MISTICA: (Fwd) MEDIA: Third World Favours Radio Over Internet

From: Ing. Jose Ignacio Lopez ([email protected])
Date: Tue May 04 1999 - 11:52:53 AST


-Nota de la moderacion-

Este mensaje es redireccionado de Raul Zembrano por
parte de Jose Ignacio.

Good Story from IntePress Service (IPS).

RZ

[Interesting story - from IPS today. Mark]

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, May 4 (IPS) - A coalition of 133 developing countries
wants the United Nations to keep radio, and other traditional media
outlets, as a means of disseminating information rather than relying
only on the internet. The switch to the global information super
highway would give an unfair advantage to rich nations over the poor,
say the developing nations..

Ambassador Samuel Insanally of Guyana, chairman of the Group of 77,
says that the introduction of modern information technology
increasingly has favoured rich nations and is detrimental to the
peoples of the developing world ''who are clearly disadvantaged by
their lack of access to such advanced technologies.''

''The gap in information technology is likely to affect inter State
cooperation in a number of areas, including commercial and economic
relations,'' Insanally told the UN Committee on Information Monday.

''The United Nations must ensure that developing nations are more
equitably served,'' he added.

Insanally said that Secretary-General Kofi Annan has admitted that
about 90 percent of all access to the UN web site (www.un.org) comes
from industrial countries.

As a result, Annan assured the Group of 77 that the UN's Department of
Public Information will continue to maintain and expand the use of
traditional means of information - including radio and printed
material - because of the constraints faced by developing countries in
an age of computers and the global information superhighway.

Insanally says that despite these assurances, there seems to be little
or no progress in a proposed pilot project for the establishment of a
UN broadcasting facility.

''The radio remains for most of our countries, the major medium for
the dissemination of information,'' he says.

''Our Group would therefore expect that, as attempts are made to
introduce costly, high-tech changes within the United Nations, such as
digital television technology, similar diligent efforts will be made
to strengthen the UN Radio...''

Insanally says there is a need to proceed with the proposed
broadcasting facility in order to reach a world wide audience and thus
redress, to some degree, the imbalances and inequalities between
developed and developing countries in the field of information and
communication.

Kensaku Hogen, UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and
Public Information, told the Committee that the United Nations has
tested the viability of an international radio broadcasting facility.
But the development of the long-term project depends on the
availability of substantial extra-budgetary resources.

So far, he says, there have been no concrete financial offers either
from member states or private Organisations which will lead to the
establishment of the pilot project.

''In the circumstances, we have no choice but to await such offers,
before commencing with concrete measures on any aspects of the
proposal,'' he adds.

Hogen says the UN web site has attracted strong interest by UN member
states. Accesses to the web site have grown exponentially over the
past year.

As of last week, the UN recorded some 45.8 million ''hits'' for this
year compared with 25 million during the corresponding period last
year. ''Even more encouraging is the fact that the UN web site is
becoming known around the world,'' Hogen says.

This year, some 150 countries have gained access to the web site.
''While the bulk is still from the industrialised countries, current
growth indicators suggest a very rapid and encouraging expansion of
accesses from the developing countries,'' Hogen says.

He also points out that the capacity of the Internet to carry messages
instantaneously around the world has enabled the Department of Public
Information to place a great variety of information materials on it.

Such material included statements by the Secretary-General, reports of
major inter-governmental bodies, daily news highlights, promotional
materials on major UN themes and priorities, and information about
major world conferences and special sessions of the General Assembly.

Hogen says his Department also plans to introduce digital technology
which is expected to replace analog technology in the near future.
''New technology is indeed a key factor in expanding outreach and in
getting messages to target audiences on time.''

With assistance from UN Information Centres worldwide, the
Department's News Service will transmit breaking news via electronic
mail and facsimile directly to news desks of key media and other
opinion-influencing audiences.

The Department also will continue to place planned and coordinated
op-ed articles by senior UN officals in newspapers and other journals
around the world.

''The central focus of the new service will be to ensure that media
everywhere will be able to receive the latest news material from the
United Nations in a redily useable format almost immediately as it is
issued at Headquarters,'' Hogen says. (END/IPS/td/mk/99)

__________________________________________________
Sent by "Raul Zambrano" <[email protected]> to [email protected]
Please note: All replies go directly to [email protected], not to sender



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