Is the latter a question of improvement in old technologies, or a subject of clash of ideological interests between the strong and the weak? How capable are the New Information and Communication Technologies of breaking the barriers and connecting with the New World Information and Communication Order? This paper holds that the New Information and Communication Technologies are mere sophisticated Robots, which cannot implement other than their ideas are conceived by their designers and developers. How realistic is this expectation? This paper analyzes the point of connection between New Information and Communication Technologies and New World Information and Communication Order. Now marked by the sophistication and the spill-over effect of new information and communication technologies, expectations seems to be growing in some third world countries that the new technologies might inadvertently break the barriers to unequal participation in global communication and information flow. Relevant as though it is for development in the third world Countries, New World Information and Communication Order has remained far from the existing realities of World Information and Communication Order. New World Information and Communication Order is a corrective ideological measure to stem the overbearing media and data monopolies, which the leading industrial powers of the “First World”, holds over the “Third World” countries. And finally we will explore the issues underlying the dispute and attempt to proffer solutions where necessary. The essay will also attempt to identify the positions taken by these disputants by closely looking at the exchange of charges and counter-charges between those demanding balance in the news and those demanding journalistic freedom. In this paper however, the author will be discussing the developing world perception of new world information order, seeking to find what changes they expect from it. This charge and counter-charge is far from abating and in fact is gathering momentum as it persists in many developing countries as they are well aware of the value of information in speeding material development and in maintaining power. In retaliation, western world has equally charged the developing world of seeking to obstruct the free flow of information and insist to make no change in the information flow which they regard as a threat to the freedom to report, to print, and to broadcast news (Legum & Cornwell, 1978). One that may readily come to mind is the UNESCO meetings in 1969 (Sean, Elie, Sergei, & Somavia, 1980), 1974 (Mowlana, 1985), 1976 (Bandopadhyay, 2006) and 1980 (Tokunbo, 2000) consecutively, where the UNESCO group of experts on mass communication and society noted in its disturbing but revealing report that: What has come to be known as the free flow of information at the present time is often in fact a one way rather than a true exchange of information. Due to this controversy, on several accounts, developing nations have attempted to engage the western nations through different channels to address the issue of global information inequality. The purported victims which are the developing nations have been raging bitterly over the news coverage of events in their continent and have denounced western newspapers, journals, and television outlets for their alleged sensationalism and anti-development bias (Legum & Cornwell, 1978). ![]() ![]() ![]() Therefore, for the past thirty years, there has been a controversy resulting from accusation and counter accusation of imbalance flow of information from the west to south. Those that control the information are usually seemed to be the most powerful in our contemporary society. Information is power and the most critically sought commodity in today’s world.
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