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Making poverty the storyTime to involve the media in poverty reduction
Promoting dialogue, debate and change
Acknowledgements
ThisreportwaswrittenbyAngelaWoodandJonBarnes.
PanosLondonacknowledgeswithgratitudethesupportofSwissDevelopmentCooperation(SDC)andCordaidoftheNetherlandsforitsRaising Debateprojectonthemediaandpovertyreductiononwhichthisreportisbased.
PanosLondonwouldalsoliketothankallthosewhogaveuptheirprecioustimetobeinterviewedbytheauthorsorwhoprovidedvaluablecommentsonpreliminarydrafts.Theirinsightsandinputsaremuchappreciated,thoughfinalresponsibilityfortheviewsexpressedinthereportrestssolelywithPanosLondon.
Thisreportisavailableatwww.panos.org.uk/poverty
©PanosLondon,September2007
Formoreinformation,contact:
PanosLondon9WhiteLionStreetLondonN19PDUnitedKingdom
tel+44(0)2072781111fax+44(0)2072780345
978-1-870670-15-9
PanosLondonispartoftheworldwidePanosNetworkofindependentinstitutesworkingtoensurethatinformationisusedeffectivelytofosterdebate,pluralismanddemocracy.Formoreinformation,seewww.panos.org
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Contents 2 Abbreviationsandacronyms
3 Executivesummary
7 Introduction
�� Settingthescene,makingthecase �� Policyactors,mediarolesandmediaboundaries �2 Povertyreductionandnurturingjournalismasapublicgood �4 Povertyreductionstrategiesandopportunitiesformediainvolvement �9 Thevalueofthemediaanditsdifferentroles 2� Mediaexpectationsandmediaindependence 22 Mediadiversity,reachandaudienceimpact
26 Settingoutthechallenges 27 Commercialpressuresandchangingmedia‘markets’ 29 Politicalbarriersandconstraints 3� Financialandotherresourceconstraints 3� Timeconstraints,payandeditorinterest 32 Storyresearchandaccesstoinformation 35 Thechallengeofin-depthcoverageanddevelopingcriticalexpertise 37 Themediaandgovernance:theneedforsupportinginstitutions
39 Frompovertychallengestomediasolutions 39 Mediaandcivilsociety:theneedforstrongerinteraction 45 Exploringeditors’viewsandaudienceinterests 45 Pitchingandcraftingengagingstories 49 Medialeadershipanddevelopingprofessionalexpertise 50 Individualmotivation 5� Targetingandextendingkeyaudiences 53 Timeforstrategicsupportforthemediaasapublicgood
56 Conclusionandrecommendations
62 Appendix� 62 Non-mediacommunication,journalistsandamplifyingpoorpeople’svoices
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction2
Abbreviationsandacronyms
AWC AfricanWomanandChildFeatureService
CDF ConstituencyDevelopmentFund(Kenya)
CSO civilsocietyorganisation
CSPR CivilSocietyforPovertyReduction(Zambia)
DFID DepartmentforInternationalDevelopment(UK)
GBC GhanaBroadcastingCorporation
GCRN GhanaCommunityRadioNetwork
HIPC heavilyindebtedpoorcountry
IFIs internationalfinancialinstitutions
IMF InternationalMonetaryFund
MDGs MillenniumDevelopmentGoals
NDPs nationaldevelopmentplans
NGO non-governmentalorganisation
OECD OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment
PRSP povertyreductionstrategypaper
RAPP RichandPoorProject(Kenya)
SAP structuraladjustmentprogramme
SIDA SwedishInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgency
WTO WorldTradeOrganization
ZNBC ZambiaNationalBroadcastingCompany
3
Povertyreduction,publicdebateandthemediaasvitalpublicgoods
Asthemid-pointforachievingtheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDGs)by2015isreachedwithprogressinseriousdoubt,thisreportarguesthatthetimehascomeforallpolicyactorstorecogniseandsupportthepotentiallycrucialcontributionofthemassmediatoeffortstoreducepovertyinlow-incomecountries.Policychangehasoftenstemmedfromshiftsinpublicandpoliticalopinion,andtheveryreachofthemassmediamakethemavitalforceinraisingpublicawarenessanddebate,eveniftheymaynotbedirectpolicyactorsorevenconsiderthemselvesashavinganobligationtoinfluencepolicyandchangesociety.
High-qualitypublicserviceandpublicinterestjournalisminparticular,thereportargues,shouldbesupportedaspublicgoods1intheirownright,andthosewishingtoencouragethemediatostrengthenitscoverageofpovertyreductionshouldrecogniseandsupporttheabilityofrelevantpartsofthemedia,inprinciple,toplaysuchcriticallyindependentroles.
Thereportnotesthatpoverty,aswitnessedbythepublicactionaccompanyingtheMDGs,hasclimbedupthepoliticalagenda.Reducingpovertyhasbeentransformedfroma‘worthycause’toachallengeinthepubliceyethatismuchmorenewsworthyforjournalists.Thisofferssignificantopportunitiesforthosewishingtoengagethemedia.
PRSPsandbeyond:participation,communicationandthemedia
Akeyreferencepointforthereport’scaseforstrongerinvolvementofthemediaonpovertyreductioninlow-incomecountriesisgovernments’introductionofWorldBank-approvedand-supportedPovertyReductionStrategyPapers(PRSPs).ThePRSPapproachhasbeenthemostsignificantpolicyinnovationtodateonpovertyreduction.
Executive summary Themediacanplayapartinhighlighting
thechallengesofpovertyreduction,engagingwithpeoplelivinginpovertyandreportingtheissuefromtheirperspective.HereastreetchildfromtheComorosIslandstalkstoajournalist.giacomo pirozzi | panos pictures
1‘Publicgoods’isaneconomictermreferringtogoodswhich,onceproduced(orexisting),benefitallmembersofasociety–forinstance,peace,cleanair,educationorjudicialsystems
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction4
NotonlyarethevitalissuesatstakeinPRSPpolicy-makingofpotentialinteresttothemediaandthosewishingtoengagejournalists(suchasthetransparencyofnationalbudgets);thestatedprinciplesofPRSPs(suchas‘stakeholderparticipation’and‘nationalownership’)arealsorelevanttodebatesaboutthemedia’srole.AshighlightedbytheWorldBank,communicationstrategiesareindispensabletoinvolvingthepublic–andpoorpeople–inPRSPs.
InthecontextofheateddebatesabouttherecordofPRSPsandtheroleofcommunicationwithinthem,thefirstsectionofthereportnotesthechangingpolicyapproachestopovertyreductionandhighlightsthepotentialrolesthatthemediacouldplay.Theseinclude:
ncommunicatingwithandinformingawiderangeofaudiencesonpovertyreductionissues
nprovidinganopenforumtoreflectdifferentpublicviews,includingthoseofpoorpeople
nprovidinganinclusiveplatformforpublicdebate
nscrutinisingandholdingallactorstoaccountfortheiractions,actingasaforceformoretransparentandaccountabledecision-makingrelevanttopovertyreduction.
Challengesandconstraints
Forallthemassmedia’spotential,thesecondsectionofthereportdrawsattentiontotheinter-relatedchallengesandconstraintsthathindertheabilityofjournaliststoperformthesepublicservice2andpublicinterest3rolesaseffectivelyastheyandothersmightwish.Indeed,inmanyofthepoorestcountries,particularlyinAfrica,themediaisstillaninfantindustrystrugglingtofinditsfeet.
Thereportthereforeurgesallpolicyactors,includinginternationalnon-governmentalorganisations(NGOs)anddonors,notjusttorecognisethemedia’spotentialasamuch-neededindependent,indirectcontributortothedevelopmentprocess,butalsotounderstandandhelpaddressthesector’sownmultipledevelopmentsupportneeds.Withbothpolicymakersandcivilsocietyorganisations(CSOs)stressingtheimportanceof‘goodgovernance’,thereportarguesitiscrucialtosupportthepotentialpowerofthemedia’shighlyrelevantscrutinyrole.
Commercialandpoliticalpressuresonthemedia
Onemajorconstraintnotedisthepressuresofcommercialsurvivalandgrowthinthewakeofrecentmedialiberalisation.Whileincreasedmediafreedomshavebeenwelcomeinthewakeofstatecontrolsoncommunication,heightenedcompetitionthreatensdiversityofcoverageandqualityofcontentastheincreasednumberofmediaplayersstandardiseoutputsinpursuitofconventional,better-offaudiences.Inthisclimatepovertyreductionmaynotbeseenasan‘attractive’subject,withmainstreampublicaffairsreportingtendingtofocusonsubjectssuchaspersonality-basedcoverageofelitepolitics.Theneedforadvertisingrevenuehassimilarlyoftencompoundedthepressureoneditorialspace,alsomakingthemediamorevulnerabletooutsidecommercialandpoliticalpressuresofvariouskinds.
Resourceandexpertiseproblems
Thestructuralproblemsofmediafinanceaffectworkingjournalists,whoareoftenunder-skilled,under-trained,poorlypaidandprecariouslyemployed.Timeandresourcesmaynotbeavailabletofundtheresearchneededforstoriesonpovertyreduction,especiallyonesinformedbypoorpeople’sviews.Inturn,journalistsmaylacktheknowledgeandpracticalskillsto
2Publicservicejournalisminvolvesmediacontentthatisvaluedforitsintrinsicmeritbasedonthehighestprofessionalstandardsandwiderbenefitsforsocietyandnotjustforitscommercialworth.PanosLondondefinestheessentialfeaturesofpublicservicemediaas ‘accessibility(includingbypoorandmarginalisedpeople)andqualitycontentthatistrue,informativeandreflectsdifferentvoicesandperspectives’.Itarguesthatapublicserviceroleisnotconfinedtopublicly-ownedorcommunitymediabutcanalsobefulfilledby,forexample,thecommercialmedia,alongsideitsotherfunctions.SeePanosLondon(2007)At the heart of change: The role of communication in sustainable development,p23
3Publicinterestjournalisminvolvesmediacontentthatprovidescitizenswithaccesstoinformationonkeyaspectsofpubliclifesignificantlyaffectingtheirwell-beingandinvolvement.Suchcoverageyieldsbenefitsforsocietyasawholeasaresultofthepublic’srighttoknowaboutissuesthatmayhavebeenneglectedorunexploredinpublicdiscourseorillegitimatelykeptconfidentialorsecretbypublicandprivatepower-holders.Publicinterestjournalismthusplaysitsownindependent,vitalroleinsustainingthepublicawareness,debateandparticipationneededifcitizensaretoexercisetheirrightsandresponsibilitieseffectivelyindemocraticsocieties.Bybringingcrucialinformationintothepublicdomain,itencouragesaccountablegovernanceandsupportstheabilityofcitizenstoholdallpower-holderstoaccount
5
gatheranddecipherthegrowingrangeofinformationandanalysisonpovertyreductionissues.Theyarehinderedalsobyfrequentofficialsecrecy,bureaucraticredtapeandanapparentingrainedtendencytorelyonstateandgovernmentsourcesofinformation,evenwheninshortsupplyordifficulttoaccess.Thereportnotes,however,thatasaresultofPRSPs,somegovernmentshavemadeprogressinofficialinformation-sharingandpubliccommunication.Officialmediarelationscapacitycouldbestrengthenedaspartofcontinuedprogress.
But,thereportnotes,manyjournalistsareunableorunpreparedtotrackdownandusealternativeinformationsources,missingoutonstories.Thisweaknessisnotonlyduetoskilldeficiencies,butreflectsproblematicprofessionalpracticesassociatedwiththeallegedshortcomingsof‘event-’and‘statement-based’reporting,which,thoughacrucialmediaactivity,oftenlacksanalyticaldepth.
Opportunities
Akeyopportunityidentifiedistheunrealisedpotentialofbetterunderstandingandworkingrelationsbetweencivilsocietyandthemedia.Interactionhasoftenbeenimpairedbymisunderstandingsandmisplacedassumptionsandexpectationsofeachother’sroleandpractices.
Givenmediaresourceproblems,thissituationhasoftenledtothemediaandjournalistsacceptingorbeingofferedpaymentbycivilsocietyorganisationstocovertheir‘stories’ortocarrypiecesthattheyhavewrittenthemselves.Whateverthepossibleshort-termbenefitsforcommunicatingwiththepubliconpovertyreductionissues,thesepracticescanoftenbequestionedonthegroundsoftheoutputs’journalisticworthandlonger-termsustainability.
Civilsocietyandthemedia:towardsbetterinteraction
Thereportarguesthatcivilsocietymustdevelopastrongerunderstandingnotjustoftheconstraintsandpressuresjournalistsdealwith,butalsoagreaterappreciationoftheirprofessionalneedsandhowtomeetthem.Conversely,thereportarguesthatthemedia,initscoverageofpovertyreduction,hasmuchtogainthroughstrongerinteractionwithcivilsociety.Thebenefitsincludesources,insightsandcontactsandgreaterfamiliaritywiththeissuesatstake,asseenbythoseoftenworkingcloselywithorseekingtorepresentpoorpeople.Oneofcivilsociety’sconcernsisthatthemediacanoftenlackasensitive,rigorousgraspofpolicyissuesandthepracticalandpoliticalchallengesofworkwithpoorpeopleandpolicymakers.
Engagingandexploringtheviewsofeditors
HighlightingtheexampleofonerecentinitiativewitheditorsinKenya(whichrevealedthatpovertystoriescanindeedprovokeconsiderableinterestamongpublicaudiences),thereportstressesthecrucialimportanceofengagingmediaowners,managersandeditorsindiscussionsofhowtostrengthenthelevelandqualityofcoverageofissuesrelatedtopovertyreduction.
Howeditorsviewtheopportunitiesandconstraintsformeetingthischallenge,andwhatwillresonatewithpublicaudiences,isavitalstartingpoint.Furtherinformationontheirviews,andthoseofpublicaudiences,wouldhelpallpolicyactors–andworkingjournaliststhemselves–topitchpossiblestoriesmoreeffectivelyinanoftendifficultmediacontext.
Pitchingpovertyreductionstories
Onesignificantimpressionisthatpromotionofpovertyasatraditionalsocialwelfareissueisunlikelytoboostthelevel,rangeandimpactofnationalcoverage.Butwhiletheprevalenceofpovertymaychallengeits
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction6
newsworthiness,thereportstressesthatfeaturestoriescanhaveaveryimportantplacewhennewanglesarefoundandhard-hittinghumanstoriestold.
Similarquestionsareraisedoverthevalueofpromotingpublicintereststoriesonpovertyreductionasaspecialisttopic.Particularaspectsofthepolicyprocessintimatelylinkedtopovertyreduction–suchasnationalbudgets,akeyitemonjournalists’agendas–couldbepromotedwiththemedia.But,ratherthanfocusingontheinstitutionalmechanicsofPRSPsornationaldevelopmentplans,thosekeentointerestthemediamayfinditmoreproductivetofocusonkeyaspectsofwiderpolicy-makingrelevanttostrategiesonpovertyreduction,drawingoutthelinks,inconsistenciesorgaps.
Themediaandpublicaudiencesthriveoncontroversy,sotheprosandconsofcontentiousdecisionssuchasstatereformorprivatisationmayprovemoreinteresting,particularlywhenlocalandnationalpoliticalanglesandtheirreal-liferelevancetothepubliccanbebroughtout.Whateverthestory,thosewishingtoengagethemedianeedtobeawarethatakeyconsiderationforthemediawillalwaysbeitstopicality,newsworthinessandaudienceimpact.
Skills,knowledgeandmainstreamingincore‘beats’
Oneapproachtoengagetheinterestofmediaistolookforwaysinwhichpossiblepovertyreductionstoriescanbeintegratedintothecore‘beats’ofjournalistssuchaspolitics,businessandeconomics,governance,corruption,crimeandsoon.Someeditorsconsultedstatedthat,notwithstandingtheirconcern,povertyreductionisunlikelytobecomeadistinctareaofspecialisation,giventhenatureanddemandsofthemassmedia.
Thissuggeststhatjustasspacewouldbewelcomeforjournaliststodevelopknowledgeofpovertyreductionissuesandhowtheyrelatetocoretopics,theactualjournalisticskillsrequired–suchascriticalanalysisandresearchskills–maynotbemuchdifferentfromthoseneededtocoveranysubject.Coveringpovertyreductionmaybeareflectionofthewiderchallengeofstrengtheningpublicinterestreporting.Theseareissuestobeconsideredbythoseoutsideandwithinthemediaindustryconcernedwithsupportingstrongerjournalisttraining.
Amplifyingpoorpeople’svoices
Thereportstressestheneedtorecogniseandsupportthevitallyimportantrolethatalternativemediasuchascommunityradiocanplay,andthatotherformsofinclusivecommunication(suchasoraltestimoniesandcommunitytheatre)canbesuccessfullycombinedwiththeinvolvementofthemassmediatoamplifypoorpeople’svoicesandscaleuptheirimpact.
Timeforstrategicsupport
Thereporturgesallactorstostrengthentheirsupportforthemedia,recognisingboththevalueofthemainstreammedia’spublicserviceandpublicinterestrolesandthecontributionofalternativemedia,aspartofanintegralapproachtothewholesector.Forallthebenefitsofspecificinitiativestotackleproblemsandseizeopportunities,itconcludesthatastructuralapproachiscalledfor,includingsupportforcomprehensivepublicpoliciesonthemedia.
7
Thisreportadvocatestheneedforpolicyactors–suchasCSOs,governmentsandstateinstitutions,foreigndonors,internationalinstitutions,andpolicyresearchbodies–torecognisethepotentialofthemassmediatoraisethelevelandqualityofpublicdebateonpovertyreductioninlow-incomecountries.
TherehasbeenconsiderablepolicyresearchonwhetherthePRSPapproachoftheWorldBankandInternationalMonetaryFund(IMF)haseffectivelyinvolvedthepublic(andthepoorinparticular)ingovernments’policy-makingonpovertyreduction.However,thisliteraturehastendedtoneglecttheroleofthemedia.Thisissurprising,asthemedia,whilesafeguardingtheircriticalindependence,couldindirectlyhelpsupportthewidercommunicationstrategiesneededtoboostpublicengagementinpovertyreductionstrategies.
Timetorecognisetheroleofthemedia
Thereisadangerthat‘other’concerns–suchasclimatechange,conflict,terrorismandcrime–couldweakenthefocusofnationalandinternationalpolicymakersonpovertyreduction.Policyapproachestopovertyreductionarealsochanging,inthelightoftheMDGs,second-orthird-generationPRSPs,governments’nationaldevelopmentplans(NDPs)andvisions,andtherecentpolicyemphasison‘pro-poor’economicgrowthand‘goodgovernance’.
Butsuchdevelopmentsonlyreinforcetheimportanceofthemediaincoveringthecrucialissuesatstakeinpovertyreductionstrategies.Forexample,policymakers’andcivilsociety’sinterestsingoodgovernancehavelessvalueiftheydonotpaymoreattentiontothemediaasaspotlightontheforcesshapingrelationsbetween‘governors’andthe‘governed’.
Introduction ReadingthenewsinLagos,Nigeria,on
electionday.Keyconsiderationsforthemediaondecidingwhatnewstoreportwillalwaysbeitstopicality,impactandnewsworthiness.giacomo pirozzi | panos pictures
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction�
nThefirstsectionofthereport–‘Settingthescene,makingthecase’–exploreswhether,whyandhowthemediacouldstrengthencoverageofpovertyreductionissues.
nThesecondsection–‘Settingoutthechallenges’–analysesthebarriersandconstraintsthatlimittheextenttowhichthemediacanmeetthischallenge.
nThethirdsection–‘Frompovertychallengestomediasolutions’–highlightstheopportunitiestoencourageandsupportstrongermediacoverage.
nInconclusion,thereportstressesthecrucialneedforrelevantactorstorecognisethemedia’sownsupportrequirements.Thisincludestheimportanceofpublicpolicies.
Reportbackground
ThereportistheculminationofRaising Debate,athree-yearpilotprojectonthemediaandpovertyreductioninsixcountries,4coordinatedbyPanosLondonwithmembersoftheinternationalPanosnetwork5andpartnersinAfricaandSouthAsia.Aswellassnapshotstudiesofthemedia,communicationandpovertyreduction,theinitiativeincludednationalroundtablemeetingsatwhichrepresentativesfromthemedia,donors,governments,CSOsandpolicyresearchbodiesdiscussedthechallengeofextendingpublicdebateonpovertyreduction.Panosprovidedbriefingsandothersupportmaterialstothemedia,trainingworkshops,grantandfellowshipprogrammestosupportjournalists’storyresearchandproductionofmediaoutputs.Workwiththemediawasaccompaniedbythelaunchoforaltestimonyinitiativesinseveralcountriestoprovideachannelforpeoplefrommarginalisedcommunitiestocommunicatetheirviews,andjournalists’coverageoftheissuesprovidedawiderplatformtoamplifytheirvoices.
Theauthorsgatheredadditionalmaterialforthereportduringimplementationoftheprojectactivities,includinginterviewswitharandomselectionofeditors,journalists,civilsocietyactors,policyspecialistsandofficialrepresentativesbetween2005and2007.
Thevalueandlimitsofthereportfindings
Giventhesmallnumberoffocuscountriesinvolved,thisreportdoesnotclaimtoprovideafully-fledgedanalysisofthechallengeofstrongermediaengagementinpovertyreductioninalllow-incomecountries.Nordoesitpurporttoofferafullyresearchedcasefortherolethemediacouldplay–especiallyinthelightofthechallengesraisedbythisreport.Thatisataskforamuchfullerprocessofinquiry.
Themediaareheterogeneousandmuchofthesectorisunlikely,orcannotreasonablybeexpected,toplaytherolesonpovertyreductionexploredhere.Thereportfocusesonthemainstreammassmediatraditionallyconcernedwithpublicaffairscoverageandthepublicserviceandpublicinterestrolesofjournalism.Weconcentratemainlyontheprintmedia,givenitsinfluenceonpolicymakersandourexperienceinthisarea,butalsocoverradioandtelevisiontoalesserextent.Allreferencesto‘themedia’,unlessotherwisestated,applytothetraditionalmainstreammassmedia.
Althoughthesampleinsightsgatheredforthisreportfromthemainstreammediacannotclaimtobeautomaticallyrepresentativeofthewiderviewsofrelevantmediaprofessionals,theiraimistoprovideanimportantfoundationforcontinueddiscussionofthemassmedia’spotentialasacatalystofdebateonkeypublicpolicyissuessuchaspovertyreduction.Tothisend,thereportalsoincludescasestudiesprovidingoutsideviewsofthemedia’sroleandcoverage.6
4Bangladesh,Pakistan,Ghana,Kenya,MozambiqueandZambia.SimilarworkhadpreviouslytakenplaceinUganda
5ThePanosmembersinvolvedwerePanosSouthAsia,PanosEasternAfrica,PanosWestAfricaandPanosSouthernAfrica
6Thesecontributionswerewritteninanindividualcapacity,followinganinvitationbyPanos.TheydonotnecessarilyrepresentPanosLondon’sviews
9
Foralltheabovequalifications,PanosLondonbelievesthattheinsightscoveredbythereportareofconsiderablevalue.Indeed,despitethemainlyqualitativeandanecdotalinformationgatheredduringtheRaising Debateproject,itisnoteworthythatcommonthemesandissuesconsistentlyemerged,albeitwithnuances,acrossallthefocuscountries.
Weacknowledgethatotherformsofcommunicationarecrucialtoprovidingeffectivechannelsforpoorpeople.Butwhiletheirimportanceishighlighted(seeAppendix1),thereport’sfocusisonthemediaandithasnotsoughttotacklethissubjectaswell.
Internationaldimensions
Afinalobservationisthatsomeofthechallengesanalysedcouldalsoberelevanttothemediainrichindustrialcountries,despitetheirstrongerlevelofresources.Althoughthetopicisnotexploredhere,itcertainlydeservesacknowledgement,givenfrequentallegationsthat,despiteincreasedpublicawarenessoftheso-called‘globalisation’phenomenon,mediacoveragecanoftenbeparochialordecontextualised,neglectcurrentandinternationalaffairs,orlackcriticalrigour.7SustainingandstrengtheningpublicaffairscoveragealsoseemstobeachallengeintheNorth,withitsrapidlychangingmediaindustry,shiftingpolitical,socialandeconomiccircumstances,andchangingpublicattitudesandtastes.
Acrucialchallengeforthemediainbothlow-incomeandrichcountriesistomakethedifferentperspectivesoftherelevanceandeffectivenessofinternationalandnationalpoliciesaffectingpovertyreductionastrongerpartofcoveragefortheirrespectivepublicaudiences.Thischallengeisavitalone,given,forexample,thecomplexitiesofthegoodgovernancedebate,theneedforstrongerpublicunderstandingofthemultipleaccountabilitiesandinterestsofforeignaidandtheincreasinglyinternationalnatureofeconomicactivity.8
7SeeforexampleGlasgowMediaGroup(2000)Viewing the World: News Content and Audiencewww2.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/viewworldsum.pdf;JennyStone(2000)Losing Perspective: Global Affairs on British Terrestrial Television 1989 - 1999,ThirdWorldandEnvironmentBroadcastingProject;PWilby(23July2007)My suspicions about official sources,intheGuardianhttp://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2132281,00.html
8PublicperceptionsoftheimpactandaccountabilityofinternationalaidhaveintheUK,forexample,beenanissueofgrowingcommentanddebateamongdevelopmentNGOs,themedia,policyresearchbodiesandthegovernment.ThishasoftenfollowedperiodicmediareportsandopinioncolumnsdebatingcorruptionscandalsaffectingAfricancountries,forexample,andwhetheraidshouldbewithheldorincreasedinthiscontext.Foroneconcisethink-pieceontheissuesatstakefromtheperspectiveofoneinternationaldevelopmentNGO,publishedontheGuardiannewspaper’swebsite,seePWatt(27February2007)Making Aid Work: international aid has its faults but that is no reason to shy away from honest debatehttp://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/patrick_watt/2007/02/a_call_to_alms.htm
Althoughpovertyisaneverydayissue,itistherealstoriesthatpeoplehavetotellthatcanmakeitnewsworthy.Thechallengeisforjournaliststofindthesestoriesandlinkthemtothewiderpolicydebateonpovertyreduction.mikkel ostergaard | panos pictures
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction�0
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Whilesomealternativemedia,suchascommunityradio,haveamoredirectmandatetoaddressdevelopmentissuessuchaspovertyreduction(seep24),themainstreammediahaveamuchwiderandmorecomplexrangeofinstitutionalandsocietalaccountabilities.Consideringtheheterogeneityandwide-rangingfunctionsofthetraditionalmassmediainresponsetothemultipleneedsofitsdifferentaudiences,itisunlikelythatthissectorasawholewouldbeconcernedwiththechallengesofpovertyreduction.
Therehasbeengrowingattentioninrecentyearstothepotentialofcommunicationtohelpboosttheeffectivenessofpoliciesandstrategiestocombatpovertyinlow-incomedevelopingcountrieswherethedailyrealitiesofdeprivationandsocialexclusionareexperiencedacutely.9
Oneneglectedaspectofthisemergingdiscussion,however,hasbeentheindependentrolethatthemassmediacouldplayinsuchcountries.Byinformingthepublicandhighlightingthevitalissuesandpolicydecisionsatstake,itcouldhelpnurturethebuoyantclimateofpublicconcernanddebatethatcustomarilyspursintoactionthosewiththepowertomakeadifferenceinsociety.
TheinformationmadeavailabletoPanosinproducingthisreportwouldsuggestthat,onthewhole,thepotentialofthemediatoactassuchacatalysthassofarnotbeenrealised.Inthissectionweaimtofocustheattentionofpolicyactorsontheopportunitiestoengagethemediainpovertyreduction.
