REFLECTING ON THE NEW WORLD INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ORDER: DEVELOPING COUNTRIES STILL AT THE BACKSTAGE

Abstract: One strong factor that facilitated the globalisation of the media is technology, which has made the concept of direct broadcasting, digitisation, deregulation, and other similar ancillaries possible. Right from 1964 when Marshal McLuhan predicted that in no time, the world would become a global village, even though his prediction might have been taken by many with a pinch of salt then, evidence of the correctness and preciseness of his prediction abounds with humanity today. This paper therefore focused on: “Reflecting on the New World Information and Communication Order: Developing Countries still at the Backstage”. Adopting the descriptive analytical method; with emphasis on secondary data such as books, journals, newspapers and on-line sources, and basing it on the technological determinism theory, the paper found that in spite of the McBride Commission Report of 1980, some of the factors responsible for the continuing relegation of developing countries to the back stage are that most leaders of developing countries are corrupt and do not have the political will to establish media that have the capacity to counter the negative reportage heaped on their countries by the western media. It concluded that developing countries of Asia, Latin America and Africa are still at the back stage in terms of communication flow; while the information rich north, especially the United States of America, due to her control of all the global communication and transnational media outfits is always exporting media products to the developing countries, without a corresponding contraflow. The paper recommended among others that leaders of developing countries should eschew corrupt practices, nepotism and tribalism as well as have the political clout to initiate ideological media industry that would retell their own story from the correct perspectives.

Keywords: Information, News , NWICO , Developing Countries, Communication

Published: June 2024

Issue: Vol 1 (3) 2024: PLASU JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES