Western-supported media assistance in transition and developing countries has a long history. Building independent media, preferably through the nongovernmental sector, is seen as an important aspect of achieving modernization and democratization. This article questions the idealized assumptions underlining such programmes and argues that media assistance donors rarely analyze it critically. The article discusses the political character of Western media assistance and explores the organizational eco-system in which NGOs flourish. The article concludes by observing NGOs' unexpected power in the process of providing Western media assistance.
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