Policyactors,mediarolesandmediaboundaries
Attheoutset,itisimportantforpolicyactorstounderstandthatitisfarfromacceptedorgivenwithinthemainstreammediathatthereisasolidprofessionalargumentforjournaliststocontributetoasocialchallengesuchaspovertyreduction.Indeed,fromthestandpointofprofessionalethics,manymedialeadersandprofessionalswouldsaythattheyhavenomandateorobligationtochangethewayinwhichsocietyisrun,andinwhoseinterestsitisrun.Forthem,themedia’sdutyistoreportthenewsfortheircoreaudiences,toexplainandexploretheissues,provokediscussionandfacilitateanexchangeofopinions.Ifthemediaweretotakeagivenissue,causeorsocial,politicalandeconomicviewpointastheirmainreferencepoint,theirindependencewouldbeinseriousdangerofbeingcompromised.Theyseetheroleofjournalistsaskeepingadetacheddistancefromsuchinfluences,lesttheycompromisereportingobjectivityandtheindividualpursuitof‘truth’.
Setting the scene, making the case
‘Ifyouseethedevelopmentprocessaspeople’sliveschangingthroughdirectactionthenno,themediaisnotanagentofchange.Butaspartoftheoverallprocessofgovernancerelatedtodemocracyandruleoflaw,andtheviolationoffundamentalhumanrights,thenthemediahasarole…[It’s]abouthowthecountryneedstobegoverned,aboutreforminginstitutions.’
TalatHussain,directorofnewsandcurrentaffairs,AajTV,Pakistan,April2007
9See,forexample,MMozammelandSOdugbemi(2005)With the Support of Multitudes: Using Strategic Communication to Fight Poverty through PRSPs,Washington/London:WorldBank/DepartmentforInternationalDevelopment
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction�2
However,oneofthemedia’straditionalkeyrolesistoprovideintelligentnewsreportingandstimulatingcoverageofpublicaffairs–forexample,throughin-depthfeaturesandcommentandanalysispieces.Thisreportsetsouttohighlightthiskeyroleanditspotentialimportanceforpolicyactorsinvolvedinpovertyreduction.
Itisalsoimportanttopointoutthatnoteveryonewithinthemediaholdsthetraditionalviewsoutlinedabove.Somemediaprofessionalsandobserversseeeffectivemediacoverageofpublicaffairsasanessentialpartofcreatinganinformed,inclusivepublicdebatethatensuresgenuinecitizenship,democraticparticipation,responsivegovernanceandeffectivestatecraft.Inthisview,vibrantmediacoverageisintimatelylinkedwithsociety’sdevelopment,whichcouldincludetheneedtotacklepoverty.
Thisviewholdsthatthemediashouldnotjust‘reportthenews’,butextendthepublicagendaandevenhelpsetit.Manymediaorganisationsandprofessionalsseetheshapingofdiscourseasalegitimatecorollaryoftheirpositionasoneofthemajorinterfacesbetweenthestateandsociety.Theywouldarguetoothatthiswideningoftheagendadoesnothavetobeatoddswiththeprinciplesofobjectivityandbalance,andthatindividualmediahousesandjournalistsareentitledasamatteroffreedomofexpressiontoputforwardviewsofagivensocialorpoliticalpersuasion.
Povertyreductionandnurturingjournalismasapublicgood
Thekeypointforpolicyactorsisthat,regardlessofanywiderintentonthepartofthemediaorindividualjournalists,thesectorineffectshapesandreflectspublicattitudesandclimatesofpoliticalopinion.Thisinitselfmakesitaforcetobeconsideredandrecognised.Withinpublicaffairscoverage,forexample,therearecountlessexamplesofhowtheforceofeffectivejournalism–fromground-breakingnewsarticlestohard-hittinghumanstoriesandcampaigningreporting–canaffectdecision-makinginbothpublicandprivatespheres.10
Inotherwords,policyactorsshouldrecognise–andsupport–effectivejournalismasapublicgoodinitsownright.Indeed,whenitcomestoanincreasinglyimportantpublicpolicymattersuchaspovertyreduction,themediacanplayvitallyimportantrolesinshapinginformationprovisiontothepublicandcontributingtothequalityofpublicdiscourse.Theseinclude:
nscrutiny:examiningtheeffectivenessofdifferentactors’approachestotacklingpolicychallengesandholdinginfluentialpartiestoaccountfortheiractions
nprovidinganopenforumforcoverageandreflectionofissuesrelevanttopublicaudiences,and,intheinterestsofbalance,tohelptobringthosewithlesspowerandinfluenceintopublicexchangesanddebate.
Inthecaseofpovertyreduction,thelatterwouldincludecoveringpoorpeople’sviewsoftheproblemsandchallengestheyfaceandofthesolutionstheyfeelareneededtoreducepoverty.
‘Themediahastendedtogivethemicrophonetothepoliticians,thecompanychiefexecutivesandtotheNGOs.Butithasnotdoneenoughtotakethemicrophonetotheslumareassothepeoplecantellushowtheyarecopingwithpoverty.’
GeorgeGitau,actingeditor-in-chiefoftheKenyaBroadcastingCorporation,November2006
10Thisisnottodismissthepotentialofdramasandentertainment,whichhavebeenpowerfulvehiclesfordiscussionofpressingpublicconcernsandsensitivesocialissues.InAppendix1,wedescribehowPanoshasuseddramaandoraltestimoniesfrommarginalisedpeoplenotonlyasinclusivecommunicationvehiclesbutalsoasafocusofmainstreammediacoverage
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Buthowcouldthemediaplaysuchroles?Towhatextentdotheydosocurrently?Couldtheirrolebestrongerandmoreeffective?Whatobstaclesandopportunitiesdothemediaface?Howcouldrelevantpolicyactorsbetterengageandsupportthemedia?Theseareamongthequestionsweconsiderinthisreport.Strongerengagementofthemediacouldleadtogreaterpublicawarenessofpovertyreductionissues,whilealsoprovidingrelevantpartsofthemediawithopportunitiesforinterestingstories.
First,however,weexplorewhether,howandwhythemediainlow-incomecountriescouldstrengthentheircoverageofpovertyreduction.Wesketchout,inthecontextofthegrowingdiscussionoftheroleofcommunicationinofficialpovertyreductionstrategiesandtheheateddebatesabouttheWorldBank’sPRSPapproach,thedistinctcontributionthatthemediacouldmake,elaboratingmorefullythevalueoftherolesdescribedabove.
‘Formeasaneditor,thereisacompellingcaseforengagingwithpoverty.Increasingeducationandliteracyisrelatedtoincreasingthesizeofmyreadership.Ourmainaudiencesareindeeddrawnfromthemiddleclasses,businessandpolicymakers.Butthesegroupscannotliveinisolation.ThewelfareofthemanyisintheinterestsofthepeoplewhoreadtheDailyStar.’
Fromworthycausetomakingnews
Reducingpovertyhasbecomeamoreattractivesubjectformediacoverage,seenlessasaworthycauseandmoreanewsworthytopicinitself.Indeed,sincetheendoftheColdWartheissuehasclimbedhighuptheinternationalpoliticalagenda,asmarkedbytheadoptionoftheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDGs)withintheUnitedNationsinSeptember2000whentheworld’sgovernmentleadersmadeapledgetotheircitizensforthereductionofextremepoverty.11Povertyhasalsobecomeofsignificantconcernforpublicsworldwidecomprisingpossiblemediaaudiences.A2005internationalopinionpollin68countries,forexample,revealedthatpovertyisthemostpressinghumanitarianissueofourtime:onequarterofrespondentswereconcernedaboutit,comparedwithoneintenwhowereconcernedaboutterrorism,conflictandwars.12
Suchdevelopmentshavefollowedgrowingdemandsfrompeoplearoundtheworldforpolicychangesonpovertyreduction.Publicmobilisationsinpoorandrichcountries–forexample,attheG8summitsorinternationalmeetingsoftheIMFandWorldBankandtheWorldTradeOrganization(WTO)–havebroughttogetherunprecedentednumbersofCSOs,socialmovementsandordinarypeopletopressuregovernments,officialdonorsandinternationalinstitutionstotakeeffectiveactiontoaddresspoverty.
Asaresult,povertyhasbeensteadilytransformedoverthelastdecadefromaninvisiblyprevalentpartofeverydaylifeorafocusofcharitableconcernintoanationalandinternationalpoliticalchallengethatcitizensaroundtheworldfeeltheyandtheirpoliticiansshouldaddress.
Badnewsisgoodnews?
Whatofmediainterestineventsinthepoorerdevelopingcountriesthemselves?Goodnewsonpovertydoessometimesmaketheheadlines–beneficialmeasuressuchasmovestocanceldebtandabolishpublicserviceuserfees,ormovinghumanintereststoriesofsurvivalorsuccessagainsttheodds.Butthemediathriveoncontroversy.Indeed,thegrowingdebatesaboutthecausesofpovertyandsolutionsforovercomingitare
MahfuzAnan,editorandpublisheroftheDaily Star,Bangladesh,April2007
11TheUNMillenniumDeclarationlaysouttheeightMDGs(seeUN,2006,The Millennium Development Goals Report).Aswellasallowingforformalmonitoringofspecifictargetsforprogressineconomicandsocialdevelopment,theMDGsrepresentanapparentconsensusinthedevelopmentcommunityonhowtotacklepoverty.Forareviewofsomeofthedebates,seePanosLondon(2005)What are the MDGs and why are they important?www.panos.org.uk/extra/mdgs_index.asp
12GallupInternational(2005)Voice of the People 2005 Survey Results, Hunger and Poverty
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction�4
certainlyprovidingafairshareoftheirowncontroversy:disputedpolicydecisions,corruptionscandals,thesquanderingandmisuseofinternationalaid,thepolicyconditionsappliedtoforeignloans.Myriadchargesaremadeaboutthefailure,malpracticeordoublestandardsofinternationalinstitutions,governments,businessesandNGOs.
Whiletheinternationalspotlightonpovertyreductionprovidesapotentiallyrichsourceofstoriesforjournalistsinlow-incomecountries,themanifestationofsuchissuesineverydaynationallife–andtheircrucialbearingonpoorpeopleinparticular–isoftenunder-reportedornotcoveredinproperdepth.Policyactorsthereforeneedtotakeadvantageoftopicalnationalandinternationaleventstohelpthemediaunearthsuchstoriesonadailybasisinwaysthataretopicalandnewsworthy.
Thismaymeanashiftintheirapproachtoengagingthemedia.Povertyhasoftenbeenpresentedandcoveredasamorenarrowlydefinedsocialissue,andthiscancertainlyinterestsomeaudiences,especiallythroughfeaturestories.Butnow,inthelightoftheshiftsoutlinedabove,thereisalsoscopeformediainterestinstoriesthatdealwiththeissueinitswiderpoliticalcontext.Thesecouldalsobecommentandanalysispieces,orground-breakingnewsreportsorinvestigativefeatures.
Indeed,manymediaprofessionalsfromlower-incomecountriesinterviewedforthisreporttoldPanosthat‘politicssellsnewspapers’.Thequestionthatarisesiswhetherandhowpolicydecisionsandtheirimpactonpovertyreductioncanbemadeastrongerpartofpoliticalcoverageandothercoretopicsforthemedia.Traditionalreportingofpolitics,forexample,appearslargelynottohaveconsideredpovertyreductionasatheme,thoughthefrequentemphasisofpersonality-basedpartypoliticalreportingmaybeanobstacletodoingso.
Buteveniftheopportunityexistsforbuildinginafocusonpovertyreductioninmediacoverage,theimportantthingforpolicyactorstorememberisthatanysuchstoriesneedtostandontheirjournalisticmeritandbebasedoncorejournalisticprinciples,includingtheiraccessibilityandresonancewithaudiences.
‘Thereisoftenatendencytowardstechnicalcoverage–statisticsandsoon–whenitisimportanttogivestoriesapopularslantandahumanface.It’salsovitaltofindanationalangleorapoliticalangleandlinkissuestothelocalsituationandhowtheyrelatetoreaders.’
Povertyreductionstrategiesandopportunitiesformediainvolvement
InrecentyearstheMDGshaveemergedasakeyframeworkfornationalandinternationalactiontocombatextremepoverty.Butatanationallevel,themaininstrumentfordealingwithpovertyinlow-incomecountrieshasbeenthePRSPapproachintroducedin1999bytheWorldBankandtheIMF(seebox,p15).
MostafaKamalMajumder,editoroftheNew Nation,Bangladesh,April2007
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PRSPs:Coreprinciples,fiercedebates
PRSPsarepovertyreductionplanspreparedbygovernmentsinlow-incomecountries,developedinprinciplethroughaparticipatoryprocessthatshouldinvolvedomestic‘stakeholders’(includingpoorpeople),aswellasexternaldevelopment‘partners’suchasbilateraldonors,theWorldBankandtheIMF.
APRSPidentifiestheoverallpoliciesandprogrammesagovernmentintendstoimplementtoachieveeconomicgrowthandreducepoverty,aswellasexternalfinancingneedsandassociatedsourcesoffunds.PRSPsareaconditionforlow-costloansfromdonorsandmultilaterallenders,suchastheWorldBank,andfordebtrelief.AccordingtotheWorldBankandIMF,13fivecoreprinciplesunderliethePRSPapproach.Strategiesshouldbe:
ncountry-driven,promotingnationalownershipthroughbroad-basedcivilsocietyparticipation
nresult-orientedandfocusedonoutcomesthatwillbenefitthepoor
ncomprehensiveinrecognisingthemultidimensionalnatureofpoverty
npartnership-oriented,involvingcoordinatedparticipationofallpartnersandstakeholders
nbasedonalong-termperspectiveforpovertyreduction.
ViewshaveoftenbeenfiercelydividedontheallegedsuccessorfailureofPRSPs,aswellastheextenttowhichtheyhavefundamentallydifferedfromthepreviousIMFandWorldBank-supportedstructuraladjustmentprogrammes(SAPs)much-criticisedfortheirallegedsocialdamageanddisappointingeconomicperformance.YettheintroductionofthePRSPprinciplesof‘nationalownership’and‘stakeholderparticipation’didmarkasignificantinnovation.
AfterchargesthatSAPshadbeenexternallyimposedandcruciallylackedproperlocalsupporttobeimplementedeffectively,theprincipleof‘nationalownership’suggestedthatgovernmentsandpeoplesmightnowhavethepoliticalandsocialspacetodeterminetheirownhome-grownsolutionsfortacklingpoverty,withinternationaldonorsaligningtheirfinancialsupportbehindnationalplansbackedbybothgovernmentsandthepublic.Theprincipleof‘stakeholderparticipation’,meanwhile,heldthepromisethatpoorpeoplethemselveswouldgainthechancetoidentifypovertyproblemsandsolutions,withtheirinclusionimprovingthecontentofpoliciesandthequalityofthepolicymakingprocessitself.
Inpractice,suchprincipleshavebeenthesubjectofdisputedinterpretation.Civilsocietycritics,forexample,claimthattheneedfortheinternationalfinancialinstitutions(IFIs)toapprovePRSPs–aswellasthepolicyconditionstheysayIFIscontinuetoapplytotheirloans(forexample,overmacro-economicpolicies)–contradict‘nationalownership’.14
Therehassimilarlybeenalongdebateabout‘participation’,withrecognition,includinginWorldBankandIMFevaluations,thatpublicinvolvementandtheinclusionofthepoorhaveoftenbeenlimitedbygovernments’lackofhumanandfinancialresourcesandpracticalexpertise,orbytheirsensitivitiesabouttheramificationsofbroaderanddeeperparticipation.15
13See,forexample,IMF(2005)Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
14Perceptionof‘Washingtonsign-off’asunderminingcountryownershipalsofeaturedasaconcerninthemainfindingsofcasestudiesconductedintheWorldBankandIMF’sownevaluationofPRSPs.SeeWorldBank(OED)andIMF(IEO)(2005)The Poverty Reduction Strategy Initiative: Findings from 10 country case studies of World Bank and IMF support,p5.Onconditionality,civilsocietyorganisationsclaimtheirobjectionsarenottotheneedforcountriestomeettheirfiduciaryobligationstospendaidproperlyontheintendedpurposesagreedwiththeirpeoplesbuttodonors’allegeduseofloanconditionstopressgovernmentsintospecificpolicychoiceswithoutpublicknowledgeanddiscussionandproperdemocraticdebate.See,forexample,ActionAidInternational(2006),What progress? A shadow review of World Bank conditionality
15ForevaluationsheldwithintheBrettonWoodsinstitutions,seeWorldBank,OperationsEvaluationDepartment(2004)The Poverty Reduction Strategy Initiative: An Independent Evaluation of the World Bank’s Support through 2003;IMF,IndependentEvaluationOffice(2004)Report on the Evaluation of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF);WorldBank/IMF(2005)2005 Review of the PRS Approach: Balancing Accountabilities and Scaling up Results;WorldBank(2002)Participation in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: A Retrospective Study.Forarangeofcivilsocietyviews,seeCdeBarra(2004)PRSP as Theatre – Backstage Policy-Making and the Future of the PRSP Approach,CIDSEandCaritasInternationalis;Oxfam(2005)From ‘Donorship’ to Ownership: Moving Towards PRSP Round Two;ActionAidInternational(2004)Rethinking Participation: Questions for Civil Society about the Limits of Participation in PRSPs,WashingtonDC.AsampleofcontrastingacademicperspectivescanbefoundinDBooth(2005)Missing Links in the Politics of Development: Learning from the PRSP Experiment,ODIWorkingPaper256;JGould(ed)(2005)The New Conditionality: The Politics of Poverty Reduction Strategies,ZedBooks,London.PanosLondon(2005)hascoveredtheissuesanddebatesinabriefingforthemedia,Who’s richer, who’s poorer? A journalist’s guide to the politics of poverty reduction strategies
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PRSPs,asintroducedsinceandnowbeingadapted,provideanimportantreferencepointforencouragingmediacoverageofpovertyreductionasapublicinterestmatter,notleastbecausekeytopicsofmediaconcernsuchaspolitics,businessandeconomics,governanceandevencrimearerelevanttothem.Themediacouldthemselvesseizetheseopportunities,butpolicyactorscouldconsidertoohowthepolicythemesanddebatessurroundingPRSPscouldbeturnedintoarichseamofstoriesofpotentialinteresttoeditorsandjournalistsinlow-incomecountries.
First,thecontentofpolicyreformsintroducedaspartoforalongsidepovertyreductionstrategiescanbeagoodsourceofideastoattractthemedia.Decidinganeconomicstrategy,forexample,isahighlypoliticalprocessbecauseitinvolvesmakingdifficultdecisions,withpoliticians,differentministries,businessleaders,smallentrepreneurs,socialmovementsandCSOsdebatinganddisputingwhatthegainsandlossesforacountrywillbe.Givenofficialpolicymakers’invocationoftheneedfor‘pro-poorgrowth’,effortscouldbemadetoencouragethemediatoexaminetheimplicationsofsuchpoliciesfordifferentsocialgroupsandpoorpeopleinparticular,andwhetherpolicychoicesareconsistentwiththestatedaimofpovertyreduction.
Inthesocialsphere,apolicyfocusonprovidinguniversalprimaryeducationmaybringbenefitsforyoungerchildren,butitmaymeanagovernmenthastocutbacksupporttosecondaryandhighereducation,possiblyimpairingtheprospectsforlonger-termdevelopmentaspirations.Bankingreformsmaybeneeded,butwilltheyensurethatcreditisavailabletosmallerentrepreneurs,andhowdotheyrelatetotheprovisionofmicrofinancetopoorpeople?
Thepolicyprocesstoocouldyieldopportunitiesforinterestingthemedia,notleastbecause,withtheriseofPRSPs,povertyreductionissupposedtobeakeyconsiderationinofficialdecision-makingsystemstraditionallyofcorejournalisticinterestsuchasannualbudgetingandpublicfinance.Monitoringbudgetdesignandimplementationhasbecomeanincreasinglyimportantactivityforpolicyactorsconcernedwithpovertyreduction,andthisexperiencecouldbeusedtoinformandengagethemedia.Examinationofthepolicyprocessalsoaffordstheopportunitytoengagetheinterestofjournalistsintransparencyandaccountabilitymatters–whoisinvolvedorneglectedinshapingpolicies,whoseinterestsdopoliciesreflect,andaresystemsofgovernanceeffectiveandfairfromthepointofviewofthestatedaimofpovertyreduction?
Again,linkswithtraditionaljournalisticinterests,suchasparliamentaryreporting,couldbeexploited.Forexample,parliamentarianshaveakeyroleinensuringgovernancethatbothstrengthensdemocracyandhelpstosupportpovertyreduction.Yetparliamentscanoftenbeweakandineffective,andoneofthecriticismsofgovernments’PRSPsandinternationaldonorsupportforthemisthattheyaresaidtohavecircumventedestablishedpoliticalsystems.16Thecombinationofparliamentaryandmediaoversightisusuallyseenascrucialtoanysociety’seffectivedemocraticfunctioning.
Vitalissuesofnationalsovereigntyanddemocraticaccountabilitycanindeedbeatstake.Goodgovernancereforms,forexample,nowfigureinmanyPRSPsandareakeyconsiderationininternationaldonorloansandaid.Whiletheneedforbettergovernanceisoftenstressedbythepublicanddevelopmentactorsinlow-incomecountries,theissue,includingtheapproachofgovernmentsandinternationaldonors,isnotwithoutitscontroversiesanddifferentperspectives.ItisasubjectthatCSOsandothernon-stateactorscouldusetointerestthemedia.17
16Insteadofboostingthepotentiallykeyaccountabilityroleoflegislatorsasthelinkbetweenpolicymakersandthepeople,thechargegoes,PRSPconsultationshaverevolvedinsteadarounddonors’discussionswiththeexecutiveandleadingministriessuchasfinanceandplanning,aswellasthewell-connectedandbetterresourcedNGOs.Onparliaments,seeforexampleODIetal(2007)Parliaments and Development: What shapes parliamentary performance and what can donors do to enhance it?BriefingPaper16;ParliamentaryNetworkontheWorldBank(www.pnowb.org),theParliamentaryCentreandPovertyReduction(www.parlcent.ca/povertyreduction/index_e.php).ChristianAidetal(2005)Kept in the dark – A briefing on parliamentary scrutiny of the IMF and World Bank;XanRice(28July2007)‘OutrageasKenya’sMPsseek£45,000payoffs’,theGuardianwww.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2136605,00.html
17InthecaseofPRSPs,theveryfactthatdonorshavemadethemarequirementforlow-incomecountriestoqualifyforaidandfinancialsupporthasbeenasensitivematterforsomegovernments.Theirconcernisthat‘process’conditionalityisbeingaddedtothepolicyconditionsdonorsattachtotheirloans,openingthedoorfordonorsallegedlytointerfereinpoliticalprocessesaswellaspolicychoices.InBangladesh,forexample,amediastirwascreatedin2006whenaformerministerpubliclycriticiseddonorconditionsanddismissedclaimsthatthecountry’sPRSPenjoyed‘nationalownership’.SeeMoslemUddinAhmed(18October2006)Mayeen Khan: a rebel with a causePanosLondon/PanosFeatures,andPrafulPatel(18October2006)World Bank’s vice-president for South Asia replies to PRSP critics,PanosLondon/PanosFeatures,atwww.panos.org.uk
The need for better governance …is not without its controversies and different perspectives. It is a subject that civil society organisations and other non-state actors could use to interest the media.
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Participation,communicationandthemedia
Giventheimportanceof‘participation’inPRSPs,therehasbeengrowingdebateaboutthecrucialrolethatcommunicationcanplayinboostingpublicinvolvementinthem,particularlytheinvolvementofpoorpeople.Itisthereforeimportantforthosewishingtostrengthentheroleofthetraditionalmassmediaincoveringpovertyreductionissuestounderstandthechallengeinthiswidercommunicationcontext.
Forexample,theWorldBankhasstressedtheimportanceofcommunicationinensuringeffectiveparticipationinPRSPs–includingthepotentialofthemediatoincreasethepublicawarenessneededforstakeholderinvolvement.Ina2005reportpublishedwiththeUK’sDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment(DFID),forexample,itarguesthat:‘Theeffectiveengagementofstakeholderstobuildownershipthroughthecountry-drivenapproachofthePRSPisheavilydependentontheavailabilityofandaccesstoinformation.’18Providingarangeofcountrycasestudiesoneffortstoimproveinformation-sharinganddebate,theauthorsadvocatetheneedfor‘strategiccommunication’tofacilitateeffectivestakeholderinputandmanagepublicexpectationsaspartoftheeffectivedesignandimplementationofPRSPs.19
‘Free,independentandpluralmassmediasystemsareaconditionforgenuinelyparticipatoryPRSprocesses.Themassmediaarethechiefmediatorsofpoliticalreality,themainsourcesofpoliticalandeconomicintelligence,andsignificantinfluencersofpublicopinion.’
WorldBank20
ThefirstroundofPRSPssawrelativelylimitedlevelsofstakeholderinvolvementinmanycountries,andpubliccommunicationefforts–oftenprompted,ledorsupportedbyCSOs–wereaimedatovercomingfrequentdeficienciesinofficialconsultations.Government-ledprocesseswereoftentime-constrained(revolvingroundtheneedforPRSPstosecureimmediatedebtreliefanddonorfinance),heldlargelyinregionalandcapitalcities,andpoorlyorganised.Giventhefrequentabsenceorweaknessofcoordinatedcommunicationstrategies,knowledgeof,andparticipationin,thePRSPprocess,beyondleadingnationalpolicymakerandforeigndonorcircles,wasfrequentlylimitedtowell-organisedandwell-connectedNGOsandCSOs,excludingorleavingpendingthechallengeofinvolvingwidercivilsocietyatthegrassroots.21Inmanycasesparticipationturnedouttobelittlemorethantop-downconsultationorinformation-giving.
Overtime,however,thePRSPexperimenthasinnumerouscountriesgraduallyopenedupimportantspacesformorepoverty-focusedpolicydialogueandtherehasbeenastrongerplaceforcommunicationstrategiesandinitiatives.22Thisisparticularlythecasewheregovernmentsandstakeholdershavelearntfrompreviouslessonsanddevelopedstrongersystemstosecurepublicinputinthedevelopmentoftheirsecondorthirdpovertyreductionstrategies.Manyofthesemechanisms,oftentheresultofdiscussionswithdonorsorpressurefromcivilsociety,couldprovideentrypointsforengagementofthemediaonpovertyreduction.Theyinclude:
nimprovingdisseminationofinformationaboutthePRSPandthePRSPprocess
nextendingpolicydebatesbeyondestablishedinterlocutorstoincludeawiderrangeofNGOsandCSOsandworkingwiththemtogathertheviewsofpoorpeople
18Asnote9
19Asabove.Fortheauthors,strategiccommunicationdoesnotsimplyinvolveaone-wayflowofinformationtothepublic,butdemandsthecommunicationofcitizens’viewsbacktothegovernmenttohelpshapepolicyformulationandinformdecision-making,aswellaswidespreaddebatetohelpbuildcommonunderstandingandconsensusaboutthepovertyreductionagenda.Moreover,effectivecommunication,theyadd,isnotjustnecessaryduringthedevelopmentphaseofaPRSP,whenitfacilitatesdialogueandparticipation,butalsoduringtheimplementation,monitoringandevaluationstages,whenitfacilitatesaccountabilityandinformsfuturepolicydialogues.WhilethefocusofthisWorldBank/DFIDreportisoftenonthevalueofcommunicationstoallowgovernmentstomanagepublicexpectations,italsoindicatesthereisaroleforcommunicationinnurturingandexpressingpublicdemandfortheeffectivenessandaccountabilityofPRSPs,presumablyincaseswhererulingelitesarereluctanttocommittoafocusonpoverty
20Asnote9,p18
21AfrequentcriticismfromCSOsinvolvedwasthatconsultationswereoftensuperficial,withtheirviewssoughtattheendofthePRSPdraftingprocessandoftennottakenonboard.Thisresultedinamainlyone-wayprocess(fromthegovernmenttoCSOs)ratherthantwo-waydialogues.AnotherobservationwasthatconsultationwithcivilsocietywastypicallylimitedtothosespecificaspectsofthePRSPonwhichitwasconsideredcompetent–suchashealth,educationandothersocialissues–andnotthemorecontentiousandtechnicallycomplexissuesofmacroeconomicpolicy,forexample.Forarangeofnon-governmentalviewsonthechallengesandlimitsofcivilsocietyparticipation,seethereferencesinnote5
22TheWorldBank/DFID’sWith the Support of Multitudesreportprovidesnumerouscasestudieswithexamples
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction��
nestablishingtechnicalworkinggroupstofacilitatediscussionandcoordinationbetweendifferentpartsofgovernment,donorsandcivilsociety,involvingthemediainsomecases
nholdingmoreregularpolicyconsultationforumsatlocalandnationallevels
nestablishingmechanismstogatherinformationandconductresearchonpovertyonamoresystematicbasis,withresearchbodies,NGOs,CSOsandcommunityorganisationsofteninvolvedintrackingpovertyandtheimpactofpolicies
ndevelopingandimplementingcommunicationstrategieswithcivilsocietyanddonorsupport.
