Media Environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. An Assessment for USAID/Bosnia

摘要

Since 1996 the U.S. Government (USG) has invested some $34m to support independent broadcast and print media in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) - $14.5m since 1999. This level of assistance cannot be sustained and USAID is now considering how to prioritise the funds they will have available for the years 2003 to 2006. This report, commissioned by USAID/Bosnia to aid their decisions, looks at the current situation for the media, how it may develop and makes some recommendations for their consideration. During the field work we were able to visit some 43 organisations media outlets$ regulators$ international missions$ media support groups$ agencies and research companies. Free, independent media play a key role in building democracy, promoting open debate and helping to hold governments and public institutions to account. Research has shown that a free flow of information bolsters economic competition and levels of education. For BiH, with its complex and polarised ethnic and political structures, building national and local media that properly serve the interests of all its citizens, and the nation as a whole, has been, at best, problematic.