Mediating Transition in Afghanistan, 2001-2004

304 Pages·2005·0.78 MB·English

Copyright
by
Lisa Anne Hartenberger
2005
The Dissertation Committee for Lisa Anne Hartenberger
Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation:

Mediating Transition in Afghanistan, 2001-2004

Committee:

Joseph Straubhaar, Supervisor
John Downing
Don Heider
Monika Mehta
America Rodriguez
Karin Wilkins
Mediating Transition in Afghanistan, 2001-2004

by
Lisa Anne Hartenberger, B.A.; M.A.

Dissertation

Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of
The University of Texas at Austin
in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements
for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

The University of Texas at Austin
August, 2005
Dedication

To my parents, for their unwavering support
Mediating Transition in Afghanistan, 2001-2004

Publication No._____________

Lisa Anne Hartenberger, Ph.D.
The University of Texas at Austin, 2005

Supervisor: Joseph Straubhaar

This dissertation examines international aid in support of Afghan media from fall
2001 to fall 2004 as a case study to interrogate the notion of “media transition” and its
underlying assumptions. It examines how development organizations such as the United
Nations, bilateral aid agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development,
and non-governmental agencies created the institutional structures that define and support
the practice of media transition. It analyzes how the nascent Afghan state media
institutions and non-governmental organizations dedicated to media reconstruction
negotiated and mobilized the discourse of media transition to further their own aims. It
also analyzes how changing political considerations, media production and dissemination
outlets, and media producers’ own sense of mission affected the production of a series of
radio programs designed to promote Afghan political transition. This dissertation argues
that democracy should not be treated as a self-evident goal for media transitions, but
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should be viewed as a discursive process that shares many of the same concerns as
development communications, and that mobilizes a transnational public sphere.
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Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................1
Media as a Part of International Reconstruction Efforts.................................3
A Brief History of Nation-building in Afghanistan........................................7
Explaining the Divisiveness of Afghan Nation-building.......................7
An Outline of Afghan Political History in Global Context.................10
A Roadmap of the Study...............................................................................16
Chapter One: Theorizing Media Transitions........................................................20
Media Transitions: Defining the Field.........................................................22
The Prevailing Paradigm: Freedom of the Press.................................24
Capturing Media Transition in the Freedom of the Press Paradigm....34
New Propaganda Models and Developmental Journalism Critiques...37
Researching Media Transitions in Developmental Journalism
Approaches.................................................................................42
Mining Development Communications for the Study of Media
Transitions............................................................................................46
The Modernization Paradigm..............................................................47
Measuring Effectiveness in the Modernization Paradigm...................51
Participatory Communication..............................................................54
Measuring Development in the Participatory Paradigm......................61
A Critique of Binary Power Models....................................................64
Merging Literatures: An Approach to the Study of Media Transitions.......67
Chapter Two: Studying Media Transition in Afghanistan....................................71
The Case Study Approach............................................................................72
The Selection of Afghanistan...............................................................73
My Position as a Practitioner...............................................................75
Examining Institutional Constructions.........................................................78
Research Methods Used.......................................................................79
Key Data Sources.................................................................................80
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Analyzing Discursive Formations.................................................................85
Research Methods Used.......................................................................85
Key Data Sources.................................................................................88
Considering Production Practices.................................................................89
Selecting the Radio Programs..............................................................90
Key Data Sources.................................................................................92
Limitations of the Study Methodology.........................................................96
Chapter Three: The Institutional Construction of Media Transition..................100
Media for Development: Advancing State Agendas.................................103
State Media and Modernization.........................................................104
Media as a By-product of International Development Projects.........108
Media for Propaganda: Destabilizing the State.........................................117
International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy............................119
Consolidating Agendas in Bilateral Aid............................................124
The Rise of the Solidarity NGO.........................................................131
Media for Transition: Addressing Liminal States.......................................136
Re-writing the Rules of Engagement in Multilateral Organizations.138
Specialization within US Bilateral Development Organizations.......140
The Rise of the Media NGO..............................................................145
Chapter Four: The Discursive Formation of Media Transition..........................151
The International Community and Humanitarian Aid................................154
Media NGO Needs Assessments.......................................................155
Privileged Players in the Humanitarian Aid Formation.....................157
The UN and Public Information Needs......................................................159
The Preliminary Needs Assessment...................................................160
The Media Working Group and ITAP...............................................163
Privileged Players in the Information Needs Formation....................167
The Afghan State and Cultural Policy........................................................169
The National Development Framework and Budget.........................170
The Consultative Group and the Technical Annex............................174
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Privileged Players in the Cultural Policy Formation.........................178
Media NGOs, Political Events, and Press Freedom...................................180
The New Press Law...........................................................................181
The Seminar on Independent Media and the (Newer) Media Law....184
Presidential Elections and the Media Code of Conduct.....................186
Privileged Players in the Press Freedom Formation..........................190
Chapter Five: The Practice of Media Transition.................................................196
Disseminating Knowledge and Modeling Behavior: The ELJ Radio Soap
Operas................................................................................................198
Establishing the Afghan Transitional State Authority.......................199
The Educational Format: Presenting Ideal Solutions.........................202
Limited Distribution Outlets..............................................................206
A Complex Production Process.........................................................209
Structuring the Voice of the People: The CLJ Vox Pops...........................212
Strengthening the Afghan Transitional State.....................................213
The Vox Pop Format: Editing the “Real” Voice of the People.........215
The Vox Pop Format: Challenging Authority Figures.....................222
Appropriate Distribution Outlets.......................................................227
Speaking to the World: CLJ and Presidential Elections Vox Pops...........229
Focusing on Private Media Prior to the Elections.............................230
The Vox Pop Format: Addressing National and Transnational
Audiences..................................................................................234
Chapter Six: Implications of the Case of Afghan Media Transition..................242
A Review of Key Findings.........................................................................243
Media Transition as a Discursive Process.........................................244
Media Transition as a Development Project......................................247
Media Transition and the Transnational Public Sphere.....................250
When to End Media Transition..........................................................254
Theoretical Implications and New Areas of Research................................258
Going Beyond Normative Press Theory............................................258
Engaging with Development Communication Theory......................261
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Understanding Audiences in Media Transition.................................265
Expanding the Notion of the Public Sphere.......................................267
Distinguishing between Democratic Transition and Consolidation..271
Appendix: Program Themes................................................................................274
References............................................................................................................275
Vita .....................................................................................................................294

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