Asgovernmentshaveaprimeresponsibilityforeffectivecommunicationwiththepublic,andasofficialinformationoftenconstitutesanimportantsourceforjournalists,progressindevelopingthecommunicationstrategiesneededtostrengthensystemsforpublicparticipationcouldbringbenefitsforboththepublicandthemediaalike.Butitisalsoimportanttobearinmindthatforcriticallyindependentforcessuchasthemedia,thismuch-neededopportunityisalsonotwithoutitsdifficultiesandcontroversies.
Inmanycountries,civilsocietycritics,forexample–spanningboththosetreatingPRSPsasanopportunitytowidenthepoliticalandsocialspaceforpolicydebateandthosemoreinclinedtodismissPRSPsas‘publicrelationsstrategies’andthusasanideologicalsham–havearguedthatradicalreformoroutrightchangeofexistingpoliciesrelevanttopovertyreductionarerequired.23InPakistan,forexample,alackofconfidenceinboththeofficialpolicyprocessanditslikelypolicyoutcomesledCSOsformallytorejectparticipationinofficialplanstodevelopthecountry’sPRSP.Notwithstandingtheinterestamongdonorsandgivenpartsofthegovernmentandstateinboostingparticipationthroughresearchandpubliccommunicationonpovertyreduction,numerousobserversquestionedtheextenttowhichtop-levelpoliticalbackingwasavailabletosupportsucheffortsasastrategicpriority.24
Giventheiroftendifferentapproachestoparticipationandpolicyreform,thecommunicationeffortsofvariouspolicyactorscanbeahighlypoliticalmatter.ButwhatevertheallegedadvantagesorshortcomingsofPRSPsasapolicyvehicleforpovertyreduction,theopeningofspacesforpolicydialoguehascreatedapotentiallystrongerenvironmentforcriticallyindependentmediareportingonthepolicyissuesandoptionsatstake.
Changingpolicyapproaches
Itisalsoimportantforbothmediaandnon-mediaactorstonotethatimportantshiftsarenowtakingplaceininternationalandnationalpolicyapproachestopovertyreduction.Thesehavenumerousimplicationsforbothpossiblemediacontentandfortheparticipationandcommunicationcontextinwhichthemediaoperatesandmightbeengaged.
Alongsidetheincreasedemphasisofpolicymakerson‘goodgovernance’,animportantdevelopmentisthestressoneconomicgrowthandlonger-termdevelopment,asfrequentlywitnessedbythestrongerweightgiventotheproductiveeconomyinsecond-orthird-generationPRSPs(nowoftenbearingtheirownlocaltitles).Numerousgovernments,oftenwiththeMDGsasageneralreferencepoint,havebeenreturningtotheirownfive-yearnationaldevelopmentplans(ratherthanthethree-yearspanoforiginalPRSPs).Theyhavealsoevenbeendevelopingmuchlonger-termdevelopmentstrategies(towhichPRSPs/NDPsmightbelinked).25
Whilepolicymakersinternationallyhaveinvokedtheneedfor‘pro-poorgrowth’,theshiftsoutlinedabovewouldappeartoreflecttheperceptionoflow-incomecountrygovernmentsthatashort-termfocusonpovertyaloneistoonarrow,particularlywherepovertyreductioneffortsfocuslargelyon
23Forsuchcritics,theaimsofcreatingacriticalmassofpublicopinionmightbetwofold.Ontheonehand,theweightofpublicopinionmightencourage/pressuregovernmentstocommittosubstantiveprogressinpovertyreduction.Ontheother,itmightbetoencourage/pressuregovernmentstoresistwherenecessarythepolicyconditionsoftheinternationaldonors(eg,oftencontroversialmeasuressuchasprivatisationortradeliberalisation)thattheysaydamagepoorpeople,benefitpowerfuleliteinterestsinsteadandareatoddswithtacklingthestructuralcausesofpoverty.Theyargueforashiftfromtheallegedtendencyofgovernmentstodemonstrategreateraccountabilitytodonorstoasituationinsteadinwhichgovernmentsanddonorsarebothmademoreaccountableforbenefitingpoorpeopleasapolicypriority.Officialadvocatesofrecentreformswouldcounterthatgrowthandpovertyreductionarenowbeingsuccessfullycombinedinnumerouscountries,andthatgeneratingandsustainingpublicsupportforcontinuedprogressisalegitimateandnecessarypartofachievingincreasinglyinclusivepolicyapproaches
24SuchconcernswerevoicedatPanosSouthAsia’snationalroundtableonthemediaandpovertyreductionheldinIslamabadon21July2005.Theywerealsovoicedinseveralauthorinterviewswithrepresentativesfromthemedia,state,civilsociety,policyresearchanddonorcommunitiesatthattime
25Zambia,forexample,hasnowreturnedtoafive-yearnationaldevelopmentplan,whileKenyahaslaunchedplanstodevelopaVision2030emphasisingbusiness-ledeconomicgrowth.Mozambique,foritspart,hasitsVision2025plan
... the opening of spaces for policy dialogue has created a potentially stronger environment for critically independent media reporting on the policy issues and options at stake.
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provisionofbasicservices.26Theyarenowpayinggreaterattentiontoissuessuchasprivatesectordevelopment,tradeandinvestment,agriculture,miningandtourism,andthedevelopmentofinfrastructuresuchasroadsandelectricitygeneration.
Whilethesechangesbringopportunitiesandrisksforthefutureofstrategiesforpovertyreductionthatneedtobetakenintoaccount,27theymayalsoofferawiderrangeofpovertyreduction-relevanttopicsonwhichpolicyactorscanattempttoengagemediainterest,beyondPRSPs’traditionalfocusonsocialsectors.
Thevalueofthemediaanditsdifferentroles
Policyreformsoftenstemfromimportantshiftsinpublicandpoliticalopinion,withthelatterusuallytheresultthemselvesofeffortstoraiseawarenessanddebateofanissue.Policyactorscouldengagethemediawithsuchaimsinmind,whilerecognisingthatjournalistshavetheirowndistinctroletoplayasindependentcommentators.Theircoverage,providingdifferentviewsandopinionsandabalancedrangeofreports,canhelpfosteranatmosphereofhealthypublicdebate.Thisshouldberegardedasapublicgoodinitsownright,regardlessoftherightofthedifferentpolicyactorstopromotetheirownviewsthroughthemedia.
Strong,independentmediacoveragecouldhelpcreateamorepropitiousenvironmentforwidereffortstotacklepoverty,withthefollowingpotentialroles:
ncommunicatingwithandinformingawiderangeofaudiencesonpovertyreductionissues
nprovidinganopenforumtoreflectandbringindifferentpublicviews–particularlythosethatareunder-representedinthepublicsphere
nprovidinganinclusiveplatformforpublicdebate
nsrutinisingandholdinggovernments,statebodies,politicians,donors,businessesandCSOstoaccountfortheiractionsonpovertyreduction,thusactingasaforcetoincreasethetransparencyandaccountabilityofdecision-making.
Communicatingandinforming
Whileotheractorscanproviderelevantinformationforthepublic,themediahavethecapacitytoreachpeopleenmasse–acrucialfunctionifthepublicistoreceivevitalnewsandanalysisofsignificantdevelopmentsinoverallstrategiesandspecificprogrammesandinitiativestocombatpoverty.Theycanalsoaddvaluethroughindependentcoveragethatexplainsandexplorestheissuesforthepublicandhighlightstheconsequencesforpoorpeopleinparticular.
Thisdoesnotjustmeanengagingthemediatocoverthemechanicsofthepolicyprocess;themediacouldexaminethenewsworthysubstanceofwiderpoliciesrelevanttopovertyreduction–forexample,keystoriesonsocialspendingplans;reformsofthepublicsector;privatisation;supportforsmallandmediumenterprises;andmeasurestopromoteurbanemploymentortheagriculturalsector.Themediacanreportandcommentcriticallyonthepolicyissues,optionsandviewpointsatstake.
Providinganopenforumtoreflectdifferentpublicviewsandvoices
Themediaprovideaforumforatwo-wayflowofinformation,commentandreactionbetweenthepublic,CSOs,thegovernmentingeneralandpolicymakersinparticular.Thiscanbeparticularlyusefultogaugetherelevanceandimpactofpolicyproposalsandmeasures.
26TheUNConferenceonTradeandDevelopment(UNCTAD),forexample,whilewelcomingPRSPsasanopportunitytomoveawayfromstructuraladjustment,hasstressedtheneedforPRSPs,notwithstandingtheirstrongersocialfocus,todeveloplonger-termfoundationsforsustainableprogressinpovertyreduction(seewww.unctad.org)
27Onthepositiveside,intermsof‘nationalownership’,themovebygovernmentstodeveloptheirownlonger-termplansandstrategiesmaysignaltheirdeterminationtoleadthedevelopmentprocessafterthedifficultiesandvulnerabilitiesassociatedwithdebt-drivenadjustmentandaiddependency.Atthesametime,however,inthedriveforeconomicgrowth,thereistheriskthatthefocusonpovertyandparticipationsaidtounderlietheprinciplesofthePRSPapproachwillbedilutedorlost,thusendangeringthehopesofmoreequitabledevelopmentengenderedbythePRSexperimentandtheemergenceoftheMDGs
While other actors can provide relevant information for the public, the media have the capacity to reach people en masse – a crucial function if the public is to receive vital news and analysis...
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction20
Byreflectingcurrentsofpublicopiniontoaudiencesandincludingthevoicesofpoorpeopleandthoseworkingtosupportthem,themediacanextendtherangeofviewsinthepublicdomain.
Providingaplatformforpublicdebate
Themediacaneitheractasaplatformforpublicdebateorsetthepoliticalagendathemselvesonkeypublicpolicyissues,andplayanimportantroleincreatinggreaterpublicdebateandawareness.
TheDaily Star,Bangladesh
Bycreatinganeffectiveplatformforpluralisticpublicdebateandpossiblepolicyreformonpoverty-relatedissues,theDaily Starhasengageditsreadershipwithdifferentpolicyactors,targetingwiderpoliticalaudiencesinthecountry.MahfuzAnan,thepaper’seditorandpublisher,explains:‘We’veheldroundtablestocreateanenvironmentofdebate–transcribingandreportingtheproceedings,solicitingreaders’lettersandpublishingeditorials.We’veteamedupwithexpertsandpolicythink-tankstoholdroundtablesonothertopicssuchastransport,energy,povertyreduction,exportsandtradepolicies,industrialisationstrategiesandsoon.Then,withtheresultsofthedebates,we’veformulatedasetofrecommendationsforincorporationintothepoliticalparties’manifestos.Itmaybeavalidassertionthatthemediaitselfisnotadevelopmentorpoliticalactor.Butcircumstancesalsodictatetheneedforengagementwithissuesandevents.’
Scrutiny:holdingactorstoaccount
Themediacanhelpholdnationalandinternationalpolicymakerstoaccountfortheirchoices,adviceandsupportinrelationtopovertyreductionandhowtheyareimplemented.TheycanalsoactasawatchdogtoensureCSOsandtheprivatesectorareaccountablefortheconsequencesoftheirownapproaches,practicesandactions.
Forexample,indailyterms,themediacanmonitorabusesofpublicpositions.Althoughcorruptionisnotconfinedtoofficialinstitutionsandpublicofficials,divertingpublicmoney–ofteninternationalaidmoney–fromitsintendedpurposeinflictsdamagingcostsonthepublic,particularlypoorpeople,underminingprospectsforpovertyreductionanddevelopment.
PRSPconsultationshavesometimesraisedcontroversialissuesthatcanbethebasisforgoodmediastories.Forexample,MustafaKamalMajumder,editoroftheNew Nation,toldusthatafteranationalNGO,theDevelopmentOrganisationoftheRuralPoor,raisedtheissueofaccessibilityofhealthservicesduringaconsultationinBangladesh,hispaperranastoryaboutout-of-datemedicinesandthesaleofmedicinesforprofit.Theauthoritiessetupregistersofavailablemedicinesasaresult.
ThePRSPprocesscanprovideopportunitiesformediascrutiny.Themedia’swatchdogfunctionisparticularlyimportantaspolicymakersturnproposalsandpoliciesintospecificdecisionsandplans.Themediacanraisequestionsaboutwhetherpoliciesareappropriateandeffective,whethertheyarebeingimplementedasplanned,withtheintendedresultsandinaresponsiveandaccountablemanner.Eventsonthepoliticalcalendar–suchasofficialannualreportingonprogressinpovertyreduction28–canalsoprovideanopportunityformediascrutiny.Scrutinisingbudgetsandmedium-termexpenditureframeworkshelpsthepublicknowwhetherfinanceisavailableandappropriatelyallocatedinsupportofPRSPobjectivesandpursuitoftheMDGs.
28ThegovernmentofMozambique,forexample,hasinstitutionaliseditsObservatóriodaPobreza(povertyobservatory–seewww.op.gov.mz/)asamulti-stakeholdereventwhereannualprogressreportsarediscussed
2�
ThemediacanalsoscrutinisehowinternationaldonorprogrammesintendtoachievePRSPobjectives.Thisisimportantinthatitcanallowthepublictounderstandwhatgovernmentsarereallycommittingto,especiallyincaseswhereaidrepresentsaconsiderablepartofnationalbudgets.Donorsaresupposedtobecommittedto‘aligning’theirlendingwithagovernment’sPRSP,butbecausePRSPstendtostatewhatagovernmentwantstoachieveratherthanhowitintendstoachieveit,donorshavealotoflatitudeindecidingwhattheywillprovidemoneyfor.Forexample,ifaPRSPsimplycommitstoprovidingpotabledrinkingwatertomorecommunities,donorscouldargueforprivatisation,regardlessofwhetherornotthiswasasolutiondebatedduringtheformulationofthePRSP.29
PolicyactorssuchasCSOsmustappreciatethatscrutinyisachallengingactivityforjournalists,asitinvolveshavingtheknowledge,skillsandcontactstotracktheinterplaybetweencomplexsubjectssuchasfoodsecurityoraccesstopublicservices,thearcaneworkingsofpublicandprivateinstitutions,andthevestedinterestsofdifferentpolitical,socialandeconomicgroups.And,ashighlightedabove,nationaldecision-makingincreasinglyhasinternationaldimensions,complicatingexaminationofaccountabilitymatters.Scrutinyrequiresjournaliststotrackdevelopmentsonvariouspolicyfrontsrelevanttopovertyreduction,eachwithitsowncomplexdynamicsandpoliticalsensitivities,andnotjustthosewithinPRSPdesignandimplementation.30
Mediaexpectationsandmediaindependence
Aswellasofficialdonors,therearesignsthatgovernmentsandCSOsareshowinggreaterinterestinthemedia,includingadvocacyNGOs.Theyallrightlyseethemediaasanimportantoutlettothepublic.Thisiswelcomeinthatitcouldyieldcontacts,possiblestoryleadsandpossiblesourcesofoutsidepracticalsupportforthemedia.However,thiscollaborationisnotwithoutitsdifficultiesandquestions.
Themediaandpovertyreduction:makingthedonormainstream?
SomewithintheWorldBankandtheUK’sofficialinternationaldevelopmentagency,DFID,haveidentifiedthemediaasa‘driverofchange’aspartofpromotingwithintheirinstitutionstheimportanceofcommunicationfordevelopment.InMarch2006theyincludeddiscussionofthemediaasaspecificpartofaglobalconferenceofSouthern-andNorthern-basedpractitionersoncommunicationandpovertyreduction,heldundertheauspicesoftheOrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD),theleadingindustrialnations’policyresearchbody.Theyinvitedotherdonors,suchasSwissDevelopmentCooperationandScandinavianofficialdevelopmentagenciessuchasSIDA,aswellasdifferentcivilsocietyandmediaorganisations,todiscusshowtheinternationaldonorcommunity,alongwithgovernmentsandnon-stateactors,couldindividuallyandcollectivelymakecommunication–includingtheroleofthemedia–anintegralpartofnationalandinternationalsupportfordevelopmenteffortsonpovertyreduction.
HoldingtheconferenceattheOECDwassignificantinthatthisbodyhelpstodevelopandmainstreamtheoverallpolicyapproachofitsmembercountries–includingmonitoringthelevels,qualityandcoherenceoftheinternationalaidtheyprovide.31
29ControversyhassurroundedthespendinglimitsandpolicyconditionsattachedtoWorldBankandIMFloans,withallegationsthatthesehaveoftenbeennegotiatedbehindcloseddoorswithleadingministries,despitethegreaterspaceforpolicydebateunderPRSPs
30Forexample,thepromotionofforeigntradeandinvestment,oftenidentifiednationallyasapriorityforpovertyreduction,maybeaffectedbyrulesthatgovernmentsnegotiateseparately,forexample,intheWorldTradeOrganizationorbilaterallywiththerichcountries
31WorldBanketal,Deepening Voice and Accountability to Fight Poverty: A Dialogue of Communication Implementers (March 2006)http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTDEVCOMMENG/Resources/CommIplementersDialogueMar06Summary.pdf
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction22
Firstly,asfarasofficialpolicyactorsareconcerned,themediaaredistinctactorsintheirownrightandcannotbeexpectedtostepintothebreachleftbyweakpubliccommunicationandoversightsystems.Secondly,thereisadangerofinternationaldonorsandNGOssimplytakingan‘instrumentalist’viewofthemedia,whichseesthesectorasaready-mademeanstopursue‘development’ends,withoutconsideringthemedia’sownsupportneeds.Asweshallseeinthenextsection,‘Settingoutthechallenges’,thisisparticularlyproblematicinlow-incomecountries,wherepartsofthemediaandmanyworkingjournalistsarehighlyunder-resourced.
Outsidecollaborationandsupportshouldalsobeprovidedontheunderstandingthatthemediaaredistinct,independentactorswiththeirowncontributiontomakeaspotentialcatalystsofchange.Toperformtheirvitalpublicserviceandpublicinterestroles,themediamustbeallowedandenabledtokeepacriticaldistancefromallactorsandpositions.Non-mediaforceshaveeveryrighttopromotetheirownpolicyviewsandadvocacymessagesonhowdevelopmentchangeisbestachievedandinwhoseinterestsexistingpoliciesareshaped,andtocompeteformediaattentionandinfluence.Buttheirallegedfailuretorespectandrecognisetheindependence32ofthemediahassometimescausedresentmentamongjournalists,whoalsofeelthatnon-mediaactorsdonotalwayshaveaproperpracticalunderstandingofthemedia’sprofessionalneedsandchallenges.
Mediadiversity,reachandaudienceimpact
Whenconsideringthemedia’sroleinraisingawarenessanddebateonpovertyreduction,andhowbettertosupportthemtodothis,allpolicyactorsneedtobearinmindthatthemedia,journalistsandthepublicarenothomogenousgroups.Journalistsbasedincapitalcitiestendtohavedifferentskills,prioritiesandneedsfromthosebasedintheregions.Differenttypesofmediawillreachdifferentaudiences,havevaryinglevelsofinfluenceintermsofbreakingnews,andbemoreorlesspro-activeintheirpublicserviceandpublicinterestroles.
Television
Whilethevisualpoweroftelevision(TV)meansthatitcanbethemostinfluentialingettingmessagesacross,muchofitsnewsandpublicaffairscoverageoftenfollowslessinteractive,traditionalformatsthatdonotengageaudiencesasmuchastheyshould.Muchbroadcastingtendstobeentertainment-orientedanddoesnotpaysignificantattentiontopoverty-relatednewsstories,althoughpovertyissuescanbeeffectivelycoveredinentertainmentprogrammessuchassoapoperas.TValsotendstobeurban-basedashouseholdsinpoorruralareasoftenlackelectricityorcannotaffordtelevisionsets.Accordingtoonejournalist,thisbiasmeansthatpovertyissuesareunlikelytobeaddressedasnewsitems,butmaybecoveredasfeaturesorcurrentaffairsstories.33Hesaysthat,forpovertyissuestobemorewidelyaddressed,theymightneedtobebuiltarounda‘saleableurbancontent’orcharismaticpersonalitieswhomightchampiontheminwaysthatwouldprovecompellingforurbanaudiences.
However,oneadvantageoftelevisionisthatitovercomestheilliteracybarrierwhichpreventsmanypoorpeoplefromaccessingprintmedianews.Languagecanbeabarrier,thoughinPakistantheemergenceofregionalchannelsbroadcastinginprovinciallanguagesishelpingtoovercomethisproblem.Televisioncanalsobeavailable24hours,notonceadaylikeanewspaper.
32Manyjournalistsupholdtheneedforobjective,factuallyaccurate,balancedandfairreportingandstrivetoapplysuchprincipleseveniftheirmediaorganisationsmayhave–andareentitledto–theirownviews.Independenceisnotnecessarilysynonymouswithneutrality,evenwherethemediaarecommittedto‘publicservice’(forfurtherdiscussionofthisissue,seeAt the heart of change,pp22-24).Butitisimportanttorecognisethatnon-mediaactorsoftenlackconfidenceinthemedia,notjustonaccountoffrequentlyweakprofessionalpracticesandstandardsbutalso,aswillbeexploredinthenextsection,theconsiderableimpactofpolitical,commercialandotherpressuresoncoverage
33ThisistheviewofTalatHussain,directorofnewsandcurrentaffairs,AajTV,Pakistan
To perform their vital public service and public interest roles, the media must be allowed and enabled to keep a critical distance from all actors and positions.
23
Newspapers
Newspaperstendtocovermorepoverty-relatedissuesthanTV,andoftenprovidethemostin-depthcoverage–particularlyweeklyandSundayeditions.Andalthoughthecontentofprintmediaisnotnecessarilyasuptotheminuteastelevision,itisalesstransitorysourceofinformationasitcanbeusedforatleastthewholeofaday.Circulationisoftenhigherthanthoughtasasinglenewspaperisoftenreadbyseveralpeople.
Lowliteracylevelsneverthelessmeanthatnewspaperstendtohaveamorelimitedcirculation.InAfricancountries,localordistrict-levelnewspaperspublishedinlocallanguagesareviewedasunprofitable,sopapersarelargelyreadby(capital)city-basedpeople.However,peoplecanoftenreadintheirlocallanguage,somarketsmightactuallybebiggerthanthought.Indeed,regionalnewspapersinSouthAsiaareprofitablebycomparisonandhavehighcirculations.Somecountries,nevertheless,havetoosmallamarkettomakeregionalpapersprofitable.
Radio
AlthoughradioremainsalargelymetropolitanphenomenoninsomecountrieslikePakistan,mostpoor,illiterateandruralpeoplelistentoradio,andmanyregionalradiostationsbroadcastinlocallanguages.Thisisasimplemeanstoreachabroaderaudience,andcantargetspecificgroups.Forexample,adocumentaryproducedbyBreezeFMinZambiaonwagespaidtocottonpickerswasbroadcastinEnglishformedium-scalefarmers,employeesofcottonsponsoringcompaniesandNGOrepresentatives,andinChinyanjaforsmall-scalefarmers.
Airingprogrammesinlocallanguagesalsoenablespeopletorespondthroughphone-ins.Infact,radiophone-inshowsaremushroominginthepoorestcountriesandareaneffectivewayofgivingpeopletheopportunitytotalkaboutissuesthataffectthem.Theseshows,whichareoftenairedatprimetimes,havebeenfacilitatedbythemobilephonerevolution.Theyofferahighlyeffectivechannelforordinarypeopletodebatedevelopmentissues.
Becauseradiostationstendtoprovidenewssummaries,theircoverageofpovertyissuesmaybelessin-depththannewspapers,buttheyreachawideraudience.Infact,radioprogrammesoftendrawtheirnewsitemsfromthepapers,sowhilethepaperstendtobreakthenews,radiospreadsit.34
Urbanvrural
Itmaybeeasiertoencourageregionallybasedjournalistsandradiostationstoreportonpovertyissuesthanthosebasedincapitalcities,forvariousreasons:
nlocalaudiencesaremostlycomprisedoffarmersandagriculturalworkersanddevelopmentistheirprimaryagenda;city-basedaudiencestendtobemoreinterestedinnationalpolitics
nownershipofmediaoutlets–forexample,inZambiaregionalradiostationsaremostlyownedbytheCatholicChurch,whichisnotcommerciallydrivenandcanthereforegiveconsiderableattentiontopovertyissuesandfocusmoreonplayinganeducativerole
nsomepartsofthelocalmedia,suchascommunityradiostations35inGhana(seetheboxonpage24),maysupportdevelopmentastheirprimaryobjective
nwithfewerincome-earningopportunities,thelocalmediainmanycountriesaremorewillingtobroadcastpoverty-focusedshowsdevelopedbyCSOsinexchangeforpayment,thoughthisraisesproblematicissuesdiscussedlaterinthereport.
34Thisoverallpatternmaybechangingincertaincases.WarrenNyamugasiraoftheNGOForum,Uganda,forexample,claimstheprintmediaarebecominglessimportantintermsofbreakingnewsinhiscountry
35Communityradio,accordingtothestrictdefinition,isradiothatisownedorrunbyacommunity(ageographicalcommunityorcommunityofinterest)andreflectsahighdegreeofparticipationbythatcommunity.However,thetermisalsosometimesusedtocoverlocalradiostationsownedorrunbylocalornationalgovernment,privateownersorreligiousinstitutions(asinthecaseoftheCatholicradiostationsinZambia)
Differenttypesofmediawillreachdifferentaudiences.betty press | panos pictures zed nelson | panos pictures trygre bolstad | panos pictures
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction24
Peoplelivinginruralareaswouldseemtobepotentiallybetterinformedandhavemoreopportunitytolearnaboutpovertyissuesthanthoseinurbanareas,particularlycapitalcities.However,itmaybedifficulttosetlocalstoriesinthecontextofwidernationalpolicyissuesanddebatesandthequalityofreportingcanbeweakeraslocalmediatendtobeunder-resourced:
nlocaljournaliststendtobelesswelltrainedthanthosebasedinthecities36
ntheylackequipmentsuchasvoicerecordersandcomputers,andhavelimitedaccesstotelephones,emailandtheInternet
nlocalradiostationsoftenlackthefinancialresourcestosupportmorein-depthjournalism
ntheyhavelimitedaccesstopoorpeoplebecausejournalistsaretypicallystationedindistrictcapitalsratherthandeepinruralareas.37
Thuswhiletheremaybepotentialtoencouragelocalmediatoreportonpovertyissues,CSOsanddonorsneedtoprovidetherelevanttrainingtoenablethemtoprovidewiderandhigher-qualityreportingandanalysis.
Audience
Thetypeofaudienceitcatersforwillalsodictatewhichpublicserviceandpublicinterestfunctionseachmediatypecanperformandthesupportitmightneedtoachievethis.Radioismostlikelytoreachthepoor,andtelevisionyoungpeople.Newspapers,meanwhile,willreachtheurbaneliteandintelligentsia.Assuch,theymayhaveanimportantaccountabilityrolebecausetheyaremorelikelytobereadbypoliticiansandpublicservants.
Thoseinterestedinsupportingthemediaasaforcefordevelopmentshouldthereforeconsiderwhichpartsofthemediatheywanttosupportandwhy.Formorepoliticalimpact,buildingthecapacityofnewspaperjournalistsmaybeapriority,whilesupportingruralradiostationswouldbethepriorityiftheaimistoinformandengagethepoor.
Awayfromthemainstream
Itisimportanttorecognisethatotherformsofmediaoutsideofthemainstreamalsoplayanimportantroleinprovidingvitalinformationandengagingaudiencesonpovertyissues.
Onechallengefacingcommunityradioistheneedforasupportiveregulatoryenvironmentandtodevelopsynergisticrelationshipstotakeadvantageofeconomiesofscale,shareprogrammingandscaleuptheamplificationofcommunityvoices.Thiscanbedifficultincountrieswherestationsoperateindifferentlanguages.Highlylocalisedcoveragealsomakesitdifficulttoexplainandaccessiblyexplorethewidernationalandinternationalissuesthataffectcommunities.
