicians, press and general public on the subject-matter of media in former Yugoslavia by means of public programmes and campaigns; 2) to raise money and to gather an equipment for independent media in former Yugoslavia, and to deliver it to those places where it is needed; 3) to officiate as an information cross-point between the media in ex-Yugoslavia, supporters in the Netherlands and Europe, and the Dutch media; and 4) to bring the media there in touch with the media here, so that the Dutch media can provide a structural support to the related newspapers and broadcasters.
The Radio Netherlands foundation is a multimedia organisation that was officially inaugurated in 1947. It shares issues being discussed in the Netherlands with the rest of the world, in Dutch as well as several foreign languages. RNW also covers regional developments in areas of the world without free media. Radio Netherlands currently broadcasts radio programmes and publishes Internet pages about its facilities in Dutch, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian and Papiamento. The programme division also supplies stations in Africa with radio programming via satellite in French. Radio Netherlands Television produces programmes in English and Dutch. RNW operates its own internet service called Radio Netherlands Interactive.
In 1969, the Radio Netherlands Training Centre (RNTC) began offering courses in radio and television production for young professionals from developing countries. The courses aim to improve the informative and educational use of the media in developing countries. RNTC activities are increasingly focused on specific media education. Examples are the ‘Training the Trainers’ and ‘Current Affairs Editorial’ courses.