Transcript Media Transparency

MEDIA TRANSPARENCY
AND DEFENSE
Paid articles phenomena
(To buy or not to buy)
Marius Alekna, Lithuanian MOND PRD, 2010 December, Tbilisi GE
Transparency = ?
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Straight speaking
Openness
Honesty
Morality
Ethics
Civil society
Democracy
etc.
Transparency
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Before requiring transparency from
the media ask your self if you are
transparent enough
If transparency starts in government,
continues and varies in the media it
finally settles down in society
Transparency
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Values and principles differs
• Profit and Non profit
• Moral and Public interest
• Variety and Uniformity
…If supply exists, demand will always
find its niche
Paid articles phenomena
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It appears when:
• Media changes its owner, philosophy, strategy
or profile;
• Changes in government occurs;
• Pure “political” behaviour finds its way in
governmental environment
• “Old” traditions continues;
• Lack of knowledge or pure communication
capabilities comes up
Paid articles phenomena
Media
sales manager
proposals,
search for the
ways of
“cooperation”
If
positive
Products of
“cooperation”
Good life
so far 
Short term
results
Possibly
negative
attitude
If
positive
If
negative
Media’s
inquiry
Mistrust
Critical
articles
Second
proposal
Freedom
Such Transparency
Trust
is life 
If
Media’s
negative
inquiry
Fair
journalism
Again 
Critical
articles
Paid articles
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Can negatively affect your PR
Can ruin your good image and destroy
your reputation
Short term benefits orientation can affect
your long term goals, tasks or even values
If media doesn't show any interest to your
information without “payment”, maybe
something is wrong with information you
deliver?
Paid articles
If you still keep doing that, then:
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Media will never disseminate “good” and “positive” info
for free
“Good” article procurement can be stimulated with a
“bad” article, resonance or criticism
If one media is paid for “good” information, the rest of
media will want the same
If you pay for the article, perhaps your soul isn't so pure,
and, maybe, your “good” information isn't so good at all
Good and normal relations with society gradually vanish
(in normal conditions your success stories are
disseminated for free)
Don’t forget that anything you do, you do it using public
financial sources (it can always be a target for criticism)
Information users usually sees it as something unreliable
Paid articles
If you still keep doing that, then:
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Your information can be equate to propaganda (the result can
be extremely negative)
You can fool TV viewer or newspaper reader just once (second
time to attract his attention or to win his sympathies will be
almost impossible)
Educated society identifies paid articles easily = no effect
Vital stereotype: semiofficial = unfairness = political
advertisement or etc.
Paid articles are full of panegyric, technical information, onesidedness, absence of intrigue, interest, newness or topicality;
Partiality dominates, article style contradicts to traditional
media format; “Leads” are shaped unprofessionally;
Apparent lack of information sources; opposition approach isn't
presented
Ordinary detail is presented as a something new (pseudo
values)
Paid articles
Lithuanian statistics
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Respondents (mostly businessmen) were asked
about how they understand corruption in mass
media. As the answer, paid articles and paid
shows were indicated by 44% of respondents
Paid articles were accepted positively among
18% of respondents, while 40% of them
perceived this negatively.
Around 24% of respondents said that it is
extremely easy to identify hidden paid article,
while 40% said that it is just easy
Source: Transparency International Lithuania; Verslo žinios, 2007
Paid articles
Temptation still exists 
Various statistics shows that a chance
for a politician to be re-elected is
directly proportional to the number of
appearances or references in the media,
no matter in a positive or negative
context
How we did that
How they reacted
It wasn’t very popular, but…
Questions