Poverty as a Copyrights Free Zone?

In this editorial, Nalaka Gunawardene of TVE Asia Pacific challenges the broadcast industry to "get into 'tsunami mode' again". With "the clock ticking" down to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving absolute poverty and hunger by 2015, Gunawardene suggests that there are important and timely lessons to be learned from the global media's response to the December 2004 Asian tsunami. In both cases, he urges, "extraordinary situations demand extraordinary responses."

Gunawardene begins by presenting a contrast: that between the "media tycoons" and development agency representatives such as those present at the Asia Media Summit (May 2006), on the one hand, and the tech-savvy, liberal "media typhoons" - media researchers and activists such as those present at the June 2006 Asia Commons who share a vision of promoting open, unrestricted access to knowledge and culture - on the other hand. By pursuing a strategy that involves finding ways to bring these two divergent "camps" together, Gunawardene argues, political divides and corporate bottom lines can potentially be forgotten (even if only momentarily). He cites examples from the tsunami coverage, when media coverage generated through collaboration between such groups inspired over US$13 billion in donations and, further, national and local media in affected countries went beyond reporting to take action by helping to find missing persons and the like.

The key is that, when the limelight of the emergency coverage fades, media tycoons and typhoons need to come together to "mobilise the airwaves against poverty, under-development and corruption". Though this type of strategy "attracts few champions" (especially in the context of an industry accustomed to reserving rights and exploiting commercial potential of real-world material), Gunawardene urges the media to get engaged in - and stay with - poverty-related stories "all the way to 2015."

A key starting point, for him, is releasing all copyrights on TV, video and online content relating to poverty and development issues - at least until after 2015. "In other words, make poverty a copyrights free zone." If allowed to be used freely by educators, civil society groups and development activists, footage such as those images gathered by camera crews and freelancers could "help combat poverty and fuel social change". However, rights to this type of footage are usually not available, the author laments. Yet, "If the audio-visual media are to play a meaningful role against poverty, HIV, corruption and other scourges of our time, they have to move beyond token gestures of staging occasional global concerts or carrying the latest video news releases from global charities. Broadcasters must allow open access to their vast archives....the benefits accrued are beyond question...."