Divina Frau-Meigs & Jeremie Nicey 
From NWICO to WSIS: 30 Years of Communication Geopolitics 
Actors and Flows, Structures and Divides

Two major regulatory activities have framed global media policies since World War II: the New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) and the more recent World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Through extensive research and testimonies from those involved, this book presents an in-depth account from the 1970s to today of the major issues concerning information flow in international geopolitics, including a look at the negotiations surrounding the major policy debates. Few studies of NWICO and WSIS have considered the continuity between the two activities – or included in the debate the crucial intermediary period between – and this book provides new insight into an issue of multilingual and multicultural importance.

Table of Content

Introduction

  PART I: On the Agenda: NWICO

Correlations between NWICO and Information Society: Reflections of a NWICO actor – Mustapha Masmoudi

The history of NWICO and its lessons – Kaarle Nordenstreng

NWICO: Reuters’ Gerald Long versus UNESCO’s Seán Mac Bride – Michael Palmer

IPS, an alternative source of news: From NWICO to civil society – Patricio Tupper

New scenarios for the Right to Communicate in Latin America – Gustavo Gonzalez Rodriguez

Past witnesses’ present comments – Hıfzı Topuz

PART II: Shifting Sands 

The Right to Communicate – A continuing victim of historic links to NWICO and UNESCO? – Alan Mc Kenna

‘Going Digital’: A historical perspective on early international cooperation in informatics – Julia Pohle

ICTs, discourse and knowledge societies: Implications for policy and practice – Robin Mansell

Past witnesses’ present comments – Alain Modoux

PART III: Changing the agenda: WSIS and the future

Towards Knowledge Societies in UNESCO and beyond – J.P. Singh

The notion of access to information and knowledge: Challenges and divides, sectors and limits – Jérémie Nicey

The international news agencies (and their TV/multimedia sites): The defence of their traditional lead in international news production – Camille Laville and Michael Palmer

The least imperfect form of global governance yet? Civil society and multi-stakeholder governance of communication – Jeremy Shtern, Normand Landry and Marc Raboy

Civil society and the amplification of media governance, during WSIS and beyond – Divina Frau-Meigs

Past witnesses’ present comments – Bertrand de La Chapelle

PART IV: Postface 

From New International Information Order to New Information Market Order – Roberto Savio

About the author

Patricio Tupper is professor of media and communication sciences at the University of Paris 8.