Poweringpovertyreduction:communityradioinGhana
Outsidethemainstreammedia,otherapproachestopubliccommunicationcanplayavitalrole.WilnaQuarmyne,deputyexecutivedirectorofGhana’sRadioAdaandcoordinatoroftheGhanaCommunityRadioNetwork,describesthepowerofcommunityradioinengagingaudiencesandfindingsolutionstopoverty,butpointsoutthatsuchachievementsneedpropersupportandspaceinacommercialenvironment.
36AccordingtoMohammedMatovu,PanosEasternAfrica,thisisthecaseinUganda,leadingtopoorqualitycoverageofpovertyissuesinruralareas
37Forexample,inruralZambiainaccessibleroadscanpreventregionaljournalistsfromtravellingtoreachmarginalisedandpoorcommunities
25
EightcommunityradiostationsoperateinGhana,servingdisadvantagedruralcommunities.Theyplayauniqueroleincontributingtopovertyreductionby:
nraisingawarenessofcommunities’tremendoussocialandculturalwealth
nheighteningtheirawarenessthattheyhavearightnottobepoor
nenablingthemtoshareanddrawfromtheircollectiveexperiencesandcompetencies
nhelpingthemtakecooperativeactionbasedonsharedprioritiesandnewperspectives.
Actingonknowledgeandprocessesestablishedandsupportedbycommunityradiostations,communitieshavetakentheinitiativetodiversifyfoodcropsandpracticeorganicfarming,planttrees,de-siltwaterbodiestoarrestenvironmentaldegradation,anddemandprovisionofpublicservicesandinfrastructurethathavebeenwithheldordelayed–suchasroads,healthfacilitiesandloanstoteachersforvillageschools.Communityradiostationshavealsohelpedlocalgovernmentsmobilisecommunities–forexample,totakepartinimmunisationcampaigns,ortoimprovetaxpaymentandcollection.
Communitiesattesttotherolethatcommunityradiostationsplayinenrichinglanguage,strengtheningculture,promotingdialogue,reducingconflictandbuildingpeace–allbuildingblocksforpovertyreductionanddevelopment.Thereasoncommunityradiostationsareabletoplaysuchaneffectiveroleinpovertyreductioninclude:
nprogrammecontentisdrivenbycommunities,basedontheirexperiencesandpriorities
nfield-basedproductionseeksoutandgivesavoicetothemostmarginalised
ntheyuselocallanguagesandprocessessuchasoraltestimonythatenablesharingofindigenousknowledge
nproducersaremembersofthecommunitywhoarefamiliarwiththechallengesofpovertyandsensitivetocommunitymores
nnot-for-profitoperationsmeanthatservingthecommunitiesguidestheirdecision-making
ntheyhaveformedthemselvesintoanassociationthatallowsopensharingofpracticalchallengesandimmensehumanrewardsofrealisingtheircommonvision.
Despitealltheseadvantages,thevalueofcommunityradiostationsinpovertyreductionisnotbeingsufficientlyharnessed.Althoughtheydonotneedtobeencouragedtofocusmoreonpovertyissues–theirpurposeistosupportcommunitydevelopment–theyareveryunder-resourcedandwouldbenefitfromsupporttodeveloptheircapacityandpromotetheirfinancialsustainability.Atbest,theeighton-aircommunityradiostationsserve19of138districtsinthecountry.Theregulatoryauthorityhasbeeninexplicablyslowtoallocatefrequenciestocommunityradiostations,andisseekingtoimposearbitraryrestrictions,suchaslimitingcoveragetoa5kmtransmissionarea,withoutreferencetoacommunity’ssocio-culturalandeconomicties.Incontrast,atleast84commercialradiostationshadatleast131frequencies–andpossiblyupto300–allocatedtothemasofJanuary2007.
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction26
Inthefirstsectionwediscussedhowthemedia’spublicserviceandpublicinterestrolescouldbeanimportantcatalystofpublicawarenessanddebateonpovertyreduction.Informationandviewswegatheredforthisreportsuggestthatthispotentialremainslargelyuntapped.Inthissectionweexploresomeofthepossiblereasonswhy.
TheWorldBankarguesthattheeffectivenessofthemedia’scontributiondependsonwhetherthereisafree,independentandpluralmediasystem,determinedby:
nanappropriatelegalandregulatoryenvironment
ntheextenttowhichitcanpenetrateallsectionsofthepublicandpoliticalcommunities
nwhetherthemediacanproduceinformed,insightfulandengagingreportsandanalysis.38
Panosresearchsuggeststhatthemedia’srolehasbeenrelativelyperipheralinPRSPsandpovertyreductiondebates,39despitepossibleopportunitiesaffordedbypolicyactors’differentpublicactionsandadvocacy.Mediacoverageofissuesrelevanttopovertyreduction,evenwhenitmayhavebeenrisinginquantityinsomecountries,oftenlacksanalyticaldepthandhumanfocus.40
Inmanyofthepoorestcountries–particularlyinAfrica–themediaisstillaninfantindustrystrugglingtofinditsfeet.Performingstrongerpublicserviceandpublicinterestrolesisnotnecessarilyapriorityformuchofthemedia,andcommercial,politicalandcapacityconstraintslimitboththeirabilityandwillingnesstoplaythemonpovertyreduction,asweshallsee.
JonathanAdabre,economicsandbusinesscorrespondentwithGhana’sPublic Agenda,putstheproblemdowntothelackofastrongaccountabilityculture,withjournalistsnotusedtoholdingpower-holderstoaccountand
Setting out the challenges Theliberalisationofmediainmany
developingcountrieshasledtoanincreaseinthenumberofTVchannelsandradiostationsbutalsocommercialpressuretocompeteforlimitedaudiences.Thereisnotnecessarilycoverageofawiderrangeofissuesandviews:thisradiostationinNepalbroadcasts24hoursaday,forexample,butthecontentisalmostexclusivelymusic.mikkel ostergaardi | panos pictures
38Asnote9,pp18-19
39See,forexample,inthecaseofZambia,PanosSouthernAfrica(2005)Study on Levels of Communication and Media Engagement in the PRSP Process,Lusaka
40Asnote39
27
notconsideringittheirresponsibilitytoraisedebateinthepublicinterest.Meanwhile,thereisthequestionoftheextenttowhichpovertyisconsideredorcanbemade‘newsworthy’,andwhetherpolicyactorssuchasCSOshavebeeneffectiveinadvocatingthekindsofcoveragethatmightprovemoreattractivetothemedia’sownneedsandinterests.
Commercialpressuresandchangingmedia‘markets’
Aftermanyyearsofstatecontrol,themediainmanydevelopingcountriesarebeing(orhavebeen)liberalised,layingthebasisforstrongermediafreedomsandbringingnewplayersintothearena.However,whilethenumberofmediaoutletshasincreased,thefrequentlackofeffectivepublicpoliciesmeansthatthechangeshavenotnecessarilyledtocoverageofawiderrangeofissuesandviews,noropenedupnewspacesforpoliticalandpublicdiscourse.
Theincreasedcompetitionof‘freer’marketshasintensifiedcommercialpressuresonprivatemediacompaniesandsomestate-ownedcompaniestofightharderforlimitedaudiencesinordertosurviveorexpand.Thissituationseemstohaveexertedpressuretowardscoverageofmoreconventionaltopicsforbetter-offaudiences,creatingproblemsforjournalistswhoneedtofindeditorialspaceandreceptiveaudiencesfortheircoverageofpovertyreductionissues.
‘Therearemanytelevisionstationsnow–butwhoaretheyfor?Publicservicetelevisionisvital.Butweareasked:“Ifthisprogrammeisnotgoingtomakemoney,doweneedit?”’
Theneedforadvertisingrevenuehasalsosqueezededitorialspace–especiallyforstoriesdealingwithsubjectsconsideredlesspopularthatcaterfornicheaudiences.InGhanaandKenya,forexample,arapidinfluxofprivatemediacompanies,particularlyinFMradio,hasintensifiedthecompetitionforaudiences,motivatingthemtoreportonlythestorieswhicharemostattractivefromabusinesspointofview.
Sensationalistorconfrontationalpolitics,sport,gossipandglamourallseemtosell.Andalthoughmanypoverty-relatedstoriesarepoliticalinnature,themediatendtofocusonpoliticalpersonalitiesratherthantheissues,oftenforfeitingthequalityandrangeofreportinginordertoamassaudiencenumbers.
GeorgeGitau,actingeditor-in-chiefoftheKenyaBroadcastingCorporation,December2006
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction2�
‘ConfrontationalpoliticsseemstobethedrivingforceintheKenyanmassmedia.Andintherushtomaximiseprofits,mediahouseshavefalleninthetrapofhiringhalf-bakedjournalistsandcorrespondents,whichadverselyaffectsthequalityofmediacontent.’
Inthisclimate,povertyisoftennotconsiderednewsworthy,thoughthischangesduringtimesofdisasterandemergencywhenthereareregularmediareportsofstarvationanddeath.Povertyissuchaneverydayrealityandsowidespreadthatitisnotconsideredofinteresttopublicaudiencesand,therefore,notsellable.Thisperception,frequentlyfoundinthesevencountriesstudiedinthisreport,highlightstheneedfornewanglesandapproachestostories.
MutegiNjau,associateeditorofRoyalMedia,Kenya,atPanosEasternAfrica’snationalroundtableonthemediaandpovertyreduction,December2006
Radionews:contrastingtales
InAfrica’sincreasinglycompetitiveFMradioenvironment,newscoverageisbeingsqueezedascity-basedradiostationsgivelessprioritytonews,evenaxingnewsprogrammesaltogether.Theresultisarelianceon‘stringers’andnewsagenciesasnewsroomsandstaffarecutback–forexample,FMstationsinUgandaandZambiaarenowsourcingnewsfromexternalagenciessuchastheprivateUgandaRadioNetworkorthepublicnewsagencyZANIS.Whetherfinancialsurvivaldrivesstaffcuts,ornewsprogrammesaresimplysqueezedtoaccommodatemoremoney-spinningentertainment,thistrendthreatensthequalityandrangeofreporting–andthusthespaceforcoverageofpublicpolicyissuessuchaspovertyreduction.
Butthereareexceptionstothistrend.InPakistan,wheremediarestrictionsforbidradiosfrombroadcastingnewsbulletins,radiostationsaretryingtofigureoutwaystoincludenews,notcutitback.Onestationwastemporarilyshutdownin2005aftertransmittingBBCUrduservicenewsbulletinsinviolationofthelaw.Butmostradiostationsgetroundtherestrictionsbypackagingnewsasfeatures,commentpieces,interviews,andotherformats.41
Recentandcurrenttrendsinmediamarkets,therefore–whetherdrivenbyprofitorthetoughrealitiesoffinancialsurvival–presentaformidablestructuralchallengetoassumptionsorexpectationsthatthemainstreammediacanplayastrategicroleinpovertyreduction.Butthereareopportunitiesforthemediatoretainandextendtheirpublicserviceandpublicinterestroles.
Mediaownersandeditorshaveanimportantroletoplay.MahfuzAnan,editorandpublisherofBangladesh’sDaily Star,forexample,advocatesself-enlightenedleadershipwhichdoesnotputshort-termcommercialcalculationsaheadoflonger-termconsiderationsofhowaudiencesmightgrow.‘Asoapcompanyisoneofourmainadvertisers.Likeme,theyhaveaninterestinreducingpovertybecausetheywanttosellmoresoap.Thenotionofcorporatesocialresponsibilityisnowbeingrecognisedbythemediaandisdrivingitsinterestinsocialissues.’
41CommentfromSaharAli,PanosSouthAsiacountryrepresentative,Pakistan
29
Audiencescertainlywantentertainmentfromthemedia,butthemedia’scommercialactivitydoesnotnecessarilymeanthereislittleornointerestinbettercoverageofpublicpolicyissuessuchaspovertyreduction.Indeed,a2003/04studybytheUgandaBroadcastingCouncilisreportedtohaveshownthatthegreatestdemandfromradiolistenersisbetter-qualityinformationondevelopmenttopics.42
Moreover,FahdHusain,editorofPakistan’sThe News,pointedoutthat,despiteadangerofde-sensitisationtopoverty,themediaandthepublicarenotindifferenttoit,andnewwayscanbefoundtomaketheissueengaging(seep49).InBangladesh,SajjadSharif,deputyeditorofProthom Alo(FirstLight)–oneofDhaka’sbiggestpopulardailies–toldushowhispaperhadsetupafaminefundinresponsetoreaders’widespreadconcernaboutthedevastatingeffectsofannualfamineonfoodproduction,income,employment,wagesandindebtednessinthecountry’snortherndistricts.
Stressingthelegitimateprimacyofnewsworthiness,providedinthiscasebyadisaster,MustafaKamalMajumder,editorofBangladesh’sNew Nation,highlightedthatevenwhentheemphasisisonhumansuffering,thereareoftenseriousaccountabilityissuesatstakeinpoverty-relatedcrises,whichcreatenewanglesforthemedia.
Politicalbarriersandconstraints
Wherepovertyreductionispoliticallysensitive,directandindirectpoliticalcontrolsandpressuresonthemediaandjournalistscanalsoaffectcoverageoftheissue.Politicalinvolvementinthemediaiswidespreadinthepoorestcountries.Forexample,thestate-ownedGhanaBroadcastingCorporation(GBC),whileintheoryconstitutionallyinsulatedfromgovernmentcontrol,isinpracticereportedtobeinfluencedbythestate,43whileprogrammingatthepublicZambiaNationalBroadcastingCompany(ZNBC)isalsooverseenbythegovernment.SeveralradiostationsandnewspapersinKenya,UgandaandGhanaareeitherfullyorpart-ownedbylocalpoliticiansandtheiralliesorcloseassociates.And,althoughthenumberofnewspapersinBangladeshhasincreasedsincetheopeningupofthemediasectorin1990,MustafaKamalMajumder,editoroftheNew Nation,saysthatmuchofitistheresultof‘politicalpartiesbuildingtheirconstituenciesandpublicrelations,andpoliticianspromotingtheirpoliticalandbusinessinterests’.
Politicalpressurecanalsoimposelimitsonwhatthemediacancover.Thisraisesquestionsabouttheirindependenceandcapacitytoperformapublicinterestfunctiononpovertyreduction.CharlesMwanguhyaMpagi,deputypoliticaleditorofUganda’sDaily Monitor,saysitisnotuncommonforthegovernmentorpoliticianstocensorcoverageofstoriesthatcouldshowtheminabadlightorthreatentheirparticularinterests,andthattheyseethemediaasameanstospreadtheirownpropaganda.
Wheremediacompaniesaredirectlyownedbypoliticians,thisinterferencecanbeexplicit,whileinpublicmediacompaniesitismoresubtle.Forexample,Zambianreportersaresaidtoself-censorforfearoflosingtheirjobsiftheyarecriticalofthegovernment.Iftheydonotcensorthemselves,theireditorsmaydoso.44Insomecountries,journalistsalsohavetoensuretheirstoriescomplywiththeofficialsecretsact,whichwediscussinmoredetailonpage33.
42QuotedinGavinAndersonandOwenKibenge,Making Development Newsworthy: Getting Development into the Ugandan Mass Media,InternationalLabourOrganization/SwedishInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgency/FIT-SmallEnterpriseMediainAfrica(undated),p7
43SKafewo(2006)African Media Development Initiative: Ghana research findings and conclusions,BBCWorldServiceTrust,p19
44Accordingtoonereport,‘Averyrealprocessofself-censorshiptakesplace,withone-sidedstoriescarriedthroughifthestateisinvolvedastheprimarysourceofthestory.’SeeFBanda(2006),African Media Development Initiative: Zambia research findings and conclusions,BBCWorldServiceTrust,p24
‘Peoplehavebecomede-sensitised,andthatincludesjournalists.’
FahdHusain,editorofThe News,Pakistan,July2005
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction30
Similarly,therearevariousreportsofgovernmentsstiflingcriticaldebateintheprivatemedia,eitherbyrefusingtoawardlucrativecontractstocompaniesthatadvertiseinpapersthatarecriticalofthegovernment,orbyholdingback,revokingorthreateningnottorenewlicencestomediahouses.45
Politiciansandbureaucratshavealsobeenknowntovictimisejournalistswhoexposefaileddevelopmentprojectsandgovernmentmaladministration,andarenotaversetoexploitingweakfreedomofexpressionprovisionsorrepressivelibellawstotrytosilencejournalists.Thisexercisesadisincentivetothemediatoactasaforceforbettergovernance,forwhilejournalistsareusuallyacquitted,manymaynotwanttotakesuchrisks.
PressrestrictionsandpovertyquestionsinPakistan
In2007theeyesoftheworldturnedtoPakistanwhentheofficesofoneofthecountry’smostpopularprivateTVchannelswereattackedbypoliceaftercoveringanti-governmentprotestsbylawyerssupportingtheoustedChiefJusticeofPakistan.46Thisraisesthequestionofwhethersuchasensitiveclimate,fuelledbyhumanrightsconcerns,mightextendtostrongercoverageofpovertyreductionasarightsratherthanasocialwelfareissue.Thegovernmenthasrecognisedpovertyreductionasachallenge–bothundertheexistingPRSPandaspartofitsmedium-termexpenditureframeworkinpursuitoftheMDGs–butobservershaveclaimedthatithasprovedsensitivewhencontentiousissuessuchaslandownershipandwealthredistributionenterthepovertydebate.47
Publicbroadcasting–promotingaspaceforpovertydebate?
Inprinciple,public,non-profitbroadcastersshouldbeabletofocusondiverseinformationprovisionandpublicaffairscoverageinadditiontopopularentertainmentprogrammes.Becausetheyarefinancedfromtaxrevenues,suchbroadcastersarenotdrivenexclusivelybytheneedtowinlargeraudiencesorcaterformainstreamtastes.
Asanon-profitbroadcasterfinancedfromtaxrevenues,Zambia’sZNBCshouldbeinapositiontocoverpoverty-relatedissuesaspartofitsresponsetoawiderrangeofaudienceswithdifferentpublicinformationneeds.Nevertheless,civilsocietyobserverssuchasIvyMutwaleoftheCivilSocietyPovertyReductionNetworkclaimthatprivatestations,suchasMuviTV,airmoreprogrammeswithpoverty-relatedcontent.
Onewayforpublicbroadcasterstoaddresspoliticalinterferencecouldbebyraisingfinancethroughgovernment-regulatedlicencefees,thoughthefeasibilityofthiswouldneedtobeconsideredincountrieswherepovertyiswidespreadandinstitutionsoftenweak.Buttheabsenceofadditionalfinance,beyondthatmadeavailablefromgovernmenttaxes,isoftenaproblem.WilnaQuarmyneofGhana’sCommunityRadioNetworkclaimsthattheGhanaBroadcastingCorporation,forexample,hastomeetitsoperatingcostsbycompetingforadvertisingrevenue,whichcanputpressureonthepublicservicedimensionsofitsprogramming.
45CommentsfromSuleimanMustaphaDaudaofThe Statesman,Ghana;MartinKapende,businesseditoroftheZambia Daily Mail;andSaharAli,PanosSouthAsiacountryrepresentative,Pakistan
46http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6583695.stm
47ClaimsmadebysomeparticipantsatPanosSouthAsia’snationalroundtableonthemediaandpovertyreductionheldinIslamabad,Pakistan,on21July2005
3�
Financialandotherresourceconstraints
Themediaindustryisstillquiteyoungandunder-resourcedinmanyofthepoorestcountries.JournalistsinterviewedforthisreportandothersattendingthenationalmediaroundtablesonpovertyreductionorganisedbyPanosidentifiedalackoffinancialresourcesasakeyconstrainttostrongerreportingonpovertyreductionandrelatedissues.
In-depthreportingthatcoversawiderrangeofissuesandviewpoints,includingthoseofpoorpeople,involvesgreaterresearchandtravelcosts.Manymediacompaniesaresmallscaleandcoverlimitedpartsofacountry,withtheirreportersgenerallybasedincities,whilethemostpressingandinterestingpoverty-relatedstoriesmaybeinruralareas.Editors–particularlyatsmallernewspapersandradiostations–oftendonothavebudgetstocovertransportandaccommodationcosts,thoughthereareindicationsthatthisischanginginsomecountries.48
Toovercomethisproblem,radiostationscouldcollaboratewithlocally-basedjournalists,duetotherelativeeasewithwhichradiojournalistscanfilestoriesfromrurallocations–theyonlyneedaphoneandvoicerecorder.Fortheprintmedia,however,limitedcomputeraccessandpoorinformationandcommunicationstechnology(ICT)connectivityinruralareasmakesthismoredifficult.
Anotheroption,whichrequiresfurtherresearch,mightbefordonorsandotherbodiesinterestedinmediadevelopmenttosupportorestablishpressagencieswithlocally-basedjournalistswhocouldincludeafocusonpoverty-relatedissuesandsyndicatetheirstories.Thiscouldworkforradioorprintmedia.Existingpresssyndicatesofjournalistsexperiencedinreportingonpovertyissuesmightalsobeawaytostrengthenlocalmediacoverage.MustafaKamalMajumder,editoroftheNew Nation,tellsusthatsyndicationwasastrongerfeatureinBangladeshinthe1990sandearly2000s,allowingeditorstoeasilypickupsyndicatedstoriestomaketheirpapersmorereadableandattractive.
SomejournalistsaccompanyCSOstoruralareastocoverstories,withexpensespaidbytheCSO.Whilethisprovidesanincentiveandmaymeanthepovertystoryeventuallygetscarriedincaseswheremediahousesarepreparedtoacceptpaymentforcoverage,itcanraisenumerousquestionsaboutmediaindependenceandethics,aswellasthejournalisticworthandsustainabilityofsuchpractices.
Insomecountriestherecanbetensionswithinthemediaoverthelevelsoffinancialsupportandresourcesavailableinthecitiescomparedtosmallertownsanddistricts.InBangladesh,forexample,localjournalistsconsiderthemselvestobeunder-supportedandunder-resourcedincomparisonwiththeircounterpartsinDhaka,thecapital.Theyalsosaytheyhaveweakeraccesstoinformation,analyticalresourcesandtraining.Dhaka-basedjournalistsclaimtheircomparativelystrongerfinancialbaseneedstobemaintainediftheyaretoplayaninfluentialroleatthepoliticalcentre.49
Timeconstraints,payandeditorinterest
Lackoftimeisanothermajorconstraintonjournalists’abilitytostrengthentheircoverageofpovertyreduction.Visitingpoorcommunitiesandcontactingtheorganisationsthatworkwiththemtoexploreandtakeaccountoftheirviewscanbeverytimeconsumingincountrieswithpoorinfrastructureandtransport.Researchingastoryinanalyticaldepthalsorequiresagreaterinvestmentoftimetodevelopunderstandingoftheissues,establishcontactsandinformationsources,andsoon.Short-staffedandunder-resourcededitorsareoftenreluctanttoaffordreportersthetimerequired,particularlyinpressurednews-drivenenvironmentswherejournalistsareexpectedtocoverseveralbeatsorthemes,andwhereothersubjectsareseenasmoretopicalandattractive.
48Forexample,MartinKapende,businesseditoroftheZambia Daily Mail, indicatedthatlargernewspaperssuchastheZambia Daily Mail, The Post,andTimes of ZambiaandtheZNBCtendtobeabletocoversuchcostsnow
49ThissectionisbasedonviewsexpressedbyjournalistsduringthenationalmediaroundtableonpovertyreductionheldbyPanosSouthAsiainBangladeshon15April2007andonobservationsfromPanosSouthAsia’scountryrepresentative,SMMayeenAhmed.Localnewspapersaresaidtohaveawidercirculationbutdonotgenerateasmuchrevenueascity-basedones,whichchargehigherpricesfromtheirrelativelywealthierurbanreaders.Localpaperscomplainthatimportantlocalissuesandstoriesarenottakenupnationally,deprivingthemofnationalinfluence,thoughinresponsetheDhaka-basedpressquestionsthesuitabilityofsuchmaterialforitsparticularaudiences
Researching a story in analytical depth also requires a greater investment of time to develop understanding of the issues, establish contacts and information sources...
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction32
Journalists’payandworkingconditionsalsohaveabearing,andevengoodjournalismisnotalwaysrewardedproperly.Freelancers,knownas‘stringers’,arepaidforeachstorythatisprintedoraired.Theirmainincentive,therefore,istowritestoriesthatwillsell.Sincetheirwagedependsmoreonthenumberofstoriestheyproduceratherthanquality,stringershavenofinancialincentivetoinvesttimeinresearchwhenthereisnocertaintytheirstorieswillbebought.
Forsalariedjournalists,50someofwhommaybeonprecariousshort-termcontracts,thepressureisnottoselltheirstoriesbuttoproduceseveraladay.Asaresult,theyonlyhavetimetowritestoriesthat‘scratchthesurface’ofpovertyreduction,andrarelyhavetimetotravel.
Ifeditorscouldbeencouragedtobuypoverty-relatedstories,thenstringerswouldprobablywritethem,andsalariedreporterscouldbegiveneditorialspaceandprofessionaltimetodevotegreaterattentiontothesubject.Butprofessionaleditorsmustfirstbeconvincedoftheirtopicalrelevancetothepublic.51Theirbusinessistoboostcirculationandaudiencefigures:theywillnotprintorbroadcaststoriesfortheirownsake,howeverworthythesubjectmatterandhowevergoodthestoriesare.
Manyjournalistsareoftenfrustratedthattheirstoryideasdonotseethelightofdayasaresultoftheperceivedeffectofcommercialandpoliticalpressures,ortheperceiveddemandsofsettopicsandreportingstylesreflectingeditors’assessmentof‘whatwillsell’.Butthesearerealitiesthatbothjournalistsandthoseseekingtointerestthemediamustdealwith,emphasisingtheneedtopitchstoryideasinwaysthatwilldomoretoattracteditors.
Storyresearchandaccesstoinformation
Resourceconstraintscompoundthenotuncommonviewthatmuchreportingonpoverty-relatedissuescanlackanalyticaldepthandisoften,inthewordsofPakistanijournalistTalatHussain,‘event-based’ratherthan‘theme-based’.Thisisnotsomuchacriticismofnews-drivenreporting–acrucialjournalisticactivitythatcanhaveamajorimpactonpublicperceptionofthemes–butrecognitionthatmediacoveragecanhingeonunpredictablenewspegs.Insteadofsystematicallytrackingandhighlightingthesignificantdevelopmentsonagivenissue(suchasagovernment’snegotiationofadonorloan),priorityisoftengiventothesurfacedetailsofindividualeventsratherthandrawingpublicattentiontotheunderlyingsubstanceoftheissuesatstake.
Somejournalistsarguethatabigbarriertothestrongerstoryresearchthatsuchin-depthreportingwouldrequireisalackofinformationanddifficultiesinaccessingitwhenitisavailable.52Wethereforelookatthisproblemfirstanddiscusssomeofthereasonsforit.
Officialhurdles
Governmentsareinprincipletheprimeholdersandgeneratorsofinformationandanalysisonpoverty–forexample,throughhouseholdsurveys.However,time,resourcesandcommitmenttostrengtheningsystemsandmethodsforcollecting,collatingandpublishingdataonaregularbasishaveoftenbeeninsufficientinmanycountries.Thismeansthatavailabledataisoftenoutofdate,incomplete,inconsistentorscatteredoverseveralsourcesandlocations.
Theriseofastrongerpolicyfocusonpovertyreductioninrecentyears,however,hasledtogreaterinvestmentinresearchinitiativestogatherinformationonpoverty.Thishasincludednotjustempiricalquantitativestudies,butalsoqualitativeresearch,lookingatpoorpeople’sexperienceofpovertyanditsmultipledimensionsbeyondanarrowfocusonincome.
