Time to involve the media in poverty reduction - Panos London

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

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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

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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


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

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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


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.

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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

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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


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


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


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...


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


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


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.


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


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...


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.’


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


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.’


59AshighlightedbyKenyanjournalistJohnKamau,forexample,referringtothechallengesofcoveringacomplexpoverty-relatedissuesuchasinternationaltradenegotiationsintheWTO,theabilityofthemediatointerpretcriticallydifferentsourcesofinformationandpolicyviewsbecomesevenmoreimportantwhenthecompetingpositionsarecontestedonthepoliticalstage.Asnote53,p58

60Thisisnottodismisstheimportanceandusefulnessofeffectivepackagingofinformationforjournalists,forexamplebycivilsociety,orjournalists’useofthem.Itistosuggestthatjournalistsneedtousesuchinformationmorecriticallyandalsoexploitthevalueofthewiderrangeofresourcesthatexist


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


Donorsarealreadyencouraginggovernmentstoestablishindependentauditofficesandjudiciariesaspartofapackageofgovernancereforms.Civilsocietyorganisationsarealsoactiveongovernanceandaccountabilityissues,andthereisgrowinginterestintheroleofparliamentsandlocalgovernments.Ideally,theroleandneedsofthemediacouldbeconsideredbytheactorsinvolvedinallthesedevelopments.

Butanyaspirationsforthemediatoplayastrongerscrutinyrolewillneedtoinvolvemuchgreaterattentiontothechallengeofdevelopingthestrongerknowledge,criticalskills,andinformation-gatheringskillscoveredinthissection.Withoutthem,independentmediareportingcouldbecompromised,asjournalists’challengestotheperformanceandpracticesofpublicandprivateactorsriskfallingpreytotheself-interestedpromptingsofgiveninterestgroupsseekingcoverageskewedintheirfavour.

Withincivilsociety,someevenarguethatthemedia,asactorstraditionallylinkedwiththeextensionofdemocraticaccountability,wouldbenefitfromastrongerandwiderunderstandingofhumanrights–economic,socialandcultural,aswellascivilandpolitical.Thisisnottosuggestthatthemediabecomehumanrightsadvocatesorexpertsthemselves,butthatthoseactiveinthisareacouldsharetipswithjournalistsastohowanunderstandingofhumanrightsdisciplinescouldhelpthemconsiderdifferentissuesinreporting.

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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


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.


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.


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


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

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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


‘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.


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=15&microId=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.


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.


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

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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.


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


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

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nDevelopspecificmediadevelopmentproposalsrelevanttopublicinterestcoverageofpublicpolicyissuessuchaspovertyreduction,presentingthemtogovernments,donorsandoutsidemediasupportorganisationsastheyintroduceinitiativesandfinanceprogrammesaimedatstrongerpoliciesandpracticalsupportforthesector.


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

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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


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.

www.panos.org.uk sven torfinn | panos pictures

marc french | panos pictures borje tobiasson | panos pictures karen robinson | panos pictures giacomo pirozzi | panos pictures

PanosLondon9WhiteLionStreetLondonN19PDUnitedKingdom

Goodjournalismcanshapepublicopinionandactasaleverforpolicychange.Itcanraiseawkwardquestionsandchampiontheviewsofpoorpeople.AtatimewhentheworldisstrugglingtoachievetheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals,thisreportarguesthatmanyinternationaldonorsareyettoappreciatethatavibrant,independentmediasectorisessentialfordevelopmentandneedssupport.

BasedonfindingsfromsixcountriesinAfricaandSouthAsia,Making poverty the storyanalysestheseriouspolitical,commercialandprofessionalobstaclestostrongermediacoverage,highlightswherethemediahaveplayedapartinraisingdebate,andidentifieswhatcivilsocietyandotherpolicyactorscoulddotosupportmoreeffectivereporting.

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CoverimageNewspaperssuchastheDaily NationinKenyacouldplayacriticalroleinraisingawarenessandpromotingdebatearoundnationalandinternationalpoliciesonpovertyreduction.

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Time to involve the media in poverty reduction - Panos London

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