An American advertising icon, William Bernbach once said that “all of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level.”(1) In today’s world it is often easy to forget that access to media outlets is highly exclusive, and an invaluable resource not shared by much of the world’s population. In fact, it is estimated by the “World Internet Users and Population Stats” that less than 7% of the population of Africa has access to the Internet.(2) The use of ethical journalism has become a popular initiative for social media sources throughout the world to help combat the inequality that comes with a lack of access to information.

The Press Institute in Bay Area, California has, since 2006, been grooming individuals from 22 countries around the globe to become what they call “Certified Press Institute Reporters” in hopes of spreading their mission to “increase access to information through media and enable people everywhere to live freer, fuller lives.”(3) Since its establishment, The Press Institute has provided training to over 100 women residing in the developing world, many of whom have begun to take a stand in protecting their communities through telling the world their stories that have been silenced for so long. The establishment of Global Training Sites within partnering communities allows for the Press Institute to distribute its program materials to women seeking a respectable and empowering profession. The institute promotes literacy and helps to raise awareness about issues within societies that are too often denied attention in the mainstream media.

The Voices of Africa Media Foundation provides training to young African men and women to become community reporters. The foundation supplies the necessary equipment, in this case a simple mobile phone, and financial backing, and the trainees reports are broadcast over the foundations website. Each reporter receives their own publishing space within the site, providing the ability to build a strong portfolio. While the opportunity to gain valuable training in the field of journalism is likely more than any of these young people could have imagined for themselves, their access to technology, in the use of the cell phones, is likely to play a vital role in their future development. In light of the skepticism of the ability to meet the Millennium Development Goals by their scheduled date in 2015, Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs for the United Nations, stated that “technology and innovation are keys to accelerating progress towards the MDGs.”(4) In 2009, the Voices of Africa Media Foundation received the World Summit Award for its contributions to the future of a more open media in Africa.

Much of the discussion on media education surrounds the idea of its capability to promote democracy. Here at the International Institute for Justice and Development (IIJD), we advocate for the establishment of democratic institutions, and the creation of a free press that is accessible to the population is an essential part of these institutions’ success.  According to Freedom House statistics most recent survey in 2007,

1. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/62476/William-Bernbach

2. www.internetworldststs.com/stats.htm

3. www.globalpressinstitute.org

4. UN Official. “Technology and innovation can help expand education for all”. UN News Centre. 3 September 2009. Web. 8 February 2010.

5. Historical Trends in Media Freedom. Freedom House.

6. http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=359 ©Freedom House, Inc