50Avitalpointisthatjournalistsinlow-incomecountriesareoftenpoorlypaid,andthismustinmanycaseshaveaknock-oneffectontheirskilllevels,personalmotivationandprofessionalcommitmenttostrongerreporting.Forinformationonjournalists’payinAfrica,seeBBCWorldServiceTrust(2006)African Media Development Initiative: Research Summary Report,pp136-138
51Theissueofeditors’viewsandaudienceinterestwillbetakenupagaininSection3,‘Frompovertychallengestomediasolutions’
52Forexample,KenyanjournalistsparticipatinginthenationalmediaroundtableheldbyPanosEasternAfricaon2December2006saidthatitissometimestootimeconsumingtoaccessavailableinformation,whileatothertimesitcanbewithheldbygovernmentauthorities
Journalists’ pay and working conditions also have a bearing, and even good journalism is not always rewarded properly.
33
Butevenwhensuchmaterialisavailable,thesystems,financialandhumanresourcesandpoliticalcommitmentarenotalwaysinplacetoshareiteffectively.Strategiesfordisseminatingsuchvaluableinformationareoftenweak,withinsufficientcoordinationwithinandbetweenofficialinstitutions,letalonewiththepublicoroutsideorganisations.Suchofficialcommunicationproblemsdirectlyaffectthemediaasagatekeeperofinformationandasakeycivilsocietyinterfacewiththepublic.
GovernmentprovisionofinformationtothemediaaboutthePRSPprocesshasinmanycasesbeenpoorandsporadic,withlocaljournalistsespeciallyaffected,asinthecaseofBangladesh.
‘NinetypercentofnewsroomswouldnotknowwhatPakistan’spovertyreductionstrategyisabout.Requestsforinformationfromthegovernmentareoftennotrespondedto.Thegovernmentisshy,afraidandill-preparedanditsmediamanagersarelost.’
FahdHusain,editorofThe News,Pakistan,July2005
Routinerequestsbyjournalistsforinformationcanbeaslow,laboriousprocess:theyoftenhavetomakewrittenrequeststogovernmentofficials,whichcantakeseveralweekstoprocess.Thisisnotjustthecasewithrequestsfordataonpovertyorpovertystrategies,butalsoinareassuchasbusinessandeconomics,wheredevelopmentscanhaveanimportantimpactonprospectsforpovertyreduction.
Withgrowingdiscussionoftheirpositiveornegativeimpactonpovertyreduction,internationaltraderulesandtradereformpoliciesareagoodcaseinpoint.AfricanjournaliststoldPanosthatofficialinformation-sharingandcommunicationwiththemediaontradeanddevelopmentisoftenweak,fortworeasons:alackofresources,personnelandrelevantskillsingovernmentandstatebodies;andoverlybureaucratic,politicallysensitiveorsecretivegovernments,whichconstrainlower-rankingofficialswhodealwithinformationrequests.
‘Governmentsrarelywanttotalkopenlyabouttradeagreementsthattheymayhaveenteredintoandusuallytakeadefensivestance,raisingfurthersuspicionthattheydonotwanttodisclose“sensitivestatesecrets”.’
MildredMpundu,freelancejournalist,Zambia53
Therearealsocases–forexample,inKenya,UgandaandZambia–wheregovernmentsdenyinformationrequests,sometimesemployingcolonially-inheritedofficialsecretsacts.Manyjournalistsdonothavethelegalinsightorabilitytoaffordlegalrepresentationtochallengeanofficial’srefusaltograntaccesstoinformation,buttheydostillfightforimprovedaccess.JournalistsinZambia,forexample,havemountedacampaignforaFreedomofInformationAct.54Severaljournalistsinterviewednotedthatfreedomofinformationlegislationisvitaltobindpolicymakersandofficialstoprovideinformation.
Thereare,however,signsthataccesstoofficialdataisbeginningtoimproveasinternationaldonorsgiveincreasedattentiontoevidence-basedpolicymakingandaideffectiveness,whichrelyoneffectivedatacollection.55
53PanosLondon(2007)‘Theroleofthemediainboostingpublicawarenessanddebateoftradepolicy-making’,inWTO(2007)WTO Public Forum 2006: What WTO for the XXIst Century?,p55
54Thisactisnowbeingconsideredbyparliament,althoughithasbeendelayedforaconsiderabletimeanditwilltakeaconcertedefforttoseeitthroughparliament
55Withdonorsupport,governmentsimplementingnationaldevelopmentplansorPRSPswhicharesupportedbydevelopmentassistanceareputtinginplacemechanismsanddevelopingindicatorstoregularlymonitorandreportoutcomesandimpactsonpoverty
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction34
Withthetrendtowardsprovidinggeneralbudgetsupport,donorsneedtoworkwithstatebodiestostrengthendatacollectioninordertoaccountfortheuseofaidtotheirownparliamentsandtaxpayers.
PublicsectorgovernancereformsimplementedaspartofPRSPsandNDPsfocusonimprovingthequalityandefficiencyofgovernmentdatacollectionaswellastransparencyandaccesstodata.Thisshouldfacilitateaccesstodataonpovertylevelsandpoverty-relatedindicators,aswellasonthebudgetandbudgetexecution.Forexample,Ghanaisoneofmanygovernmentstolaunchwebsitesonwhichtheypostpoverty-relatedandbudgetdata,ormakeavailableversionsoftheirPRSP.56TheZambiangovernmentisoneofseveraltakingstepstoinvolvethemediainso-calledtechnicalorsectoraladvisorygroupsaimedatbringingoutsidestakeholderopinionandexpertiseintothedevelopmentandimplementationofNDPs/PRSPs.
Pursuingandusingalternativesources
Governmentsecrecyandredtapeareoftenobstaclestoaccessinginformationbuttheyarenotnecessarilyinsurmountableforjournalistswithpersistenceandinitiative.Byformingrelationshipswithkeygovernmentofficials,journalistscangetthemtotalkofftherecordandpointtousefulsourcesofinformationandcontacts.Ofcourse,buildingtrustandrapportwithgovernmentofficialstakestime,whichisaconstraintformanyjournalists.
Intheinterestsofstorybalance,diversityanddebate,journalistscansearchforinformationfromunofficialsourcesinstead,butinmanycases,theycontinuetorelyonofficialinformation.Informerone-partypoliticalsystemsthiscouldbebecauseofthelegacyofmediacontrols,wherethestateisstillseenastheprimeandonlyallowablesource;orbecausejournalistshaveyettobecomefullyawareofthewiderrangeofalternativesourcesthatnowexistincivilsociety.57
Althoughjournaliststendtobebasedinurbanareas,theyshouldstillbeabletotrackdownalternativesourcesofinformationonpoverty.Whilethepoorestcommunitiesmaynotliveincities(althoughmanydo),CSOs,privateconsultancies,researchinstitutesanduniversitiescanprovidealternative,city-basedsourcesofinformationandanalysis.However,manyjournalistsarenotproactivelyseekingtheseout.
CSOsinmanycountriesaredevelopingmechanismstomonitorNDP/PRSPimplementation,whichgeneratecomplementaryandalternativedataoncorruption,accesstopublicservices,flowsofresources,andprogressagainstpovertyindicators.58DatafromCSOsisoftenqualitative,whichcanprovideadifferentperspectivefromthegovernment’squantitativedata.Also,withmoreCSOsengaginginadvocacyworkasopposedtoservicedelivery,theyareproducingmorein-depthanalyticalreportsonkeypolicyissuesrelevanttopovertyreduction.
Anotherimportantalternativesource,especiallywiththepromotionoftheprivatesectoraspartofeconomicgrowthstrategies,mightbethedifferentpartsofthebusinesscommunity,rangingfromlargenationalandinternationalcompaniestosmallerentrepreneurs.Theywillhavetheirowndifferentviewsof‘pro-poorgrowth’,contrastingwiththoseof,say,CSOsorgovernmentministries.Theiractivitiesalsoaffectandinvolvepoorpeople.
Privateconsultants,researchinstitutionsanduniversitiesregularlyundertakeresearchonbehalfofthegovernmentordonors.Whilesomeofthismightbeconfidential,manydonor-generatedstudiesaremadepubliconrequestoravailablefromgovernmentNDP/PRSPwebsites.Forexample,donorsareincreasinglycommissioningconsultantstocarryoutpublicexpendituretrackingsurveys,whichmonitortheflowofgovernmentresources(forexample,oneducationalorhealth-relatedsupplies),andconsumerperceptionsurveysconcerningthequalityofpublicservices.Academicsmayalsoundertaketheirownresearch.
56SeeGhana’sNationalDevelopmentPlanningCommissionwebsiteatwww.ndpc.gov.gh/
57PanosLondon(2006)Trade challenges, media challenges: strengthening trade coverage beyond the headlines,p10www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum_e/trade_challenges.pdf
58AWood(2006)Beyond data: A panorama of civil society experiences with monitoring,Cordaid,DenHaag
Government secrecy and red tape are often obstacles to accessing information but they are not necessarily insurmountable for journalists with persistence and initiative.
35
Aproblemformanyjournalistsisthat,whileCSOreportstendtoadvocategivenpositions,academicresearchstrivesforobjectivityoraguardedneutrality,coveringvarioushypothesesandmultipleargumentsincomplextermsandabstractjargon.Allofthiscanobscureitsrelevancetothepolitical,economicandsocialissuesofthedayandmayseeminaccessibletojournalists.
Butwhilethemedialiketopicalinformationthatgetstothepointandengagesanaudienceinplainlanguage–andmanyresearcherscouldmaketheirmaterialmoreaccessiblewithlittleornosacrificetoitscontent–journalistscouldalsodevelopthecriticalknowledgeandskillstheyneedtodecipherandgleaninformationfromthesecomplexsourcesandarticulatethekeypointsintopicalstoriesaimedatwiderpublicaudiences.59Often,whetherthroughtimepressure,insufficientknowledgeofissuesandpossiblesources,ortheneedforgreaterprofessionalrigour,thisexpertisecanbeweak.Atworst,somejournalistssimplyliftstoriesstraightfromsinglesourcesofready-madeinformationsuchasspeechesorpressreleases.60Trainingforjournalistsonthegatheringanduseofinformationfromdifferentsourceswouldbethereforeinvaluabletofacilitatemorein-depthreporting.
‘Theproblemisnotsomuchthelackofinformation,buttheabilitytointerpretitandputittopotentuse,targetingtherightaudiencesattherighttimeontherightissues.’
Thisweaknessingatheringinformationmeansthatthemediacanmisshighlynewsworthystoriesthatarerelevanttopovertyreduction.Forexample,debatehasbeenraginginZambiaabouttheallegedlypoorleveloftaxrevenueandroyaltypaymentsincontractsawardedtominingcompaniesduringthe1990s,especiallynowthathighcopperpricescouldboostnationalincome.Yet,asMartinKapende,businesseditoroftheZambia Daily Mail,acknowledges,itwasaUKNGO–ChristianAid–ratherthanthemediathatunearthedtheagreementsandtooktheinitiativetoplacetheminthepublicarena.However,hedidnotethatthemediaarenowlikelytodevotecoveragetotheissue.
Thechallengeofin-depthcoverageanddevelopingcriticalexpertise
Observationsabouttheshortcomingsof‘event-based’reportingarenotconfinedtomembersofthemedia:thoseinvolvedincivilsocietyactivism,policyresearchordevelopmentcommunicationhavealsovoicedconcerns,claimingthatmainstreammediareportingcanbesuperficialandfailstocapturethefullstoryorthewiderissuesatstake(seeboxonpage37).
TalatHussain,journalist,Pakistan,July2005
‘Therearelotsofpovertystories,buttheylackdepth.Statement-basedjournalismhasstuntedthedevelopmentofjournalists,whohavetoooftentakenthevalueoftheinformationforgranted.Lackinghasbeenanapproachinwhichjournalistsgoout,meetpeople,huntinformationdown,analyseitandthenwritetheirstories.’
FahdHusain,editorofThe News,Pakistan,July2005
59AshighlightedbyKenyanjournalistJohnKamau,forexample,referringtothechallengesofcoveringacomplexpoverty-relatedissuesuchasinternationaltradenegotiationsintheWTO,theabilityofthemediatointerpretcriticallydifferentsourcesofinformationandpolicyviewsbecomesevenmoreimportantwhenthecompetingpositionsarecontestedonthepoliticalstage.Asnote53,p58
60Thisisnottodismisstheimportanceandusefulnessofeffectivepackagingofinformationforjournalists,forexamplebycivilsociety,orjournalists’useofthem.Itistosuggestthatjournalistsneedtousesuchinformationmorecriticallyandalsoexploitthevalueofthewiderrangeofresourcesthatexist
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction36
Journalists,theysay,tendtofollowtheofficialagenda,ratherthanhelpshapeitthroughwiderexplorationofunderlyingissues,approachingthepeopleaffected,andpresentingdifferentsidestothedebate.Thismeanstherecanoftenbelittleportrayalofthehumanfaceofpovertyordiscussionofwhypovertyexistsandthepoliciesandmeasuresneededtoovercomeit.
Betterinformation-gatheringskillswillnotbringoptimalresultsalone;theyneedtobepartofamorein-depthapproachtocoveringstoriesthatarerelevanttopovertyreduction.Editorsandreportersneedtodevelopthematicknowledgeandcriticalskillstocoverpoverty-relatedissuesmoreeffectively.Theyoftenhavenospecifictrainingandbackgroundineconomicandsocialissues,whichimpairstheirabilitytounderstandandcovercomplexissues–eventhoserelatingtocoretopicsofinteresttothemediasuchasbusinessandeconomics.
InonestudyforPanosinZambia,forexample,79percentofjournalistsintervieweddidnotpossessasolidbackgroundineconomicandbusinessreporting,while21percentreportedhavingonlyattendedshortpost-qualificationcoursesandseminarsindevelopmentstudies,economicsandbusinessreporting.Theyadmittedtolimitedunderstandingofanumberofmainstreameconomictermsnecessaryforanalysisofeconomictrends,andsaidtheyexperienceddifficultiesininterpretingandpresentingthemtothepublic.Theyreportedconfusionaroundtherolesofdonororganisationsandaidinstitutions,aswellasaidanddevelopmentprocesses.61AsimilarstoryemergedforMozambique,62whilealackofanalyticalskillsoneconomicissuesisreportedtohavehinderedmediaexaminationofBangladesh’sPRSP.Accordingtooneeditorfromthecountry,nomorethanthreenewspapershadspecialistreporterswhocouldcriticallyexaminethedocument.63
Thereisoftenlittleincentiveforjournaliststoacquireasoundtechnicalandthematicknowledgethatwouldenablethemtowriteindepthaboutcomplexpoverty-relatedpolicyissues,manyofwhichcanbesociallyandpoliticallycontroversial.Specialisation,withtheexceptionofkeysubjects,israrelyrewarded,andjournalistswithspecialistinterestsarenotnecessarilybetterplacedtosecurejobs.
Withpovertyreductionunlikelytobecomeaspecialisttopic,policyactorssuchasCSOs,policyresearchbodies,parliamentarians,governmentofficialsanddonorsmustseekwaystoimprovetheirmethodsofinformingjournalists.Theycouldencouragethemediatoincorporatecoverageofpoverty-relatedissuesintokeybeatssuchasbusinessandeconomics.Forthistosucceed,editorswouldneedtosupportreporterswithcriticalskillstrainingandgivethemthenecessaryspacetodevelopawiderrangeofcontactsandinformationsources.
‘Themediacannotoftenaffordspecialisation,exceptonthingssuchaspolitics,sport,economicsandbusiness,andcrime.Povertyisnotseenasabeatinitself.’
MustafaKamalMajumder,editoroftheNew Nation,Bangladesh,April2007
61Asnote39
62SeePanosSouthernAfrica(2005)A case study of media coverage of trade and aid issues in Mozambique and Zambia,Lusaka
63MustafaKamalMajumder,editoroftheNew Nation,interveningatPanosSouthAsia’snationalroundtableonthemediaandpovertyreductioninBangladeshon15April2007.KnowledgeofjournalistsoutsideDhakawouldseemtobeparticularlylow.AccordingtoasurveyonmediaawarenessofthePRSPpresentedtothisevent,91percentofjournalistsoutsidethecapitalwerenotfamiliarwiththecountry’sPRSP
With poverty reduction unlikely to become a specialist topic, policy actors such as CSOs, policy research bodies, parliamentarians, government officials and donors must seek ways to improve their methods of informing journalists.
37
Todiversifyreportingandensuremorein-depthcoverage,onemediarepresentativeatPanos’roundtableinPakistanadvocatedtheneedforjournaliststodevelop‘networking’strategiestobuildlinkswithdifferentpolicyactorssoastogainbetteraccesstoawiderrangeofrelevantinformationandopinions.Thisdoesnotmeanthatthemediashouldsacrificeits‘independence’,becomingamouthpieceforparticularinterestgroupsorpositions.Instead,contactwithawiderrangeofsourceswouldbringbenefitstobothparties,withthemediamaintainingcriticaljudgement,representingandcommentingfairlyondifferentviews.64
Kenya’sConstituencyDevelopmentFund–thenewmedia‘sport’?
Kenya’sConstituencyDevelopmentFund(CDF)hasbeenpromotedasaflagshipinitiativetodecentraliseresourcesanddecision-makingtothebenefitofpovertyreduction.Butmediascrutinyofthecontroversiessurroundingitsoperationhasoftenlackeddepth,arguesYoboRutin,aregularmediacommentatoroncurrentaffairsinthecountry.
ExtensivemediareportingontheKenyangovernment’sCDFreflectsthefactthatthegovernmentpromotesitasasuccessfulexampleofdevelopmentplanninginvolvingparliamentariansandtheirconstituents.Butthemediaspotlightonpoliticiansisoftenhighlypersonalised,allowingcrucialpolicyissuestofadeintoinsignificance.Forexample:
nNovember2006:TheDaily NationreportedthattheMPforSabotiseizedthekeysofthelocalCDFofficeanddisbandeditsadministrativecommittee,accusingitoftheft.TheMPsubsequentlyhandedoutchequesandafemalecommitteememberfledasthepublicbayedforherblood.However,thearticleofferednodetailsonhowthetheftoccurredoritsimplicationsfortheoperationoftheCDF.
nFebruary2007:TVstationsreportedaconfrontationbetweenangryconstituentsandtheMPforKamukunjiovertheuseofCDFfunds.TheMParguedthatbecausetheamountwaspaltry,theCDFcommitteehadbankedittoearninterest.Thestoriesconcentratedonthealtercation,andfailedtoexaminehowtheconstituentsthoughtthefundshouldhavebeenused;whytheMPthoughtitwasapaltryamount,givenlocalpovertylevels;orhowthefundmighthavebeenusedtoreducepovertyintheconstituency.
TheseeventsofferedanopportunityforthemediatohighlightcriticalgovernanceandimplementationproblemswiththeCDF,yettheyfailedtodrawthemoutorexplainhowtheywouldaffectpovertyreductiongoals.
Themediaandgovernance:theneedforsupportinginstitutions
Journalistsmaybediscouragedfromplayingamoreactivescrutinyroleifthereislittlelikelihoodoftheofficialbodiesorprivateactorsbeingheldtoaccount.Journalistscanbreaknewsofgovernmentanddonorfailures,businessabusesornon-governmentalbadpractices,buttheyneedtobebackedupbyindependent,formalsystemsandeffectivepublicinterestinstitutionstoinvestigateanddealwiththemaccordingly.
64
ViewexpressedatPanosSouthAsia’snationalroundtableonthemediaandpovertyreductionheldinIslamabad,Pakistan,on21July2005
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction3�
Donorsarealreadyencouraginggovernmentstoestablishindependentauditofficesandjudiciariesaspartofapackageofgovernancereforms.Civilsocietyorganisationsarealsoactiveongovernanceandaccountabilityissues,andthereisgrowinginterestintheroleofparliamentsandlocalgovernments.Ideally,theroleandneedsofthemediacouldbeconsideredbytheactorsinvolvedinallthesedevelopments.
Butanyaspirationsforthemediatoplayastrongerscrutinyrolewillneedtoinvolvemuchgreaterattentiontothechallengeofdevelopingthestrongerknowledge,criticalskills,andinformation-gatheringskillscoveredinthissection.Withoutthem,independentmediareportingcouldbecompromised,asjournalists’challengestotheperformanceandpracticesofpublicandprivateactorsriskfallingpreytotheself-interestedpromptingsofgiveninterestgroupsseekingcoverageskewedintheirfavour.
Withincivilsociety,someevenarguethatthemedia,asactorstraditionallylinkedwiththeextensionofdemocraticaccountability,wouldbenefitfromastrongerandwiderunderstandingofhumanrights–economic,socialandcultural,aswellascivilandpolitical.Thisisnottosuggestthatthemediabecomehumanrightsadvocatesorexpertsthemselves,butthatthoseactiveinthisareacouldsharetipswithjournalistsastohowanunderstandingofhumanrightsdisciplinescouldhelpthemconsiderdifferentissuesinreporting.
39
Intheprevioussectionwediscussedthenumerousobstaclesthatlimitthemedia’scapacitytostimulatetheinformed,inclusivepublicdebatethatcouldmakeadistinctcontributiontopovertyreductionefforts.Inthissectionweexplorepossiblesolutionstotheseproblems,andsuggestopportunitiesthatcouldbenefitpolicyactorsandthemediaalike.
Mediaandcivilsociety:theneedforstrongerinteraction
JudgingbymanydiscussionsatPanosstakeholderroundtablesandinindividualinterviews,therearesignsthatjournalistsandCSOsarebothawarethatgreaterinteractionandunderstandingbetweenthemcouldbringmutualbenefits.BecauseCSOsoftenworkinareasinaccessibletojournalists,theyareanimportantsourceofon-the-groundinformationandanalysisonpovertyreductionissues,particularlyintheeventofanepidemic,foodcrisisordisasters.However,CSOsalsoneedtoattractandsustainmediainterestinequallyvital,iflessdramatic,povertyreductionanddevelopmentstories.
WorkingwiththemediahelpsCSOscommunicatewithaswideanaudienceaspossible.ThisdoesnotimplythatCSOsandthemediaautomaticallysharecommoninterests:indeed,goodjournalistsneedtomaintaincriticalindependencefromallinterestgroupsandpositions,whileCSOshaveeveryrighttousethemediatopromotetheirownviewsandstrongmessagestothepublic.Butdespitedifferencesofopinionandprofessionalapproaches,theycouldstilldrawmoreeffectivelyoneachother’sstrengthsintheirengagementwiththedevelopmentprocess.
From poverty challenges to media solutions Therearedividedviewsonwhether
policiesintroducedalongsidepovertyreductionstrategiesbenefiteveryone.InDaresSalaam,Tanzania,privatisationofthewaterutilitycompanyallegedlyledtosomepeoplehavingtheirdomesticdrinkingwatersupplycutoff.Reportingtheirstorywouldmaketheconnectionbetweenordinarypeopleandnationalpolicies.sven torfinn | panos pictures
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction40
Panos’nationalroundtablemeetingsonthemediaandpovertyreductionhaveindicated,however,thatinteractionandcollaborationbetweenthetwohaveoftenbeenfraughtwithdifficulty.
MembersofthemediacanbefrustratedbyaperceivedassumptiononthepartofCSOsthatthemediashouldbetheretopublicisetheirviewsorprofile,andsomejournalistscomplainthattheyaretreatedasamere‘conveyorbelt’.65Forthem,thisperceivedattitudeignoresthemedia’sprinciplesofobjectivityandindependence,andtheyresentwhattheyseeaspressuretoacceptwhattheysometimesconsidertobeCSOs’unsubstantiatedclaims,politicalrhetoricand‘givenpositions’.TheysayCSOsoftendonotunderstandtheirneedtoinvestigateandverifyviewsandallegedfacts.CSOs,ontheotherhand,oftenmistrustthemedia’scapacitytoreporttheirissuesaccuratelyorclaimthatmediacoveragereflectsasuperficialgraspofthepoliciesandissuesaffectingthesocialconstituenciestheyworkwithorrepresent.66
Beyondfinancialincentives?
Whethertheresultofrealdifferences,misunderstandingsoratendencytostereotype,theviewsthemediaandCSOsoftenholdabouteachotherlimittheemergenceofmoreproductiverelationships.TheyalsoreinforcetheproblemsassociatedwiththenotuncommonpracticeofCSOspayingformediacoverageandthemediaacceptingorexpectingsuchpayments.
IfaCSOwantstogetastorypublished,itoftenhastopayforprintspaceorairtime.JournalistJonathanAdabrefromGhana’sPublic Agenda 67thinksthisreflectstheperceptioninsomepartsofthemediathatreportingonCSOconcernsandactivitiesistantamounttoadvertisingandnotamatterofnewsworthypublicinterest.Theirstoriesarethereforechargedlikecommercialorgovernmentadvertisements.Whilethemedia’scommercialorientationisoftencriticisedbyCSOs,andthoughtheirfinancialcloutcannotbecomparedwithcommercialorgovernmentadvertisers,manyarewillingtopaytogettheirstoriespublishedifthisensurestheyarepublishedinfullandaccurately.Thisreflectsageneralmistrustofjournaliststorepresenttheirviewsfairlyandcovertheirissuesproperly.
‘Thefirstandforemostdutyofthemediaistobeadisseminatorofinformation.I’mnotaversetomediateamingupwithNGOsatthegrassroots.Butthepowerofthemediaisourpresence.Beinganon-groundactivepartnerwilllimitmedia’srole.Butusingtheirplatformtosourceinformationisdifferent.’
Individualjournalistsmayalsoexpecttobepaid–atleastenoughtomeettheirexpenses–beforetheyagreetocoverastorypromotedbyaCSO.Whilesomeeditorsandreportersconsiderthatsuchpaymentsunderminemediacredibilityandindependence,itisacommonpracticethatunderscoresthefrequentresourceproblemsinthemedia.
ManyCSOsareresource-constrainedthemselves.ButperceptionsinthemediathatsomeCSOs–especiallythosefundedbyinternationalagenciesandforeigndonorsorimplementingsocialdevelopmentcontractsawardedbythestate–areawashwithmoneycanleadtojournalistsexpectingfinancialremunerationinreturnforcoverageofcivilsocietyissues.
Giventhefrequentlylowpayandpoorconditionsofjournalists,payment-for-coveragearrangementsareacomplexandsensitivematter.Whilewhatsomehavecalledthe‘brownenvelope’culturewithinthemediaisoften
TalatHussain,directorofnewsandcurrentaffairs,AajTV,Pakistan,April2007
65ThiswasthetermusedbyonejournalistattendingPanosSouthernAfrica’snationalroundtableonthemediaandpovertyreductioninZambiaon18August2005
66OnesurveyinUganda,forexample,revealedthat75percentofdevelopmentprofessionalsviewedthemediaasunprofessional,while85percentfeltthemediacovereddevelopmentissuespoorlyandconsideredthattheyortheirorganisationshadbeenmisquotedbythemedia.SeeGAndersonandOKibenge,asnote42,p6
67Seewww.ghanaweb.com/public_agenda/index.php
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manifestedinitsdealingswithmorefinanciallypowerfulcommercialandpoliticalsectors,itseffectsonrelationswithcivilsocietycanalsobedamagingandconfusing,ifnotnecessarilyforthesamereasons.Boththemediaandcivilsocietyhaveaninterestinaddressingthisproblem.Aswellastheethicalquestionsraised,coverage-for-paymentsolutions,saysomeanalysts,68harmtheprospectsofsustainable,independentjournalismthatisinthelonger-terminterestsofthemediaandthedevelopmentsector.Suchpaymentsreorientjournalists’attentiontofinancialincentivesratherthannewsworthinessortopicalrelevanceofproposedstories.Similarly,CSOs’purchaseofeditorialspaceorairtimereducestheeditorialinvolvementofreporters,whomaydoubtthejournalisticworthandimpactoftheitemscarried.
Mutualunderstanding,respectandbenefits
WhenCSOsandjournalistsformtrustingandeffectiveworkingrelations,thevalueeachseesintheothercanquicklytransformtherelationship.Forexample,Ghana’sSENDFoundation69andZambia’sCivilSocietyforPovertyReductionnetwork(CSPR)70havebothmadeextensiveeffortstobuildrelationshipswithjournalists,whichhavepaidoffintermsofgettingconsiderablymoremediacoverageoftheirissues(seeboxonpage44).Journalistslookingforcommentsonbreakingstorieswilloftencallthem,andtheyfeedstoriestojournalistswithoutnecessarilyhavingtopay.
