How the U.S. Government should redirect its efforts
By Ricardo Trotti
Fellow (2012 – 2013)
Weatherhead Center for
International Affairs
Harvard University
May 1, 2013
In its historical relation with Latin America - marked by agreements and disagreements regarding policy and economy in the last 100 years - the U.S. government never thoughtfully included media development and media literacy as part of its strategy to promote democracy in the region.
Since the creation of the Voice of America (VOA) in the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, to the Alliance for Progress and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the administration of John Kennedy; to the creation of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) during Ronald Reagan’s term, to the National Security Strategy of George W. Bush; American governments had nuances in their tactics to promote democracy, guided by pragmatism, the defense of its national interests and maintaining leadership in the world.
The strategy on the promotion of democracy was changing over time according to the interests of each government. Many times it was about humanitarian, as well as electoral training, and empowerment of civil society. Other times, it was part of the U.S. Doctrine of National Security to fight communism, imposing friendly governments through military interventions, coups, economic pressures and covert operations by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Media development programs (donor support for strengthening the quality, independence and sustainability of the news media) were always small components within the overall strategy of promoting democracy. These programs often served to further the interests of the U.S. Government rather than help develop media in a country, as with Chile and Nicaragua in past decades.
