[Media Caucus] Media paragraph in CS benchmarks

[Ronald Koven]

Steve --

You are misrepresenting what the language says. It is openended --
"and/or."

I think you should reread what the language actually says and think about
what it means before you go any further.

Tracey and others read the language and had no problems with it. We had a
brief discussion on what was meant by the word "privatization" in the
context, and no one, including those close to your position, had any
problem.

I didn't voice any objection to your language on community media, which was
not put past the whole group, either -- even tho it was decidedly not what
we had generally agreed to. But I did say in an aside to Tracey that your
graf left the door open for domination by those in control locally. 

I am for both public service and private media. And if "community media"
means local media addressing local concerns, then, by all means. If you
want something different from that -- a "social agenda" as it is put in the
African Charter, then, by no means. No category of media should reflect any
particular general "agenda," be it "social," "unsocial," or "anti-social"
-- even if, of course, any individual media outlet must be free to set its
own agenda. 

Nor should any media category be defined by a particular form of ownership.
There should be room in all categories for private, cooperative,
associative, party, church, union, foundation, or whatever, forms of
ownership. That's the way it is out in the real world.

Best, Rony