IfthemediaandCSOsaretobuildmoreconstructiverelationships,assumptions,behaviourandprofessionalapproachneedtochangeonbothsides,witheachrecognisingthestrengths,weaknessesanddistinctiverolesoftheother,andaddressingitsownshortcomings.ThefirststepmayoftenneedtobetakenbyCSOs,reflectingthefactthattheyneedthemediamorethanthemedianeedthem.
CSOsshouldproduceresourcestailoredspecificallyformediaconsumption.CSOsoftencriticisethemediaforsupposedindifferenceorsloppyjournalism,butthisisoftenbecausejournalistslackknowledgeoftheissuesorhavenotreceivedsupporttodevelopthecriticalskillstheyneedtocoverthemeffectively.Journalistswhodohavecommitmentandexpertiseoftencomplainthat,whilesomeCSOsareavaluablesourceofinformationandanalysis,thisoftendoesnotcomeinaformtheycaneasilydigestanduse.TheysayCSOsusejargonthatfewjournalistsarefamiliarwithorover-burdenthemwithlengthydocumentswhosekeypointsarenotwellpresentedandimmediatelyclear.
Thissuggeststhatwhilejournalistscouldoftenbenefitfromsiftingthroughresourcestoextractvaluableinformationandanalyticalinsights,manyCSOsaremakingthismuchharderforthemthanitshouldbe.CSOscouldattractthemediamoreinformativelyandfacilitatestrongerreportingonkeyissuesbyproducingbriefingsthatguidejournaliststhroughtheterminology,policyprocessesandissues,highlightingthepotentiallyrelevantanglestheycouldcover.CSOpressreleases,journalistssay,canlackkeyfactsandthesalientnewsworthypoints,andtheorganisationofpressconferencesisoftennottailoredtothemedia’sneeds.CSOsneedtoissueshorterstatementswithclear,succinctpointsandrecommendationsandsharp,pithysoundbites.71
AfrequentlackofknowledgeofhowbesttopackageanalysisandmaterialsforthemediaissymptomaticofthefactthatadvocacyisstillarelativelynewroleformanyCSOsinlow-incomecountries.Manydonotyetunderstandthepracticalneedsofjournalists,theprofessionalpressuresandconstraintstheyoperateunder,ortheoverallopportunitiesandlimitationsofworkingwiththemedia.
68ThepointsmadeheredrawextensivelyonAndersonandKibenge(asnote42),whoarguethatthemedianeedstobenurturedas‘anindependentplatformforanalysisanddebateandnotasapaidmessengerofdevelopmentinformation’
69Seewww.sendfoundation.org/index.asp
70Seewww.cspr.org.zm/index.html
71AndersonandKibenge(asnote42)p12.TheauthorsnotethatinonesurveyinUganda,80percentofjournalistsstatedthatfewpressreleasesfromdevelopmentagenciesandNGOswerenewsworthy,ratingthemastheleastnewsworthysourceaftergovernment,politiciansandprivatecompanies.Thismayofcourseindicateamediapreferenceforusingtheseothersources,butitalsosuggeststhatdevelopmentNGOsandotherCSOsoftenhaveweakmediarelationscapacity
CSOs should produce resources tailored specifically for media consumption. CSOs often criticise the media for supposed indifference or sloppy journalism, but this is often because journalists lack knowledge of the issues or have not received support to develop the critical skills they need to cover them effectively.
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction42
CSOscanalsogetthetimingwrongintheirinteractionswiththemedia.AlackofawarenessofmediadeadlinesmaymeanthatCSOsschedulepressconferencesorissuepressreleasesatinappropriatetimes.Theymayalsofailtotimethereleaseofareport,forexample,tocoincidewithanationalorinternationaleventthatthemediacanlinkthereportto.
CSOsurgentlyneedtoinvestinmoresophisticatedwaysofinteractingwiththemedia.Theshort-term‘solution’ofpayingforcoverageseemstobeunderthreat–forexample,WarrenNyamugasirafromUganda’sNGOForumsaysthatsomeradiostationsarenowmuchlesswillingtoairsuchpaidprogrammesbecausetheycanearnmorefromcommercialadvertising.
SupportforCSOmediaskills
OnepossibleconclusionfromthisanalysisisthatinternationalNGOsanddonorsshouldconsiderdevotingmoreattentionandresourcestobuildingnationalCSOs’mediaandcommunicationscapacitytocomplementtheirgrowingadvocacyandpolicyresearch.CSOswouldthenbeabletoprovidejournalistswithwhattheyneedtocoverissuessuchaspovertyreduction,inturnunderminingthedistortingeffectoffinancialincentivesonthemediaagenda.
WhilethemedianeedtotaketheinitiativeinapproachingCSOsfortheiranalysisandpointsofview,CSOsneedtoeducatethemediaaboutwhytheirissuesareimportantandtocultivateindividualrelationshipswithjournalists.Workshops,iforganisedwellandinwaysrelevanttojournalists,mayprovideanimportantspacetoraisetheirawarenessofpressingpovertyissuesandhowtheyconnectwiththeirdailyreportingconcerns,aswellasusefulopportunitiesforjournaliststomeetandcultivatecontactswithCSOsandpolicymakers.Butsucheventshaveoftenbeencriticisedonbothsides.72AtPanosSouthAsia’sroundtableonthemediaandpovertyreductioninBangladeshinApril2007,HassanShahriah,executiveeditoroftheDaily Ittefaqnewspaper,oneofnumerouseditorstoattend,complainedthatmanycivilsocietyeventsinhisexperiencehadtendedtotalk‘at’themediaandalienatejournalistsbyshowinglittlepracticalunderstandingoftheirprofessionalroleandinterests.Asaresult,hehadnotfoundthemusefulandadvocatedtheneedforthemediatosetuptheirowntrainingeventstodevelopexpertiseincoveringdevelopmentissues.
Journalistshaveoftenexpressedadesiretomovebeyondthe‘workshopculture’todevelopagreaterunderstandingofissuesaffectingpeopleonthegroundandcoverthepoliticsoftheseissues.CSOsshouldconsiderthisindevelopinganewapproachtothemedia.
Politics,civilsocietyandattractingthemedia
Themedia,fortheirpart,mayneedtotakestrongeraccountofthediversityoftheCSOsectorandtailortheirapproachaccordingly.CSOsarefarfromhomogeneous,eitherinidentityandstructure,missionandpoliticalorientation,financialhealth,ordegreeofsociallegitimacy.Community-basedorganisationsandnationalsocialmovements,whilemember-based,mayhavedifferentperspectivesandstylesofwork.TheethosandpracticalapproachofgrassrootssupportNGOslinkedtopoorpeopleandtheirorganisationsmaydifferfromthoseofurban-basedNGOscomprisedofprofessionals.
Clarityandunderstandingbetweenthetwosidesareparticularlyimportantwhenitcomestotheirrespectiveinterestsinmediacoverageofmorepoliticalissues.Indeed,CSOsvaryconsiderablyinpoliticalterms.Theycan:
nconsiderthemselvestotallyindependentofgovernmentandpartypolitics
nbetightlyalliedtoaparticularpoliticalperspective
72AndersonandKibenge(asnote42,p15)claimthat,inUganda,suchevents,whilevaluablewhenorganisedwell,toooftenlackclearobjectivesandfailtomeetjournalists’needs,andthatgoodmediaprofessionalsarealsoputoffbythefrequentpresenceof‘non-serious’journalistsattendingfor‘freelunches’
Journalists have often expressed a desire to move beyond the ‘workshop culture’ to develop a greater understanding of issues affecting people on the ground and cover the politics of these issues. CSOs should consider this in developing a new approach to the media.
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nworkcloselywiththegrassrootsindevelopmentsupportactivitiesandservicedelivery,andsometimescombinethiswithadvocacyandcampaigning
nconcentrateonmonitoringandlobbyinggovernments,throughresearch,advocacyandpubliccampaigns.
MediainsidersarguethatCSOsneedtobebolder,clearerormorecriticalintheirstatements.JonathanAdabre,fromGhana’sPublic Agenda,forexample,arguesthatreportingondevelopmentissuessuchaspovertyreductionislessattractivewhenCSOs‘arenotcreatingcivicoutrageandgeneratingcontroversy’.
ForMustafaKamalMajumder,editorofBangladesh’sNew Nation,theissueislessoneofCSOsfailingtocourtattentionthandisappointment,inhisview,thattheycanbetoocautious:‘Whilethemediacanbedaring,NGOscansometimeslackcourage.WeoncecarriedatougharticlecriticisingpoliciesonHIV/AIDS,butthestatementputoutbytheNGOsdidnotmatchthecriticaledgeofourpiece.Theyweremorecautious.’
ButwhileCSOsmayneedtoconsiderinjectinggreaterpolitical(butnotpartypolitical)spiceintotheirstatementstoengagethemedia,thiscanbetricky.SomecampaigningCSOsmayrightlywishtoprovokecontroversytosharpenpoliticaldebate.ButthisapproachisnotnecessarilyintheinterestsofCSOspreferringconstructive,ifcritical,engagementwithpolicymakers.
CSOshaveeveryrighttosteeracarefulcoursethroughchoppypartypoliticalwatersandmaybewisetodoso.Manydonotwanttobelabelledeitherpro-oranti-governmenttopreventbeingdismissedasbiased,orbecomingvulnerabletoofficialreprisalsorpoliticalmanipulation.However,skilledCSOsshouldbeabletoprovidejournalistswithsharppoliticalinsights,withoutnecessarilyresortingtocontroversialtacticsasabasisformediastories.
CSOsinvolvedinadvocacyandcampaigningareparticularlyrelevanttothemedia’sconcernwithpolitics.Buteveninthiscase,theirrolesmaydiffer,andsomeorganisationscancombineseveralwithintheirownstructure.Theseincludecampaigning,actingasagovernmentwatchdog,orformulatingandpromotingpolicyproposalsanddialoguewithdecision-makers.So,justasthemediamaywishtoconsiderwhichaspectsofcivilsocietyworkitismostlikelytosourcestoriesfrom,CSOsmayneedtobeclearerabouthowtheirobjectivesandactivitiescanbestattractdifferentjournalistsinordertoengagekeytargetaudiencesatdifferentlevels.
Whatevertheapproach,themediadoneedclearandnewsworthyinformationtoworkwith.AsJonathanAdabrepointsout:‘Nobodydiscussesneutralissues.’HerecommendsthatCSOsbe‘objectiveintheirreports,butcriticalintheirPR’.
BeyondCSOs,otherpolicyactorsandstakeholders–parliamentarians,businessgroups,consultants,academicsandgovernmentofficials–alsoneedtobuildrelationshipswiththemedia.Theirdifferentperspectives,informationandanalysiswillallowthemediatocompletetheir‘politicalpicture’andprovidebalanceanddiversityofcoverage.
Beyond CSOs, other policy actors and stakeholders – parliamentarians, business groups, consultants, academics and government officials – also need to build relationships with the media.
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction44
Makingrelationswiththemediawork:theexperienceofZambia’sCivilSocietyforPovertyReductionnetwork
ForjournalistsinZambia,theCSPRnetworkisavitalsourceofalternative,reliablefactualanalysisandinformedopinionandtheyregularlycontactthenetworkforcomment.CSPRnurturesthispositiveworkingrelationshipwiththemediathroughannualinteractionmeetings.
Thefirstannualmeetinginvolvedaseriesofshortworkshopswithtwoaims:toinformjournalistsabouttheissuesCSPRanditsmembersworkon,andtolearnaboutjournalists’needs.IvyMutwaleofCSPRbelievesthattoengagethemedia,CSOsneedtoexplainthesignificanceoftheirworkandconveytheirpassiontojournalists.‘Thefirstprioritymustbetohelpthemediatounderstandwhatyourorganisationisabout,’shesays.‘Thatdoesnotmeanwhotheorganisationis,butwhatitworkson.Whatisimportantisthattheissuesarediscussed,notwhoCSPRis.’
TheannualmeetingsupdatejournalistsonCSPR’swork,highlightingandadvisingthemonimportantup-comingissues.Forexample,in2006CSPRproducedatime-lineforjournaliststofollowthedevelopmentoftheFifthNationalDevelopmentPlan(NDP).CSPRalsohelpsjournalistsidentifypovertyanglesintheirpoliticalstories.
In2007meetingslookedathowtoinvolveprovincialradiostations.Followingfeedbackfromjournalists,CSPRalsotookthemtovisitoneofitspovertymonitoringsitesinruralLusakasothattheycouldspeakdirectlywithpoorpeople.Theresultwasextensivemediacoverage,whichraisedpublicdebateintheletterscolumnofonenewspaperontheroleofthelocalmemberofparliament.
CSPRhasalsousedtheannualmeetingstolearnmoreaboutthemedia’sneeds,andhasrespondedtomediafeedback–forexample,bysettingupanemaillisttoinformjournalistsofnewreports.CSPRalsoencouragesjournaliststocallatanytime,andseveraldo–thenetworkdealsdirectlywithgeneralpovertyissues,whilespecificissuesarefieldedtoitsmemberswiththemostknowledge.CSPR’spolicyisnottocommentonissuesonwhichtheyarenotconversant,andthatallcommentsshouldbeevidence-based.
Atfirst,journalistsputpressureonCSPRtocomeupwithcommentsimmediately.However,theyhavelearnedtoacceptthatCSPRneedstimetoformulatethem,justasCSPRhaslearnedhowandwhentoissuepressreleasesandhowtopackagereportsforjournalists.CSPRcannowgetashortnewsarticlepublishedthenextday,oftenwithalongerfollow-uparticle.
IvyandotherCSPRstaffhavebeenabletobuildrelationshipswithjournalistsandnowunderstandhowtheywork.Thisefforthaspaidoff:CSPRonlypaysforastoryifitwantsittobepublishedinfull,whilestaffmembersareregularlyinvitedontoradioandTVprogrammestoprovideanalysisandalternativeideas.
Ivyperceivesagrowinginterestinthemediatoholdthegovernmenttoaccount,‘aslongastheydon’thavetodotheresearchthemselves’.ACSPRpressreleasetimedwiththelaunchoftheNDPpointedtotheneedtomonitoritsimplementation;themedianowawaitCSPR’sreportsonwhetherthebudgetandNDParealignedwithpovertyreductionobjectives.
The first priority must be to help the media to understand what your organisation is about.
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Exploringeditors’viewsandaudienceinterests
Muchcanbedonetoraiseindividualjournalists’awarenessofpovertyreductionissuesandthesignificantopportunitiesforstoriestheyprovide,includingworkshops,informationmaterialsandspecifictrainingongiventhemes.73However,formoreeffectivesustainableprogresstobemade,therehastobeinterestandcommitmentfrommediaownersandeditors.74
TheSENDFoundationinGhana,despiteprogressinworkingrelationswiththemedia,hasobservedthatsimplyraisingjournalists’awarenessoftheissuesofhowandwheretolocatedataandwhotocontactdoesnotnecessarilymeanthattheywillalwaysundertakeorsustainmorein-depthjournalism.Resourceandprofessionalsupportproblemscontinuetooutweightheshort-termbenefitsofsuchtraining.So,althoughjournalistsmaybemorewillingtocoverpoverty-relatedissues,currentprofessionalcircumstancesdictatethatCSOsandothersmayinmanycasesstillhavetotrackdownandanalysetheinformationforthem.
Thisbegsthequestionofwhethermedialeadersandmanagersarepreparedtoinvestinovercomingtheofteninter-relatedstructuralproblems.Panosdiscussionswithindividualeditorssuggestthat,althoughtheyoftenrecognisetheimportanceofpovertyreductionasapublicpolicyissue,theproblemoftenboilsdowntowhetherthesubjectcanberealisticallytreatedasaspecialistsubject,andwhetheritcanengagepublicaudiences.Withoutaudiences,mediaownersandeditorswillbedisinclinedtodevoteresources,professionalsupportandeditorialspace.Theyneedthemtosurviveandgrowcommercially.
Oneimportantprioritythereforemustbetolistentotheviewsofeditors–asprofessionalinformationgatekeeperslinkingmediahouses,journalistsandthepublic–ofwhattheyconsidertobetheconstraintsandopportunitiesforgreaterandstrongercoverageofpolicyissuesrelevanttopovertyreduction.Theirviewsofhowthischallengecanbestbemetmustbeanimportantstartingpointforcontinueddialogue.
Studiesonaudiences’interests,wherenecessary,mightbeonewayoffindingoutwhether,howandonwhatissuesdifferentpolicyactorsandjournalistscouldpitchstoriesandfindnewanglestoattractandengagedifferentpartsofthepublic.However,gatheringandassessingsuchfeedbackisachallenge,andmanymediahousesinthepoorestcountriesmaynotseethisasaprioritybecauseofdailydeadlinepressuresandthecostsinvolved.75But,giventheimportanceof‘publicdemand’forbothpolicyactorsandthemediaalike,itisataskthatcannotbeentirelyoverlooked,especiallyinthelightofchangingsocialstructuresandpublictastesaswellastheuncertaintiesandrapidshiftswithinthemediaindustryitself.76
Pitchingandcraftingengagingstories
Mediaownersandeditorsmaybeencouragedtoimproveresources,trainingandotherformsofprofessionalsupportiftheyarepresentedwithclearerandstrongerideasforgoodpovertystories.Oneproblemisthatpovertyhasmainlybeenseenasanissueofsocialorhumanitarianneed,andlessasa‘political’issuethatthepolicyprocesscouldhelpaddress.
Whensuchlinksaremadeinaskilfulway–eitherbyorforthemedia–thepotentialforattractivestoriesseemstoemerge,especiallywhenthemediahavenewfacts,insights,eventsorground-breakingpolicydevelopmentstocover.Forexample,aninitiativeinvolvingeditorsinKenyatoraisepublicdebateofinequalitythroughcoverageofitsfactualrealitiespersuadedthemthatsuchstorieswouldfindareceptiveaudience.Farfrombeingun-newsworthy,thecoveragerepeatedlycaptivatedthepublic(seeboxonthenextpage).
73DeputypoliticaleditorCharlesMwanguhyaMpagiofUganda’sDaily Monitor mentionedjournalists’clubsasamoreinformalwayofinfluencingandhelpingtochangejournalists’attitudes.PanosEasternAfricahostsmonthlymeetingsforjournalistswhichprovideanopportunityforthemtoreflectonparticularissues,suchasHIV,andoncurrentissueswithinthemedia
74AsdiscussedbyjournalistsatPanosSouthernAfrica’snationalroundtableinMozambiqueonthemediaandpovertyreductionon4December2006.Inapositivemove,some14editorsattendedaspecificfollow-upconsultationtoexplorethepracticalstepsneededtosupportsuchacommitment
75Asnotedonpage29andinnote42,reportingstrongaudienceinterestingreatercoverageofdevelopmentissuesinUgandaandactivepublicresponsestopovertycrisesinBangladesh,itispossiblethatpublicinterestinpovertyreductioncoveragemaybehigherthanimagined,thoughmuchwiderresearchwouldbeneededindifferentcountriestoverifythisandtogaugeaccuratelywhatkindsofcoveragewouldmostattractandengagedifferentpublicaudiences.Commercialpressuresmayinanycaseaffecttheextenttowhichanysuchpotentialinterestismetbycoverage.AccordingtoaPanosEasternAfricareportofamediaworkshopheldinMukono,Uganda,in2004,forexample,severaleditorsvoicedconcernthatgreaterreportingofdevelopmentissueswashamperedbymediaowners’allegedinsistenceoncovering‘onlywhatsells’
76MartinKapende,businesseditoroftheZambia Daily Mail,reportsthatanewpublication,Zambian Analysis,didasurveyontheneedforin-depthanalyticalnewsforthebusinesssector,withthefindingsconfirmingtheexistenceofaudiencedemandinthiscase
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Makingheadlines,sparkingdebate
PovertyissueshaverecentlymadethenewsinKenya.JournalistRosemaryOkelloOrlale,executivedirectoroftheAfricanWomanandChildFeatureService(AWC),describeshowherorganisationworkedwitheditorstoharnessthepowerofthemediabehindanationalcampaignonthethornyissueofinequalityinthecountry.
DespitebeingthemostunequalcountryineastAfrica,thefifthmostdisparateinAfricaandthetenthglobally,equitywasoneoftheleasttalkedaboutsubjectsinKenya.Thischangedwiththereleaseofa2004studybackedbytheSwedishInternationalDevelopmentAgency(SIDA)andthenationalgovernment,77whichhighlightedthegapbetweenrichandpoorandshowedthatpowerandeconomicwealthlieinthehandsofonlyafewKenyans.Itrevealedhugedisparitiesinsocietybetweensexes,regionsandclasses.
Thereport–theresultoftheRichandPoorProject(RAPP)78–provokedintensemediadebate,aspartofagovernmentanddonorcampaigntoinitiateandencouragenationaldialogueoninequality.Theinequalitydebateisalsoonethemediacannotaffordtoignore:avibrantmediaindustrycannotthriveinalargelypoorandilliterateenvironment.
Arguingthatthemedianeededtobeacrucialcomponentofthecampaign,RAPPpartnerAWCdevelopedastrategytobringthemonboard.Thisincludedsensitisationworkshopstoinfluenceeditorialthinkingabouthowinequalityissuesshouldbereported,andtostrengthenjournalists’reporting,analysisandinvestigationskills.Italsofocusedonhowthemediacouldengagethepublicindebatesthroughtalkshows,featuresandTVdocumentaries.
Toengagetheinterestandsupportofeditors,AWCarguedthatordinarypeopleweretiredoftheauthoritativevoiceofcentralgovernmentonissuesthataffectedthemandthattherewasaneedtofocusmoreonlocalstrategiesandinspiringstories.ThisdialoguewitheditorssawtheNationalEditorsGuildcommittocreatingspaceforsuchnews.
Backedwithsolidtraining,regularbriefings,asupplyofinformation,andmeasurestoincludecommunityvoices,RAPPledtogoodmediacoverageovertwoyears.Theimpactwasimmense,culminatinginanationalconferenceonequityandgrowthinMay2006.79Thisbroughttogethergovernment,policymakers,civilsocietyanddonorstakeholders,andendedwithexpressionsofgovernmentcommitmenttotackleinequality.Themediacoveragehelpedchangepublicawarenessofpovertyandinequality–peoplearenowawarethatthegovernmenthasthepowertochangethesituation,andaredemandingaccountability.
Althoughinequalityhasbecomepartofthemedia’slanguage,theprojecthighlightedtheneedforcontinuousdialoguewitheditorsandreporterstoensurethatcoverageofinequalityissuesdoesnotbecomeevent-driven,butratherpartofweeklyprogrammecontent,planningandpolicy,withreportersgivenmorespacetoreportonthem.Expertscouldalsobeidentifiedascommentarywriters.
77SocietyforInternationalDevelopment(SID)etal(2004),Pulling Apart: Facts and Figures on Inequality in Kenya,Nairobi,http://www.sidint.org/files/report/pulling-apart%5B1%5D.pdf
78The‘RichandPoor:NationalDiscoursesonPoverty,Inequality,andGrowth’project(RAPP)wasimplementedjointlybySID,theMinistryofPlanningandNationaldevelopment,andSIDA
79SeeSIDetal(2006)Report of the national conference on equity and growth: Towards a policy agenda for Kenya
47
Corebeatsandmainstreaming
Oneapproachistoencourageandsupportjournaliststomakepovertyreductionpartofthesubjectstheyalreadyhavetocoveraskey‘beats’.
Onesuchbeatispolitics.Admittedly,mainstreamingpovertyincoverageofthissubjectisnotstraightforwardintermsofitsnationwideapplicabilityasanapproach.FeedbackfromjournalistsattendingPanosworkshops,forexample,indicatesthatitmaybemoreeffectiveforcapital-basededitorsandjournalists,whoperceivetheiraudiencesaswantingpoliticalstories,ratherthanforlocally-basedjournaliststraditionallymoreconcernedwithcoveringsocialdevelopmentissuessuchaspoverty.80
Mainstreaming,aswellasbeggingthequestionofwhetherlocalmediacoverageofpovertyreductioncouldbegivenasharperpolicyfocusandlinkedmorestronglywithnationalpoliticalissues,willrequirecapital-basededitorsandjournaliststoconsideradoptingawiderandmoreopenapproachtotheirpoliticalcoverage,givendominantreportingstyles.CharlesMwanguhyaMpagifromUganda’sDaily Monitorsaysthatthemediaconcentrateonelitepoliticsandpoliticalfigures,sowhilebuildinginafocusonthepoliticsofpovertyreductionmightbepossible,itwillalsobeachallenge.Effortstointerestjournalists,editorsandmediaownersinthisapproachwillneedtoshowinpracticehowitcouldbepartofstronger,better-qualitypublicinterestreportingofnationalpolitics.
Makingpovertyreductionpartofawiderapproachtopoliticalcoveragewouldrequireamoreanalyticalandinvestigativeapproach,withjournalistsbeinglessacceptingofset-piecestatementsandformalpositionsfromallactorsseekingtoshapepolicy.Buttherearestrongopportunities.Forexample,humanrightsandgovernanceissues–particularlycorruption–arenotjustrelevanttopovertyreductionbutofwiderconcerntobothmediaandpublic.
Andaspartofconcernwithgovernance,crimeandpublicsecurityissuesfeatureinsomePRSPs,asinKenya,sotheremaybeopportunitiesforpromotingastrongerpovertyfocusinmediacoverageofthesesubjects.Indeed,theyarepartofakeymedia‘beat’andofpotentialinteresttoawiderangeofaudiences.Buttoexplorecrime-povertylinkswell,arguesKenyansocialscientistJamesMaende,themediawouldneedtotakeamoreanalyticalapproachthanhefeelstheydoatpresent,drawingonresearchandtheeffectivesupportofresearchersinvolvedinthisarea.
Parliamentaryreportingisanothermediastaple.PolicyactorssuchasCSOsorparliamentarianscouldbringtothemedia’sattentiontipoftheicebergexamplesofhowdevelopments,policiesanddecisionsinthisareaaffectthepeopletheyseektorepresent,particularlyiftheyarealreadyamatteroftopicalinterestforthemedia.
Meanwhile,povertyreductioncouldalsobeintegratedintoexistingreportingofbusinessandeconomics,giventheirvitalbearingoncountries’nationaldevelopmentprospects.Thechallengehere,assuchreportingistypicallyorientedtobusinessleadersandmore‘technical’policymakers,istoencourageastrongerfocusontherelevanceofthepolicyissuesatstakeforthewiderpublicandpoorpeopleinparticular.81
80PanosEasternAfrica,forexample,reportsthatitsworkwiththeUgandanmediatostimulatecommunicationanddebateonpovertyreductionwasmoresuccessfulinvolumeandimpactwithlocally-basedmediaoutletsthanwiththeKampala-basednationalmedia
81Fordiscussionofthischallengeinthecaseofinternationaltrade,seePanosLondon’s2006workingpaper(asnote57)andthepaneldebateheldbyPanosLondonattheWTOin2006withjournalistsfromReutersandAfrica(seenote53)
‘Thereisahugemarketforholdingthegovernmenttoaccountifitisdonewell.Forexample,corruptionstoriescanbemademoreinterestingiftheamountpocketedcanbesetintermsofhowmanychildrenwon’tgotoschoolorhowmuchroadremainsunpaved.’
AbdulahiBori,journalist,UgandaRadioNetwork,February2007
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction4�
‘Whenpoliciesoninternationaltradearerelatedtolocalissues,theybecomeveryinteresting.Tradecreatesemploymentandinvestmentandcanaffectdiplomaticrelations,soit’sanimportantissuefortheNew Nationtocover.It’sasaresultofdecisionsontradethatnationslikeBangladeshprogressorperish.’
Policyactorscandomuchtohelpthemediatakethisapproach,basedonthekeyissuesandpossiblestoriesarisingfromtheirdailyexperience.CSOsareactiveonthesocialeffectsofeconomicpoliciesandbusinessactivity.Governmentsandinternationalinstitutionssaytheyaresupporting‘pro-poor’growthpoliciesandprogrammes.Theycanallbenefitfromworkingwiththemedia.Governmentofficials,forexample,mayfindthatitcanhelpthemexplaintheirpositionsanddecisionstothepublic,orgettheirmessageacrosswhentheyareinvolvedinnegotiationsofinternationaltradeandinvestmentagreements.
