Since the end of the Cold War, the international development community has dedicated considerable human and financial resources towards strengthening independent and professional journalism in transitional and (post)conflict countries. The symposium “Fourth Estate” in Democracy Assistance: Practices and Challenges of German and International Media Development Cooperation aimed at analysing the current state of media assistance. It focused especially on donor policies of European countries, taking into account that the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has expressed growing interest in media development. Therefore, the first part of this publication provides insight into the media development practices and policy frameworks of France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom, as seen through the eyes of media development specialists from these countries. The second part goes beyond the frameworks, and deals with different issues: the role of media for social transformation in Africa, a case study of a media sector programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo, coordination of international donors and implementers, and media development impact measurement.
