Impartial international news scarce among developing world's broadcasters, suggests report

Impartial news coverage is "a scarce commodity" in international news broadcast in the developing world, according to a new study from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

The study, which looks at eight countries in Africa and South Asia, considers the increasingly competitive provision of TV news by international providers in these markets and the impact of this on news consumption and news agendas in those countries.

Its initial findings suggest that there has been huge investment in state-funded coverage of international affairs in recent years, resulting in a more nations presenting an uncritical perspective of themselves.

The report suggests an increase in international news provision in these countries in contrast to Western markets, but raises concerns about partial coverage of international events by state and national broadcasters.

But this provides an opportunity for international broadcasters, such as the BBC's World Service arm, to provide reliable, local news, it says.

"However these established international providers face very difficult challenges and choices about delivery platforms (TV, radio, online), numbers of languages, and degrees of localisation versus globalised services, that stand in contrast to some state-sponsored suppliers with large budgets which enable them to expand on all fronts simultaneously. Many established providers have responded to these pressures by cutting vernacular radio services to expand international TV. While these strategies generally reflect shifts in media consumption they can pose threats to the ability to tailor content to ensure its relevance to local audiences," says the report's executive summary.

Funded by BBC Global News, France 24 and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the study will focus on Senegal, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, India and Pakistan and be published in three parts.

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