Importanceofthehumanangleandinclusionof‘voice’
Itisalsoimportanttohighlightthehumandimensionsofpolicydecision-makingandimplementation.ThisisparticularlytruewhenitcomestothemediacoveringPRSPsornationaldevelopmentplans.Whilemorecouldbedonetopromotemediainterestinthepoliticsofdecision-making,narrowdescriptivecoverageoftheinstitutionalmechanicsofPRSPprocessesisonlylikelytointerestselectaudiences.Focusingonpeoplebringsoutmorevividlytheissuesforthepublicandtheirconsequencesforpoorpeople.Itcanalsohelpbringtolifeaccountabilityquestions–whether,howandtowhatextentgovernmentandinternationaldonorpoliciesarelikelytobebeneficialordamaging.
Thisisparticularlyimportantinthecaseofcomplexeconomicpolicydecisions,which,whileostensiblytechnical,ofteninvolveheatedpoliticaldebateandaffectthedailylivesofpoorpeople.AspolicyspecialistRashidaDohadoftheAsiaFoundationinPakistansays:‘CoveringhighinflationanditsimpactonhouseholdexpendituremightbemoreeffectivethanconcentratingonthesomewhataridandabstractissueofhowthePRSPrelatestotheMTEF[MediumTermExpenditureFramework].’
MustafaKamalMajumder,editorofthe New Nation,Bangladesh,17April2007
‘We[journalists]mustlocalisethestoriesbygivingthemahumanface.Wehavetolearnthatpovertyisreal.Itisnotaboutstatistics.Itisaboutpeople,living,walkingandsurviving.Itisthesepeoplewehavetoreportabout…telling[readers]aboutwhatishappeninginaworldtheydonotknow.’
Thehumaninterestangleisalsovitalbecauseithelpsbringintoreliefthecomplex,multi-dimensionalnatureofpovertythatisachallengeforjournaliststowriteabout.Someeditorssuggestthat,toattractaudiences,humanstoriesontheharshrealitiesofpovertymustbringinnewinsightsandangles.Thesemightincludefeaturesthatcoverpositivechangesinpeople’slivesaswellashard-hittingaccountsofstrugglesagainstdeprivation–forexample,astreetchildwhotransformshislifeandgetsoffthestreets.
JohnKamau,journalist,Kenya82
82Seenote53,pp56-57
49
InPakistan,The News,undertheeditorshipofFahdHusain,carriedadailycolumnonthelivesandexperiencesofpoorerpeople,andthisapproachwasalsoadoptedbyThe Daily Times.FahdHusainsaysthesestories,aswellasbeingfascinatinginthemselves,oftenledthereadertothinkaboutthewiderissues.The Newshiredajournalisttoworkexclusivelyonstoriesforthiscolumn.
Somejournalistsarguethatwhilestoriesonpovertyreductionmayoftenbefeatures,coverageoftheissueshouldideallyincludemorenewsitems,usingpictureswherepossibletoconveytheissues.Goingastepfurther,Uganda’sDaily Monitorregularlyhasfront-pageeditorialswhichfocusonpoverty-relatedissuesandareintendedtoraisedebate.
Instrivingtoincludestrongerhumananglesintheirstories,themediacouldbeencouragedbyCSOsinvolvedingrassrootscommunitydevelopmentandlocaladvocacytotakeadvantageofthecommunicationmethodsthattheyandcommunitiesusetoprovideanoutletforpoorpeople’sviews.
Forexample,Panoshasfoundthatoraltestimoniescannotonlybeapowerfulvehicleforcommunicationbypoorpeoplethemselves,butalsosensitisethemediaandprovidevaluableinformationthatjournalistscanusetoconsiderableeffectinstories.Indeed,mediacoverageofissuesrevealedintestimoniescanamplifypoorpeople’svoices,maximisingtheirpotentialforwiderimpactoutsidethecommunities,forexample,amonglocalpower-holdersandnationalpolicymakers(seeAppendix1,‘Non-mediacommunication,journalistsandamplifyingpoorpeople’svoices’,givinganaccountofuseofPanos-supportedoraltestimoniesbycommunityradioinGhanaandthemainstreammassmediainPakistan).
Medialeadershipanddevelopingprofessionalexpertise
Forpovertyreductiontobecomeagreaterpartofroutinereportingonsubjectslikepoliticsandeconomics,journalistsmayneedmoretimeandspacetodevelopandmaintainspecificknowledgeoftheissues,debatesandlinks.Butasfarastrainingisconcerned,thekeyjournalisticskillsneeded–criticalanalysis,cultivatingcontacts,identifyingsourcesofinformation,bringingoutthepublicinterestangle–areinmanywaysnodifferentfromthoserequiredtocoveranyothercomplextopic.
Thereisthereforenoreasonwhydevelopmentofsuchskillsandtheirapplicationtopovertyreductioncoverageshouldbeanexcessiveburden.Theissueislesstodowiththespecifictrainingonthissubject,thanonthelevelandqualityoftraininggenerallyavailabletojournalistsinthemediasector.Itisaquestionofwhethermediahouses,officialinstitutionsdealingwiththemediaanddonororganisationsarepreparedtoinvestinstrengtheningjournalismtrainingbothwithinandoutsidetheindustry(forexample,intheeducationsystem).
Aspartofstrongerknowledgedevelopmentandtrainingsupport,journalistsmightbenefitfromexpertiseon:
nthekeyactorsinpovertyreductioneffortsanddebates
nhowbesttoworkwiththesedifferentactors
ntherangeofinstitutionsandpolicyprocessesrelevanttopovertyreduction–sothemediacanscrutinisetheirtransparency,opennessandaccountability
nhowtopackagepoverty-relatedstoriestomakethemnewsworthy,includingaspartofcoverageofmainstreamtopics–ie,demonstratingtheirpublicinterestimplicationsandhighlightingthehumanangle,includingpeople’svoicesandviews
nlinkagesbetweendomesticpolicymakingandtheroleofinternationalactors.
...the key journalistic skills needed... are in many ways no different from those required to cover any other complex topic.
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction50
Individualmotivation
Thevalueandimpactofdevelopingsuchexpertisearealsomaximisedwhentheyareaccompaniedbyvisionandpassiononthepartofeditorsandreporters.Itisoftenthesequalitiesthathavedrivenindividualjournaliststoproducestoriesaboutpovertyissues,especiallywhenprofessionalsupporthasnotbeenforthcoming.
Suchcommitmentisoftenvaluedbythoseoutsidethemediainvolvedineffortstocombatpoverty.AsIvyMutwalefromZambia’sCSPRnetworkputsit:‘Zealandpassionarevital.Ifajournalisthasthesetheywillalwaysfindawaytobringtheissuesoutinastory…Whatisimportantisthatajournalistcanempathisewiththepeopleabouttheimpactsofpovertyontheirlives.’Indeed,theabilitytoempathiseisessentialtojournalistsbringingoutthehumaninterestinpoverty-relatedstories.
Itisalsooftenjournalists’abilitytotransmittheirpassiontoeditors–forexample,bysettingoutthepossiblestoriesstemmingfromawell-organisedandpotentiallynewsworthyvisittoalocalcommunity–thatgetstheirstoriespublished.CSOandcommunityleaderscanhelpjournalistsbyprovidinggoodquotesandinterviews.Providinggood,reliableinformationtoexplainorillustrateadramatictopicalstorywillnotonlybeappreciatedbygoodjournalists,butcanalsodomuchtosustaintheirinterestandcommitmentaftertheevent.
IvyMutwalethinksthatCSOsworkingonpovertycannurturemotivationamongreporters,andthatthishasalreadyledtogreatermediatenacityintheirapproachandtactics.Zambia’sThe Post,forexample,shesaid,hadcarriedanin-depthanalysisofthelatestbudget,whichlookedatproposedpoverty-alleviatingexpendituresandtheirpotentialimpactsonthepoor,andcomparedthesewithfundsbudgetedtobespentonthepresidentialStateHouse.
LeadersoforganisationstryingtoshapeorinfluencepoliciessuchasCSOsandresearchbodiesshouldalsocultivatelinkswithtargetededitors.Forexample,theycouldinviteeditorstokeyevents,orbrieftheminformallyonkeyforthcominginitiativesanddevelopments.Buttheyneedtobearinmindthatitwillbeeasierandmoreproductivetoinvolveeditorsiftheyhaveclearlythoughtoutissuesfordiscussionwiththemandinwhicheditorsmighthaveaspecificinterestandstrategicstake.CSOleaders,fromtheirownpolicyworkandcontacts,canhavetheirownprivilegedinsights,contactsandsourcesofinformation,andthesecanbeofconsiderableinteresttoeditors.Thiscontactwitheditorsisimportant,asthosealreadywithaccess,suchasprominentpoliticians,businessleadersandtopgovernmentofficialsandpolicymakers,areaware.
Visionaryandinspiringeditorsaremorewillingandlikelytosupportpro-activereporters,andwillbeabletohelpthemthinkcritically,lookfornewandinnovativewaystopresentstories,andprioritisetopics.
Providing good, reliable information to explain or illustrate a dramatic topical story will not only be appreciated by good journalists, but can also do much to sustain their interest and commitment after the event.
5�
Passionandinitiativegetresults
SuleimanMustaphaDaudaischiefbusinessreporterfortheStatesman,Ghana’soldestnewspaper.Hispassion,however,iswritingaboutaccesstogovernmentservicesandhebelievesthatthemediahaveanimportantfunctiontoplayininformingthegovernmentaboutrealitiesontheground.
Hewroteastoryinearly2007onthepollutionofvillagers’drinkingwaterbyagoldminingcompany.Heusedhismobilephonetotakephotographsofthesludgy,orangepollutedwaterthepeoplewereexpectedtodrink,andalthoughthestorywasonpage7,acolourphotographonthefrontpageensuredithadconsiderableimpact.Itwasalsopickedupbyradionewsprogrammes.Suleimanclaimsthatsoonafterhisstorybroke,governmentofficialsinAccrawereonthetelephonetotheDistrictAssembly;newboreholesweredugandthevillagershadsafedrinkingwateragain.
Asaresultofhisinitiative,Suleimansayshiseditortakesakeenerinterestinhisstoryideas.Hesayshiseditorsupportshisworkandwouldbewillingtoprovidegreaterresourcesforhimtodomoreifthepaperwasearningmorerevenue.
Targetingandextendingkeyaudiences
Ifthemediainlow-incomecountriesaretosettheagendaonkeypublicpolicyissuessuchaspovertyreduction,editorsandreportersneedtopitchtheirstoriestoengagetheinterestandconcernofkeyaudiencesatdifferentlevels.83Inacompetitivemediasector,theyneedtoknowwhichstoriescantapnewpublicaudiencesandexpandexistingones.Policyactorskeentointerestthemediamustconsidercarefullytheaudiencesthateditorsandjournalistsmighthaveinmind.
Publicintereststoriesinvolvingstrongerreportingandanalyticalcommentonthepolicyissuesatstakemaybethemosteffectivewayofreachingspecificpoliticalaudiences,whilehumanintereststoriesmayonthewholebemorelikelytoappealtothegeneralpublic.Evenso,dramaticindividualstoriesillustratingawiderissuethatconnectswiththepublicmindhaveoftenprovokedreactionsatthehighestpolicymakinglevels.Andthemediaatdifferentlevelscouldbeencouragedtocovernationalpoliticalissuesrelevanttopovertyreductioninwaysthatmakethemaccessibletowideraudiences.
Policyactorsshouldconsidertheiraudiencebeforedecidingwhichformofmediatotarget.Forexample,youthisabigaudienceinUgandawith50percentofthepopulationunder18yearsoldandshouldclearlybeatargetforraisingawarenessofpovertyissues.However,newspaperreadershipislowamongthisagegroup,soitmaybebettertousecommunicationvehiclestheyfeelbelongtothem–popularmusicprogrammes,soapoperas,radioorTVdramas.Radiopieceswithanentertainment/dramaformatratherthandiscussionorcurrentaffairswouldalsobeeffective,andmorecommerciallyviableforprivateFMradio.84
83Aswellastargetingthegeneralpublic,themediamayhaveveryspecificaudiencesinmindateachlevel.Forexample,nationally,keyaudiencesofthecapital-basedmediamightbegovernmentandoppositionleadersandsupporters,officialdecision-makersandpolicyimplementerswithingovernmentandthestate,theinternationaldiplomaticcommunity(includingdonorrepresentatives),politicalpartiesandparliamentarians,businessleaders,non-governmentalpolicyorganisationsandsoon.Suchtargetaudiencesmayhavelinkswithcounterpartsandotherorganisationsandgroupsoutsidethecapital,which,aswellaswishingtopublicisetheirviewsnationally,uselocally-basedmediatoaddresstheirownconstituents,membersandaudiencesatadistrict,provincialorgrassrootslevel.Onechallengeishowtoensureamorefluidsupplyandexchangeofaccessibleinformationrelevanttoaudiencesatdifferentlevels(coverageofkeynationalissuesforlocalaudiencesand,crucially,coverageofkeylocalstoriesthatmeritnationalattention)
84CommentsmadebyparticipantsatPanosSouthAsia’snationalroundtableonthemediaandpovertyreduction,21July2005,Islamabad,Pakistan
WhileHyderabad,India,enjoyseconomicgrowth,attractingsoftwareandcallcentrebusinesses,theconstructionworkersandsecurityguardsemployedinthedevelopmentofthecity’sluxuryhousingliveinslumconditions.Thisdisparitycouldbeastoryworthreporting.chris stowers | panos pictures
52 Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction
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Timeforstrategicsupportforthemediaasapublicgood
Someobserversstronglyquestiontheextenttowhichthemedia’spotentialasanessentialforcefordevelopmenthasbeenrecognised,forexample,theAfricanMediaDevelopmentInitiative,aresearchinitiativestemmingfromtheUK-governmentsponsoredCommissionforAfricain2005.‘Themediasector’spriorityasanagentofchangewithinthe“developmentdebate”issurprisinglyundervaluedbytheinternationalcommunity…Supportforstrengtheningmediaisa‘blindspot’forthemajorityofdevelopmentagencies…Themedia’scontributingroletotheachievementoftheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsneedstobegivenhigherpriority.’85
ButthereareincipientsignsthatinternationaldonorsandCSOsarebeginningtopaymoreattentiontothestrategicroleofcommunication–andthepotentialofthemedia–insupportingdevelopment,aswitnessedbytheWorldCongressofCommunicationforDevelopmentorganisedbytheWorldBankandothersinRomeinOctober200686andtheWorldBankconferenceoncommunicationandpovertyreductionheldthatyearattheOECD(seepage21)
High-levelinterestofthiskindfromwithindonorinstitutionsandelsewhereinternationallyiswelcome.Butasnotedearlier,potentialinterestintargetingworkwiththemediawillbelesseffectiveifitfailsproperlytoacknowledgethemedia’sprevailingcommercialrealitiesandseriouspracticalchallenges.
Unlikethedevelopmentcommunity,thebottom-lineimperativeofmuchofthemainstreammassmediaiscommercialsurvivalandprofitaspartofanindustry,notsocialgoals.Atthesametime,strongercoverageofkeypublicaffairsissuessuchaspovertyreductionshouldberegardedasapublicgoodtobenurturedwithinavibrantmediasector.Butthismeansthatthoseoutsidetheprofessionwhowanteditorsandreporterstocontributeindependentlytodevelopmentchangethroughstrongerpublicserviceandpublicinterestreportingmusthelpaddressthemedia’sownsupportneedsasanurgentprerequisite.Suchanapproachwouldalsobemorelikelytowinmediasupportandownership.Butneithertheintrinsicdevelopmentvalueofsuchreportingnortheneedforstrategiestoprovidepracticalsupportisproperlyrecognisedatpresent.
Towardsstructuralsolutions?
Strongerleadershipfromwithinthemediasectoritselfisfundamentaltosuchprogress,asnotedbyBangladeshnewspapereditor,MahfuzAnan,whoarguedthatmediaowners,managersandeditorsshouldmakecorporatesocialresponsibilityacoreobjective,insupportofthemedia’spublicdutiesandtheirownbusinessinterests.Atthesametime,therangeofconstraintsandchallengesfacingthemediaissoextensivethatstructuralproposalsandsolutionsneedtobeconsideredaswell.
ApositivedevelopmentinrecentyearsinmanypartsofAfricaandSouthAsiahasbeenthegradualeasingofstatecontrolsonthemedia,whichhasledtogreatermediapluralism.Evenwheretheprocesshasbeenmoredifficult,aclimateoftenexistsinwhichstatesandgovernmentsmayfinditmoredifficultorcostlytocontainthepressuresformediafreedoms.AmoreindependentmediasectorhasbeenemerginginPakistan,forexample,despitecontinuedrestrictions–afundamentalpartofchangingsocialrelationsandintensepoliticaldebatesinthecountry.
However,medialiberalisationhasbeenaccompaniedbygrowingcommercialisationthatcriticsclaimisoftendrivingdowndiversityofcoverage,qualityofmediacontentandprofessionalstandards.Thisprocesshasoccurredinavacuuminwhichproperpublicpoliciesandlegislationtooverseedevelopmentofthedifferentpartsofthemainstreammassmediaandthemediasectorasawholehavebeenabsent,fragmentaryoradhoc.
85AfricanMediaDevelopmentInitiative,asnote50,p11
86Forfurtherinformationandrecommendations,seeWorldCongressonCommunicationforDevelopment(2007),The Rome Consensus: Communication for Development – A Major Pillar for Development and Change,www.devcomm.org/devcomm/OutcomesTheRomeConsensus/tabid/250/Default.aspx?macroId=15µId=1501
87SeeAt the heart of change(2007),asnote2,forfullerelaborationsofPanosLondon’sreflectionsandrecommendationsonthecaseforcommunicationinsustainabledevelopment,includingthevitalneedtosupportmediadevelopment
The media sector’s priority as an agent of change within the “development debate” is surprisingly undervalued by the international community… Support for strengthening media is a ‘blind spot’ for the majority of development agencies… The media’s contributing role to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals needs to be given higher priority.
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction54
Thetimehascomeforastrategicapproachtomedia-relatedpublicpolicygoals,suchas:
nputtinginplaceasupportivelegalframework–forexample,freedomofexpressionandinformationlegislation,reforminginappropriatedefamationandlibellaws
nestablishingastrongerpublicserviceremitforpublicbroadcasters
nintroducingstrongersystemsformediafinancing
nprotectingandpromotingthecomplementarycontributionsofthepublicandprivatemediaaswellascommunityandalternativemedia
nstrengtheningallrelevantmediainstitutions,includingappropriateregulatoryregimestotackleproblemssuchasconcentrationofmediaownershipandtopromotefaircompetition.
Fullandproperelaborationofpossiblemediareformproposalsisbeyondthescopeofthisreport,andthetasktranscendsthespecificissueofpovertyreduction.88Nevertheless,itshouldbeseenasacentraltask,giventhestrategicvalueofmediaandcommunicationforpublicengagementinpovertyreductionasamajorareaofpublicpolicy.89
Alongsidestrategiestostrengthencodesandsystemstopromotehighprofessionalmediastandards,anotherkeypriorityiscommitmenttoinvestinhigh-qualityjournalismtraining.
Aforceforeffectivecitizenshipandgovernance
Thefundamentalunderlyingchallengeisthemedia’soverallfinancialsustainability.Withoutclearpublicpolicyapproachestoaddressthis,itisquestionablewhetherthedifferentpartsofthemedia,leftexclusivelytothecommercialpressuresofthemarketorthedwindlinglargesseofthestate,willbeabletoofferthevibrantpublicserviceandpublicinterestrolesthatthisreporthasarguedallpolicyactorsshouldvalue,supportandexploit.
Giventhelegacyofstatemediacontrols(andtheirretentioninsomecases),thechallengeofnurturingeffectivemedia-relatedpublicpoliciesandinstitutionsisintimatelylinkedwithimprovedgovernance,asanypositivechangeswouldneedtoensuremediaindependenceandsafeguardpublicbroadcastersandlicensingauthoritiesfromillegitimatepoliticalinterference.Conversely,ifthemedia’spublicserviceandpublicinterestrolesaretobeprotectedandextended,publicpoliciesoughttoconsiderthematoolofpubliccitizenshipandnotanotherconsumermarkettobeleftsolelytotheunchannelledcurrentsofcommercialforces.Thesecanalsocompromisethemedia.
Inviewofinternationaldonors’andinternationalNGOs’attentiontogovernance,itseemsremissthattheyhavepaidsolittleattentiontothemedia’spotentialinthisarea–particularlyasatoolforscrutinyandensuringtheaccountabilityofallactors.Forexample,itwouldappeartobecounterproductivetosupportCSOstoadvocatestrongeraccountabilitymechanismsandpressgovernmentstoimprovetheirgovernanceandtransparency,withoutsupportingthemedia,throughwhichcivilsocietygroupscancommunicatetheirfindingsandproposalsandmoreeffectivelyholdofficialinstitutionstoaccount.Thesameholdsfortheabilityofnationalofficialinstitutions,withpublicsupport,toactinthepublicinterestbyprovidingchecksandbalancesonexecutivepowerandbyholdingpowerfulnon-stateactorstoaccount.Themedia’sscrutinyrole,whileindependentofgovernment,canbevitaltoencouragingorensuringtheeffectivefunctioningofthesystemsandbodiesinvolvedinpublicinterestregulationandoversightofdecision-making.
Becausethemediasectorisheterogeneous,interventionstosupportit,includingfinancingstrategies,needtobecarefullytargeted.Proposalsmust
88AnoutlineofthekeymediadevelopmentprioritiesforPanosLondoncanbefoundinAt the heart of change (2007),asnote2.Thesearetheneedto:establishmediafreedomandanenablingandsupportiveregulatoryenvironment;supportthedevelopmentofmediainfrastructureandlong-termsustainability;buildmediacapacityandprofessionalism;andsupportimprovementinthequalityanddiversityofmediacontent.The‘Conclusionsandrecommendations’sectionbelowtakestheseupfromthepointofviewoftheirrelevancetopovertyreduction
89OnecouldalsoarguethatthemediaandcommunicationshouldbetreatedasadistinctsectorforstrongerconsiderationinPRSPsandNDPs,notleastinthecontextofthelatter’sgrowingemphasisongovernanceandthequalityofdecision-making,aswellasontheproductiveeconomyinwhichthesharingofinformationandknowledgeisvital.NewerPRSPsandNDPssometimesconsiderinformationcommunicationtechnologiestobepartoftheirremit,butfartoooftenthiswouldseemtobefromanarrowtechnicalperspective
55
alsoconsidersuchneedsinrelationtothemediasectorasawhole;communityoralternativemediahaveanequallyvalidroletoplayasthemainstreampublicorprivatecommercialmassmedia.
Buildingoninitiativesandinvestinginsustainability
Despitetheabsenceofamorestrategicapproachtomediadevelopmentandmediapolicies,numerousinitiativesarealreadyunderway.Someexamplesinclude:
nGhana:TheGhanaCommunityRadioNetwork(GCRN),inconjunctionwithabroad-basedplatformofcivilsocietygroups,isputtingtogetherabroadcastingbillwhichamongotherthingswilladdresstheallocationofairwaves,definethefunctionofthepublicbroadcasterasapublicinterestinstitution,andestablisharegulatoryregime.TheGCRNhopesthatbydefiningtheGhanaBroadcastingCorporation’spublicinterestfunction,thelattercandevelopmoresynergisticrelationshipswithcommunityradiostationsandotherpartsofthemedia.Thedraftingofthebillhasbeeninformedbynationwideconsultationswitharangeofstakeholders,includingoperatorsfromthethreebroadcastingsectorsandcommunitiesservedbycommunityradio.
nUganda:MentoredbyPanosEasternAfricaandwithfinancialsupportfromEuropeanbilateraldonors,journalistsinUgandahavesetuptheirownregulatorybody–theIndependentMediaCouncil–whichisregisteredbothasanNGOandaprivatelimitedcompany.
nZambia:AcoalitionofjournalistshasputtogetheraFreedomofInformationAct,whichisbeingconsideredbyparliament.
nGhana:Journalistshaveexploredestablishingapresscorpstosyndicatepoverty-relatedandotherstoriesservingthepublicinterest.
Butintheabsenceofmorestructuralapproachestomediadevelopment,manyinitiativesruntheriskofbeingpiecemealandunsustainableinthelongterm.
OneinternationaldonorassistedSuleimanMustaphaDaudaoftheStatesmaninGhanatosetupajournalistgrouptoreportonHIV,providingjournalistswithresourcestocovertheirexpenseswhileresearchingstories.Thearticleswerethendistributedtootherjournalistsaroundthecountryfortheiruse.Theprojectwassuccessfuluntilthesmallpotofmoneyranout.Suleimancontinuestocoverthestorieshimselfasasidelinetohisjobaschiefbusinessreporter.However,hefeelsthathecannotasktheotherjournalistsinthegrouptofollowstorieswithoutresources,sothegrouphaseffectivelyfolded.
Whileevensmallamountsofmoneycansignificantlyhelptosupportandtrainjournaliststoplayapublicinterestrole,Suleiman’sstoryunderlinesthefactthatdonors’tendencytofundone-offprojectsisonlyofshort-termvalue.Despitetheirimmediatesuccess,sourcesofsustainedfinanceandtheestablishmentofsustainablemechanismsoffinanceforthemediaarelacking.Community-levelradiostationsparticularlystruggletokeepafloatfinanciallyontheirsmalladvertisingmarkets.Theyneedfinancialsupporttopurchasebasicequipmentandprovidetrainingfortheirstaff.
WhiledonorsandinternationalNGOshaveoccasionallybeenwillingtoprovideprojectfinancetofundsuchinitiatives,theformerparticularlycouldalsofocusonsupportingthemediasectortoestablishnewinstitutions,suchaspresssyndicateswhichreportonparticularissues;andtheycouldprovidesupporttogovernmentsandmediasupportbodiestohelpthemdevelopprofessionaltrainingandstandards,regulationsandregulatorymechanisms,mediapoliciesandenablinglegislation.
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction56
Conclusion and recommendations
Tocatalysewiderdebateonthesubject,thisreporthaspresentedacomplexandchallengingpictureofthemediainlow-incomecountriesandthepotentialofrelevantpartsofthesectortomaketheirowndistinctcontributiontoeffortstoreducepoverty.Ithashighlightedtheimportanceofallpolicyactorsnotonlyrecognisingthispotentialandstrengtheningtheirengagementwithindividualjournalists,butalsosupportingthemediamoreeffectively.90However,theconstraintsandchallengesfacingthemediaaresoconsiderablethatkeystakeholderswillneedtomaketheirownindividualcontributionstosolutionsandcoordinatewherenecessaryjointresponses.Theoverallprioritiesforthemainactorsareasfollows:
nCivilsocietyandthemediashouldstrivetoovercomemisunderstandingsanddifferencesinprofessionalapproachinordertoexploitthemultiplebenefitsthatbothsidescouldderivefromstrongerinteraction.Whilethemediahasmuchtodotoaddresstheirownchallenges,bothnationalCSOsandtheinternationalNGOscoulddomuchtostrengthentheirapproachtoengagingandworkingwiththemediaasindependentpartners.
nGovernmentsinlow-incomecountries,aswellasmakingthemediaandcommunicationastrategicpartofboostingpublicparticipationinchangingpovertyreductionstrategiesandnationaldevelopmentplans,shouldstrengthentheirmediarelationscapacity.Theyshouldseethepublicserviceandpublicinterestrolesofthemediaasavitalrequirementofstrongernationaldecision-making,andprovidepracticalincentives–suchassupportiveinstitutions,policiesandlegislation–forjournaliststoperformtheserolesintheinterestsofgoodgovernance.Governments,withthesupportofpartners,shouldenablethedevelopmentofindependentmediainstitutionsandframeworks,andpromotestrategicpublicpoliciesforthemedia,inpursuitofstructuralsolutionsforthechallengesraisedbythisreport.
nInternationaldonorsshouldhelpeffortstoprovideanenablingenvironmentforstrengtheningthemedia’spublicserviceandpublicinterestrolesbysupportingrelevantactorsandpartnerstodevelopandpromoteeffectivenationalmediapoliciesandmediasupportstrategies.Butfirst,theywillneedtoencourageandprompttheirowngovernmentsandthedonorcommunitygenerallytorecognisenotonlythevalueofthemedia’sindependentroleinrelationtodevelopmentissuessuchaspovertyreductionbutalsoaddressthesector’ssupportneeds.Theyshouldmakesupportformediaandcommunicationastronger,integralpartofinternationalaid.
nMedialeadersandmediasupportorganisationscouldexploitopportunitiesformakingstrongerpublicinterestcoverageofissuesrelevanttopovertyreductionakeyfeatureofmainstreamreporting.Tothisend,theyshouldsupportjournaliststodeveloptheirrangeofknowledge,skillsandcontacts.Medialeadersandorganisationscanalsopromotetheirownproposalsforthestrategicreformsandsolutionsneededtosupportthemedia’spublicserviceandpublicinterestrolesasanessentialrequirementofstrongercoverageofissuessuchaspovertyreduction.Solutionsmightincludemediatraining,audienceresearchandstrengtheningthequalityofmediacontent.
