Press freedom pays

A traditional press freedom argument, and one that will be heard frequently this weekend as we mark World Press Freedom Day, is that access to free information and a free press is a basic human right.

Certainly press freedom campaigners and organisations support and promote this concept. But beyond the argument that press freedom is moral and a self-evident good thing, there is compelling evidence that a strong, independent and free press is a powerful ally to economic and social development and the reduction of poverty.

In short, press freedom pays.

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN), the global organisation of the world's press, has long argued that a free and unfettered press plays a highly positive role in accelerating economic and social development. And there are others who are making the same argument.

One is Amartya Sen, the 1998 Nobel Economics Laureate, whose work has established a link between an active free media and the avoidance of famine and other disasters. Mr Sen was invited by WAN to address the World Newspaper Congress in Belgium last year, where he said:

"It is not at all hard to see why uncensored and active news reporting helps to prevent famines. Even though hardly any famine ever makes the ruling group suffer directly from it, the stigma and disgrace resulting from adverse press coverage impose direct costs on the rulers, and when combined with a functioning democracy, this can make it impossible for the incumbent government to withstand scrutiny or to be re-elected."

The link between press freedom and economic development has also been explored by the World Bank, which released a ground-breaking report last year entitled "The Right to Tell - The Role of the Mass Media in Economic Development".

The report is a serious and substantial contribution to the research, analysis and arguments on the positive role of a free press in economic development and the reduction of poverty. Its 19 chapters by a wide range of experts explore the role of the media as a watchdog of government and the corporate sector, the media's power to influence markets, its usefulness as a transmitter of new ideas and information, and its ability to give a voice to the poor.

The study comes at an opportune time, for at least two reasons. Firstly, freedom of information has become a casualty of the so-called war against terrorism, with numerous governments taking initiatives to restrict it in the name of national interest In truth, as the study demonstrates, a free press helps remove the conditions of poverty, controlled information and the lack of public debate in which terrorism breeds and prospers.

Secondly, the World Bank report puts another nail in the coffin of the idea, propounded by numerous autocratic governments, that economic and social development is somehow obstructed by the existence of a free press or that it is a higher priority that justifies the postponement of free information and free expression until a satisfactory level of economic development has been achieved.

As World Bank President, Jim Wolfenson says, "free press is not a luxury. It is at the core of equitable development. The media can expose corruption. They can keep a check on public policy by throwing a spotlight on government action. They let people voice diverse opinions on governance and reform, and help build public consensus to bring about change."

The Bank's report concludes that free media help markets work better, that they facilitate trade and that they are important for human development. It also makes powerful arguments in favour of freedom of information laws and against state ownership of the media - not as a philosophical concept but as the basis of clear evidence that free access to information and the predominance of private media accompany and encourage economic development.

To cite one finding, the report says: "in countries with higher state ownership of the media, we observe inferior school attainment, enrolment and pupil-to-teacher ratios. Health outcomes, such as life expectancy, infant mortality and malnutrition are also worse in countries where the government owns more media outlets."

It is gratifying to observe, that in a study of India, the report finds increased government responsiveness to a wide range of problems in areas with higher newspaper circulation.

"We have strong evidence," say the authors, "that variation in newspaper circulation can explain how responsive the government is to the needs of its citizenry."

We hope that these arguments will help raise the importance of press development aid on the agenda of governments and inter-governmental agencies.

Larry Kilman is the Director of Communications of the Paris-based World Association of Newspapers, the global organisation of the world's press. He previously worked as a journalist for The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.