Specificrecommendationsforthekeyactorsabovetoengagethemediaandsupportstrongerpublicserviceandpublicinterestcoverageofpovertyreductionincludethefollowing:
90Asrecognisedintheintroduction,thisreportistheresultofapilotinitiativeandfurtherresearchisneededonthischallenge.Animportantgeneralrecommendation,therefore,isthatallactors,bothnon-mediaandmedia,shouldprovidefeedbacktoPanosLondononthereport’sfindingsandrecommendations
57
Nationalcivilsocietyorganisationscan:
nDevelopeffectivewaystomakethemostofthemediaasavitalcommunicationinterfacebetweengovernments,donorsandthepubliconkeyissuesrelevanttopovertyreduction,withaviewtoensuringcivilsocietyperspectivesaretakenintoaccountincoveragealongsidethoseofinfluentialpolicyactors.
nMakeappropriatemediaoutletsakeytargetaudienceintheirinformation-gathering,disseminationandcommunicationstrategies,includingadvocacyinitiativesandpubliccampaigns,basedonclearaimsandobjectives
nidentifywhichpartsofthemediaandwhicheditorsandjournaliststotarget,makingnewcontactsbutalsofocusingonthosewithastronginterestandtrackrecordincoveringissuesrelevanttopovertyreduction
ntaketimeandefforttodeveloppersonalrelationshipswithjournalists–and,wherepossible,editors–highlightingthepublicinterestsignificanceoftheissuesCSOsworkonandtheirrelevancetomediaaudiences
ninformjournalistsabouttheissuestheyworkon,takingthemtomeetdirectlythegrassrootsorganisations,communitiesandpeopletheyworkwith,havingfirstidentifiedkeyissuesforthemediaandconcretestoryideasrequiringmediaresearch.
nStrengthenthesystemsandactivitiesneededtoattractandinformthemedia,sustaintheirinterest,andhelpindividualjournalistscoverstorieseffectively
nensurethatpublicmeetingsandeventsarewellorganisedandmedia-friendly
nimprovethepresentation,qualityandmediarelevanceofbriefingmaterials,wherenecessarylearninghowtopackageinformationtomeetjournalists’needs
nsharpenpolicymessagestoattractthemedia,ensuringthatinformationandanalysisarefactuallyaccurate,credibleandwellargued.
nTaketimetofindoutandunderstandingreaterdetailhowthemediaoperatesinpracticeandwhatjournalists’specificinformationneedsare
nrecognisethepressuresofeditorialspaceanddeadlines,andtheirneedtoverifyinformationandcoverdifferentviewpoints
nrecognisetheneedforproposedstoryideastomeetmediavaluessuchastopicalityandnewsworthiness,notingthatstoriesthatstandintheirownrightaremorelikely–especiallyinthelongerterm–tobeeffectiveinsustainingthemeaningfulinterestofgoodjournalistsandeditorsandofpublicaudiencesincomparisonwithmediacoveragethatispaidfor.
nExploitthemedia’spoliticalandmasspublicreachbylinkingmainstreamandalternativemediajournalistswithCSOs’supportfortheeffortsofpoorcommunitiestocommunicateandpromotetheirownviewslocallyandnationally.
nHelpjournaliststodemystifycomplexissuesandprocessesforthepublicbyprovidingmedia-friendlyversionsofkeygovernmentreports,documents/initiatives,avoidingjargonandexplainingtechnicalterminology.
nGetinvolvedinandcontributetorelevantdiscussionsofpublicpoliciesonthemedia.
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction5�
InternationalNGOscan:
nRecognisethevalueofthemedia’spotentialinlow-incomecountriestostimulateinclusivepublicdebateonpovertyreductionissuesbymakingworkwiththemediaadimensionoftheirowncommunicationandadvocacyonPRSPsandoftheirworkinthisareawithlocalandnationalCSOpartners
ndevelopstrategiesforprovidingstrongersupportforCSOpartnersworkingatdifferentlevelsinlow-incomecountriestostrengthentheircommunicationscapacityonpovertyreductionissues
nprovidepracticalresources,adviceandsupport,includingtraining,tohelppartnersdeveloptheirmediarelationsskillsandexpertise
nprovidesustainedfundingforpro-developmentmediaorganisationsandinstitutions.
nExplorepartnerships,asappropriate,withmediasupportorganisationshelpingrelevantpartsofthemediatoaddresstheirownneeds,inrecognitionoftheconstraintsfacingfulfilmentofthemedia’spublicserviceandpublicinterestroles.
nLaunchandfundresearchinitiatives,bybodiesconcernedwithmediadevelopment,toexploretheviewsofmedialeaders,editorsandjournalistsonthechallengesandopportunitiesraisedbythisreport.
Nationalgovernmentscan:
nIntroducewherenecessaryorstrengthenasappropriatecommunicationstrategiestoboostpublicawarenessatalllevelsofpoliciesandstrategiesrelevanttopovertyreduction.Thismeanscoordinatingtheinvolvementofallofficialstakeholdersandnon-stateactorstoensurethatpolicydesignandimplementationincludeseffectiveinformationexchangeanditerativepublicdebategearedtothegreateranddeeperparticipationofpoorpeople,inparticular:
ndeveloppublicinformationandconsultationsystems,strengtheningaparticipatoryfocusonpovertyasgovernmentsdeveloptheirownhome-grownstrategiesandnationaldevelopmentplans
ninviteandsupporttheindependentinvolvementofallpartsofthemedia–boththetraditionalmassmediaandthealternativemedia(suchascommunityradio)–asanintegralfeatureofcommunicationstrategies.Implementationofsuchstrategies,inthecontextofdecentralisationreforms,shouldaddresstheinformationneedsoflocaljournalistsandcommunicators
nstrengthen,asanintegralfeatureofinstitutionalreforms,thecapacityofindividualministriesandgovernmentdepartmentstoprepareandimplementeffectivecommunicationstrategies,includingsystemstocollect,collate,storeanddisseminatedata/informationrelevanttopovertyreduction
ndevelopstrongersystemsandpracticestohandlemediarelations,includingagilewaysofdealingwithjournalists’enquiriesandquestions,regularbriefingsandpressconferences,electronicnewsletters,andcreatingandupdatingspecificpagesonpovertyreductiononofficialwebsites
ninvolvethemediainhelpingtocommunicatethefindingsofofficialsurveysandresearchexercisesonpovertyandpovertyreduction,alsobringingjournalistsintoclosercontactwithpoorpeople
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nengagethemediatoprovidestrongercoverageofkeymomentsinofficialpolicymakinganddecision-makingsuchasnationalbudgeting,donorloansorthedevelopmentofstrategiestopromoteeconomicgrowthandgoodgovernance.
nEncouragethemedia,inthecontextofgovernancereforms,toscrutinisethequalityandeffectivenessofnationalandinternationaldecision-makingonpovertyreduction
nprovidepracticalandpoliticalincentivesformediascrutinyofofficialdecision-makingbyestablishingandsupportinginpracticeeffective,independentandtransparentgovernancemechanisms,forexample,auditofficesandcommittees
nengagethemediaineffortstoboostthecapacityofparliaments,oversightbodiesandindependentpublicinterestinstitutionsfairlyandtransparentlytoholdallactors–nationalorforeign,publicorprivate–toaccountfortheirperformanceandpractices.
nExploreandsupportthedevelopmentofcoherentandeffectivepublicpoliciesonthemediatoprotectandpromotetheirvitalpublicserviceandpublicinterestroles,91withtheparticipationofbothmediaandrelevantnon-mediastakeholdersandpartners,soasto:
ndeveloppolicyproposalsandintroducesupportivelegislation(suchasfreedomofexpressionandfreedomofinformationlaws,aswellasreformsoflibelanddefamationlawssotheyaretransparent,consistentandfair)
nhelpstrengthenallinstitutionsrelevanttoeffectivemediasupport(journalismtraining,mediamanagement,professionalassociationsandunions)
nenablethedevelopmentofindependentmediaregulationandmediasupportsystems,inpursuitofeffectivepublicserviceremits,equitablelicensingarrangements,strongermediafinancingmechanisms,andpublicsupportforhigh-qualitypublicinterestmediacontent
nsupportindependentmediaregulationinstitutionssothattheycanenhancethecomplementarycontributionsofthepublic,privateandalternativemediaandpromotefaircompetition,addressingproblemsposedbyconcentrationofmediamarketsorthechallengesfacedbysmallmediaactors.
nConsiderthemediasectorandpubliccommunicationaspublicgoodstobenurturedinthedevelopmentofPRSPsandnationaldevelopmentplans,alongsidegrowingconsiderationofinformationandcommunicationtechnologiesinsuchdocuments.
Officialinternationaldonorinstitutionscan:
nPromotestrongerrecognitionwithinthedonorcommunityofthevalueofavibrantmediasectorinlow-incomecountriesintheglobalfightagainstpoverty,throughitsindependentcontributionasamass-reachproviderofinformationandaforumformoreinclusivepublicdebate
nactonthisrecognitionbyencouragingindividualdonorgovernmentstomakemediasupportandmediaengagementstrategicprioritiesinoverallofficialdonorsupportforpovertyreductionstrategies(includingaspartofthecommunicationstrategiesneededtoboostpublicparticipation)andinrelevantprogrammeswithnon-statepolicyactors
91TheseandotherpointsbelowdrawconsiderablyonthemoreextensivelistofmediadevelopmentproposalscontainedinPanosLondon(2007)At the heart of change,asnote2
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction60
nadvocatethemainstreamintegrationofmediaandcommunicationinalldonorprogrammesandpoliciesrelevanttopovertyreduction,inthecontextoftheOECD’sParisDeclarationof2005ontheeffectivenessandharmonisationofinternationalaid.92
nMakerecognitionofthemedia’sindependentscrutinyroleakeyfeatureofsupportforgovernancereformsimplementedwithgovernmentandcivilsocietysupportinlow-incomecountries,encouragingandsupportingallnationaleffortstopromoteeffectiveinstitutionsthatprovidestrongpracticalandpoliticalincentivesformediainvolvement.
nAcknowledge,asaprerequisiteforthemedia’spotentialtoberealised,thesector’sownstructuraldevelopmentneeds,providingandhelpingtoleverageallnecessarypracticalsupport,technicaladviceandresearchinproperconsultationandpartnershipwithrelevantstakeholdersandpartners,focusedonstrengtheningthemedia’spublicserviceandpublicinterestroles
nsupportgovernmentsandallrelevantnationalstakeholdersandpartnerstodevelopstrongerpublicpoliciesonthemedia(seeabove)
nhelpsupporttheprovisionofstrongertrainingprogrammesforjournalists,particularlylocaljournalists
nprovidemoresustainedfunding,particularlycorefunding,forpro-developmentmediaorganisationsandforinstitutionsthatsupportthedevelopmentofthemediaasasector.
Medialeadersandmediasupportorganisationscan:
nExploittheopportunitiesformakingstrongerpublicinterestcoverageofissuesrelevanttopovertyreductionanintegralpartofkeymediareportinginterests(suchaspolitics,businessandeconomics,coverageofparliamentsandbudgets,governance,corruption,crime).
nProvideprofessionalincentivesandpracticalsupportforeditorsandjournaliststoundertaketopicalstoryresearchanddeveloptheknowledge,criticalskillsandjournalisticexpertiseneededtostrengthenpublicinterestcoverageofissuesrelevanttopovertyreduction.
nTakeadvantageoftheincreasedrangeofactorsandorganisationsproducinginformationrelevanttopovertyreductionpolicyissues,encouragingjournaliststodiversifytheirinformationsourcesandcontactsbeyondstateandgovernmentinstitutionsandincludecivilsocietyorganisationsatdifferentlevels,policyresearchbodiesandparliamentarians.
nWorkwithgovernments,internationaldonorsandmediasupportorganisationstosecurestrategicsupportforstrongerjournalisttraining,aswellasthefinancingofinitiativesaimedatimprovingthequalityofmediacontentonkeypublicpolicyissuessuchaspovertyreduction.
nWorkwitheditorstoassessexistinginformationanddiscusstheirviewsofdifferentpublicaudiences’interestsincoverageofissuesoftopicalrelevancetopovertyreduction,wherenecessaryconsideringspecificpublicsurveysandsecuringadviceandresourcesfromnationalandinternationalsupportinstitutions.
nConsideranddevelopstrategicpolicyproposalsforthemedia,whetherledfromwithinthesectororaspartofadvocacyofstrongerpublicpoliciesonthemedia,pressinggovernmentsforappropriateindependentregulatoryframeworksandsupportivemedialawsandreforms.
92TheOECD’s2005‘ParisDeclarationonAidEffectiveness:Ownership,Harmonisation,Alignment,ResultsandMutualAccountability’canbeseenatwww.oecd.org/document/18/0,2340,en_2649_3236398_35401554_1_1_1_1,00.html
6�
nDevelopspecificmediadevelopmentproposalsrelevanttopublicinterestcoverageofpublicpolicyissuessuchaspovertyreduction,presentingthemtogovernments,donorsandoutsidemediasupportorganisationsastheyintroduceinitiativesandfinanceprogrammesaimedatstrongerpoliciesandpracticalsupportforthesector.
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Appendix 1 Non-mediacommunication,journalistsandamplifyingpoorpeople’svoices
Aswesawinthefirstsection,‘Settingthescene,makingthecase’,relativelyweakinvolvementoflocalcommunitiesinPRSPsisoneoftheirallegedshortcomings,andstrongerparticipationisvitaltothesuccessofanystrategiesforreducingpoverty,whetherthroughstrongerPRSPsoranyotherfuturepolicyframeworks.Themedia,includingthemainstreammassmediaandparticularlyalternativecommunitymedia,alongwithotherformsofcommunication(suchascommunitytheatre),haveavitalroletoplayinfindingsolutionstothisproblem.Butiftheprinciplesofparticipationandownershiparetohavemeaning,poorpeoplehavetocommunicateontheirowntermsandthroughmeanstheyconsidertheirown.
Oraltestimonyisamethodthatallowspeoplewhoaremarginalised–throughilliteracy,poverty,gender,disability,caste,religionorethnicidentity–tocommunicatetheirviewsinunstructured,informal,open-ended,in-depthinterviews.Theseareusuallycarriedoutonaone-to-onebasis,recordedandthentranscribedorairedword-for-word,whichmeansthatpeople’sstoriesaretoldintheirownvoices.Thewaythetestimoniesaregatheredisasimportantasthetestimoniesthemselves.
Oraltestimoniesareapowerfulvehicleforcommunicationbypoorpeopleandcanalsohelptosensitisethemedia,policyactorsandpower-holdersoutsideofcommunities.Inturn,mediacoverageofissuesrevealedintestimoniescanactasapowerfulforcetoamplifypoorpeople’svoicesandmaximisetheirpotentialforwiderimpact.
Thepoweroforaltestimoniesandmediasensitisation
Whiledevelopmentinterventionsareoftenbasedonasectorapproach(forexample,health),therearenosuchneatdivisionsinpeople’slives.Becauseofthefocusontheindividual–ratherthanparticulardevelopmentthemes–anoraltestimonyinterviewcanrevealtheoftenhiddenconnectionsbetweendifferentaspectsofpeople’slives.‘Narrators’areaskedabouttheirpastexperiencesandtheirhopesforthefutureaswellasthecurrentsituation,providingalong-termviewthatcanprovideadeeperunderstandingofchange.
Thisisparticularlyimportantifpolicymakersaretounderstandthecomplexityofpovertyand,inthecaseofjournalists,reportonthechallengeofpovertyreduction.Indeed,theconceptofpovertyisoftentreatedasatechnicalissue,anapproachwhichofficialpovertyreductiongoalsandtargets,thoughvital,mayriskaccentuating.Oraltestimoniesontheotherhand,arevivid,personalanddirect,andbringhometothereaderorlistenertherealityandexperienceofpoverty.Thiscanhaveapowerfuleffectonaudiencesandbeapowerfulresourceforcommunity-basedandmainstreammedia.
Panosanditspartnershaveusuallytrainedcommunitymembersasinterviewersinoraltestimonyworkshops–oftenstaffoflocalorganisations.Butwehavenowalsosoughttobringinterestedandcommittedjournalistsintodirectcontactwithpoorpeopleandtheirorganisations,tosensitisethemandgivethemaccesstomaterialthatcouldpowerfullyengagetheiraudiences.
Byinvolvingjournalistsinoraltestimonytrainingandgatheringtestimoniesfrommarginalisedpeopleinfivecountries,Panoshasopenedtheireyestothepossibilitiesofnewapproaches.Theverypersonalexperienceoforaltestimonygatheringoftensignificantlyaltersthewayinwhichjournaliststhinkaboutpoverty,givingthemstrongerinsightsonthesubject,andnewangles,sourcesandstoryideastheycanuseintheirmainstreamprofessionalwork.
ThePeople’sAssemblyatMancharLake,Pakistan.panos pakistan
63
Challengingvoices,challengingjournalistsinPakistan
SaharAli,PanosSouthAsia’scountryrepresentativeinPakistan,describeshowinvolvingjournalistsingatheringoraltestimoniesinPakistanhashelpedthemquestiontraditionalapproachestoreportingonpovertyreduction.These,shesays,tendtotakeexistingpowerrelationsinsocietyastheirmainreferencepoint.
ZiaQureshi,areporterforIbrat,adailySindhi-languagenewspaper,hadjustinterviewedimpoverishedurbanslumdwellersinSanghar,anindustrialtowninSindh–Pakistan’ssecond-mostpopulous,butinmanywaysleastdeveloped,region.Hisexcitedtonespokevolumes,standinginstarkcontrastwiththeflatrhythmsoftraditionalreportingonpovertyinPakistanwhere‘statementjournalism’istoofrequentlythenorm.NewspapersarefilledwithwhatVIPshavetosay,anddeferencetotheirstatusisoftenanimplicitfeatureofreportscoveringtheirviews.Thevoicesofordinarypeopleareseldom,ifever,heard.
Themediaaresaidtobeabridgebetweenthe‘governors’andthe‘governed’,butinPakistanthebridgetendstobeoneway:offeringtheofficialperspective,butneglectingwhatpeoplefeelaboutdecisionsbeingmadeandtheeffectsuchdecisionshaveontheirlives.
Oraltestimoniescanhelp‘humanise’andredressthebalanceofpovertycoverage,bringinginanglesmissinginstatementsandstatisticsparadingasnewsforandaboutthepoor.Traininginoraltestimonycollectioncangivereportersnewinsightsintointerviewing.Panosaimedtohelpjournalistsbreathemuch-neededlifeintothecountry’smediareporting–toincludepoorpeople’sviews,andnotjustrelyonofficialstatisticsandstatements.Involvingjournalists,aswellascommunitymembers,ingatheringoraltestimonieswasanewexperience,andhashadapowerfuleffect.Whilejournalistsfoundready-to-usestories,thevoicesofthepoorfounddirectandimmediateaccesstothepublicvianewspaperreportsandtelevisionprogrammes.
Addingtothedrama,wideningtheimpact:oraltestimoniesandthemedia
Byprovidingdeeperinsightsintopeople’sexperiencesofpoverty,oraltestimoniescanincreaseunderstandingofpovertyissues,andcouldhelpshapepublicattitudesandinformdecision-makingatdifferentlevels.However,toachievethiswiderimpact,theyneedtobepromotedthroughspecificcommunicationandmediastrategies.
Panosanditspartnershavesoughttowidenthereachandimpactoforaltestimoniesbyusingnon-mediacommunicationtoolssuchascommunitytheatretostimulatepublicdebateoftheissuestheyraise,andbyencouragingdifferentmedia–suchastelevision,radioandnewspapers–tousethemasarichsourceofinformationforstoriesandprogrammes.
Ghana:acommunitychannel
Workingwithcommunityradiohasprovedeffective.Forexample,in2006PanosWestAfricaworkedwithjournalistsfromfivestationsbelongingtotheGhanaRadioCommunityNetwork(GRCN)toturntheoraltestimoniestheyhadgatheredintoshortradioprogrammes.Thesecoveredpoverty-relatedtopicsasdiverseasthenationalhealthinsurancescheme,sendingchildrenawaytowork,earlypregnancy,andmicro-creditschemes.Theprogrammesnotonlystimulatedpublicdebate–forinstance,aboutteenagepregnancy–butalsopromptedlistenerstoestablishsupportandself-helpgroupsandtotakeaction.93
93Forexample,accordingtoaPanosWestAfricaevaluationreportin2006,asaresultoftheawarenessraisedbytheseradioprogrammes,twowomenobtainedalocalgovernmentloantoexpandtheirsmallbrewingbusiness;ashoemakerhelpedorganiseashoemakers’cooperative;manypeopleregisteredwiththenationalhealthinsuranceschemeforthefirsttime;onepersonreportedmigrantchildlabourtothelocalauthorities.Therewerealsoofficialrepercussions:aNationalAIDSCommissionofficialcontactedtheradiostationtofollowupsomethinghehadheardontheprogramme;aregionalministercontactedastationmanagertoaskwhyofficialshadnotbeeninvitedtospeak
Makingpovertythestory:Timetoinvolvethemediainpovertyreduction64
Whileoraltestimoniesprovideacommunicationvehicleforpoorpeople’svoices,itisalsoimportanttogeneratedebateatlocal,regionalandifpossible,nationallevels,amplifyingthemtomakesuretheyareheardbypolicymakersandthegeneralpublic.Themosteffectivewayofdoingthisisthroughthemainstreammedia.
Pakistan:aplatformforthepeople
InPakistan,innovativecollaborationbetweencommunity-basedorganisationsandthemediacombinednon-mediacommunicationactivitiesandmainstreammediacoveragetouseandpromoteoraltestimonies.PanosSouthAsiaworkedwiththeInteractiveResourcesCentre(IRC)94toturntheoraltestimoniesthatthejournalistssupportedbyPanoshadgatheredin2005intoatwo-partdramaaboutthedestructiveimpactofenvironmentaldegradationonthelivelihoodsoffisherfolkandfarmersaroundMancharLakeinSindhprovince.95Theplaywasperformedatatheatrefestival,andthenatapeople’sassemblysupportedbyPanosandtheNGOShirkatGahinMancharinJanuary2007,whereitformedthebasisofapublicdebateontheissuesaffectingpeople’slives.Theassemblybroughttogethermorethan1,200people,96includingcommunitymembers,district-levelgovernmentrepresentatives,localpoliticiansandlandlords.
Aswellasgivingmarginalisedpeopleasenseofempowermentbyhavingtheirissuesdramatisedanddebatedinawiderpublicsettingattendedbyoutsiders,theassembly’spowerwasenhancedbythedeliberatepresenceandinvolvementofthemassmedia,whosecoveragetooktheirstoriestoamuchwideraudience.AajTV97madetheMancharLakeassemblythesubjectofitsprime-timecurrentaffairsdiscussionprogrammeSeyasat,invitingexperts,localgovernmentrepresentativesandcommunitymemberstojointheaudienceandthepanel.Uks,anindependentproductionhouseproducingcurrentaffairsprogrammes,alsoproducedtwoshortradiodocumentaries,oneofwhichfocusedonproblemsfacedbywomen.
Themediacoverageplayedakeyroleinamplifyingpoorpeople’sviewsandscalingupwiderpublicdebatebyreinforcingthestronglocalimpactofthecommunity-baseddebate,andalsoprovidingaplatformforprovincialandnationaldiscussion.Theassemblyalsoencouragedneighbouringcommunitiestoholdsimilarevents,ledwellconnectedlocallandownerstovoicecommitmenttohelpingtofindsolutionsforthecommunities’problems,andpromptedtheprovincialgovernortoinvitecommunityleaderstoKarachifordiscussions.
Individualjournalistsweresensitisedandmotivatedbytheevent.KhalidJamilofAajTVsaid:‘Itwasshockingtowitnessthatthelivelihoodofpeoplehasbeenalmostdestroyedandmorethan40,000familieshavemigratedfromManchar.Ihadneverparticipatedinapeople’sassembly–itwasreallyauniqueexperience.Ifeltthatwemediarepresentativesarenotdoingjusticetoourjob.Wemusthighlightsuchissuesmoreandholdaccountableallthosewhoareresponsibleforsuchdisasters.’
94TofindoutmoreaboutIRC,seewww.interactivetheatre.org.pkForfurtherinformationaboutShirkatGah,seewww.shirkatgah.org
95ThebiggestfreshwaternaturallakeinPakistan,Mancharhasbeendamagedbytheinfluxofsalinewaterasaresultofnumerousdrainageprojects.Thecontaminationwasakeyconcernintheoraltestimonies
96Some150ofthe1,200participantswerewomen–anotinsignificantnumberasgendersensitivitiesmeanthatwomenintheinteriorofSindhprovincearenotusuallyencouragedtoattendpublicfunctions
97AajTVhasemergedasanimportantalternativeandindependentvoiceoncurrentaffairsissuesinPakistan.Itledpeople-centredcoverageoftheOctober2005earthquakeinthecountry,andtheordinaryperson’sexperienceofpovertyisaregulartopiconthechannel.Itsreputationforprojectingthepeople’svoiceandforindependentcoveragehasraiseditsprofileandpopularityamongPakistaniviewers
About Panos London
Inclusive
Webelievethatembracingtheviewsofpoorandmarginalisedpeopleisessentialforsustainableandeffectivedevelopment.
Takingpartindialogueanddebatecontributestoahealthyandvibrantsociety.
Empowering
Webelievethatpoorandmarginalisedpeopleshoulddriveandshapethechangesneededtoimprovetheirlives.
Weenablepeopletoshareinformationandideas,speakoutandbeheard.
Balanced
Webelievepeopleneedaccessibleinformationreflectingawiderangeofviews.
Thisallowsthemtomakeinformedchoicesaboutcrucialissuesthathaveanimpactontheirlives.
Diverse
Werespectdifferentviews,valuelocalknowledgeandencouragearangeofapproachesinourworkworldwide.
Webelievethatfreedomofinformationandmediadiversityareessentialfordevelopment.
Illuminating
Weshedlightonignored,misrepresentedormisunderstooddevelopmentissues.
Webelievethattheviewsofpoorandmarginalisedpeoplegivegreaterinsightintotheirlivesandofferuniqueperspectivesonthechallengestheyface.
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marc french | panos pictures borje tobiasson | panos pictures karen robinson | panos pictures giacomo pirozzi | panos pictures
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Goodjournalismcanshapepublicopinionandactasaleverforpolicychange.Itcanraiseawkwardquestionsandchampiontheviewsofpoorpeople.AtatimewhentheworldisstrugglingtoachievetheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals,thisreportarguesthatmanyinternationaldonorsareyettoappreciatethatavibrant,independentmediasectorisessentialfordevelopmentandneedssupport.
BasedonfindingsfromsixcountriesinAfricaandSouthAsia,Making poverty the storyanalysestheseriouspolitical,commercialandprofessionalobstaclestostrongermediacoverage,highlightswherethemediahaveplayedapartinraisingdebate,andidentifieswhatcivilsocietyandotherpolicyactorscoulddotosupportmoreeffectivereporting.
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CoverimageNewspaperssuchastheDaily NationinKenyacouldplayacriticalroleinraisingawarenessandpromotingdebatearoundnationalandinternationalpoliciesonpovertyreduction.
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