Through Children's Eyes: The Children's Media Mentoring Project

This report shares the results of the 2006 Children in the Media Monitoring Project (CMMP), and offers insight into how children would like to see the news, based on newspapers the children produced during a workshop in 2006. The report also reflects the results of a children’s monitoring exercise and the impact of the CMMP on reporting on children in the media. It concludes with some recommendations for child-friendly reporting.

Key observations (2007) include:

• Stories about children are considerably weaker when they do not include the voices of children. Journalists can include voices and opinions of children to make stories stronger, more believable, and authentic.
• Names should always be changed and identities not revealed in order to protect vulnerable children.
• Sometimes it is clear to audiences that children have not been asked permission for their photographs to be taken or published. Children should always be consulted on whether, and how, they would like to be portrayed.
• Gender sensitivity needs to be incorporated into reporting on children. The “girls as victims” and “boys as heroes” stereotype should be avoided.
• Just because children are often vulnerable, does not mean that they are always helpless victims. They are also strong and resilient. A balance needs to be struck between reporting their vulnerability and not stereotyping them in the “victim” role.
• Photographs that are aesthetic and ethical can be taken. The challenge to take images sensitively enhances the creativity of the photograph.
• Generic photographs from the archive should be avoided. They raise ethical issues around informed consent for the particular story they accompany.
• A good and ethical story or photograph should always be child-centred and in the best interests of the child.
• In order to develop a child-friendly approach, journalists should familiarise themselves with the law, ethics, and rights around reporting on children.
• Journalists can benefit greatly from interacting with children in contexts like the CMMP.
• Sometimes headlines, captions, and generic photographs compromise the integrity of a good story. Sub-editors should be involved in issues related to reporting on children to ensure this is addressed.
• Editors can and should be drawn into the process. With editorial commitment, coverage of children improves significantly.

Centre Lokolé - the "Supporting Congo's Transition Towards Sustainable Peace" Programme in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

This Centre Lokolé programme included:

- Production of 10 weekly radio programmes which are distributed to a total of 84 radio stations (including the production of 6 weekly radio programmes broadcast through approximately 35 stations in the Kiswahili zone);

- Activities aimed at reducing tensions in Eastern DRC, including 4 facilitated community reconciliation projects and the establishment of 2 theatre troupes specialising in participatory theatre for conflict transformation;

- Provision of basic factual and official documentation related to various national processes to partner radio stations, as well as in-kind support (basic broadcasting equipment) to help these stations disseminate that information;

- Distribution of a comic strip version of one of the radio soap operas, as well as posters on elections and other transition issues; and

- Training sessions for approximately 200 journalists and writers of radio drama in "common ground journalism", writing for specific formats, and editing processes.

Key findings (2006):

• Centre Lokolé (CL) has contributed to media development through the training of professionals - including the young 'Sisi Watoto' reporters - and by setting high standards in its own programmes. It is the only organisation in DRC tackling elections from the standpoint of covering positive stories while being alert to the potential for conflict to result from the language or choice of stories chosen.
• When compared to other media organisations in the country, CL's programme includes a wide range of activities which are not being attempted by other organisations. These include developing creative radio formats, especially drama; promoting a production by and for children broadcast throughout the Kiswahili zone; and developing programme formats which allow ordinary people from all over the country to have their say. CL's approach could be used as an example for other organisations on how to use a multi-media approach with inventiveness and creativity, and, as such, is a contribution to improved media standards throughout DRC.

Writing for Our Lives: How the Maisha Yetu Project Changed Health Coverage in Africa

This publication documents best practices from Maisha Yetu, a media project involving continuous in-house mentoring and training on health care reporting in six African media houses over a two-year period.

Key findings (2006):

• The uninterrupted presence of journalist-trainers (as opposed to the more widespread model of one-time workshops on health care reporting) has allowed for the integration of theory and practice, resulting in changes in the quantity and quality of reporting on HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. It has created champions of health care journalism in mid- and upper-level management where there was little or none before. It has helped journalists to recognise the centrality of women's stories in the HIV/AIDS crisis.
• One quantifiable impact of Maisha Yetu was the increase in the number of stories produced on HIV/AIDS,TB and malaria at the two Centers of Excellence. According to Kasse, from September 2004 to May 2005, Le Soleil ran 106 stories on HIV/AIDS, nine on TB, and 43 on malaria. He estimates Maisha Yetu influenced about one-third of the stories produced during this time.
• According to El Bachir Sow of Le Soleil, Maisha Yetu:

- Improved reporting because of the information that Tidiane Kasse provided at workshops and through online mentoring. "Our correspondents increased their awareness about the importance of these diseases and how they relate to local development," said Sow. "They also learned to have a wider focus and to include community actors. Giving them opportunities to go into the field also helped them to give a human touch to their stories."

- For the first time, journalists from the two Centers of Excellence shared experiences with one another and with reporters from their outlying bureaus at joint training workshops. This was Kasse's idea. It had never happened before because the journalists were used to working independently.

- Maisha Yetu put TB in journalists' and editors' agendas for the first time by highlighting the magnitude of this hidden epidemic. Prior to Maisha Yetu,TB had been a neglected disease in Senegal’s media. After Maisha Yetu, the newspaper ran significant reports on TB from the field. By providing minimal financial support, Maisha Yetu also helped journalists report on malaria from the field.

• According to Ndeye Fatou Sy, chief editor at Sud FM, Maisha Yetu:

- Boosted interest in health coverage among the reporters selected to work with Maisha Yetu. Being selected to become a Center of Excellence motivated reporters to put maximum effort into the project. It also made them proud because they perceived this as recognition of their efforts in promoting health coverage as a public service.

- Sensitized the entire newsroom to HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB, which meant they produced more stories on these diseases.

- Increased by 20 to 30 percent the number of stories on the three diseases done by reporters in the provinces.

- Introduced gender perspective on the three diseases into stories. For the journalists, considering gender impact on disease was an entirely new way to approach coverage.

Political Economy of Government Responsiveness

This article is a political economy analysis of the responsiveness of governments to the needs of vulnerable populations in situations that require state-based food distribution and disaster aid. The authors seek to examine how democratic institutions and mass media have affected the responsiveness of state level governments in India from 1958-1992. The authors posit several theories that suggest that more informed and politically active electorates strengthen the system of incentives for government responsiveness. They then test these models against data from a variety of sources.

Key findings (2002):

• The data reveals strong, significant, and positive correlations between newspaper circulation levels and two measures of government responses. A 1 % increase in newspaper circulation is associated with a 2.4 % increase in public food distribution and a 5.5 % increase in calamity relief expenditures. It appears that states with higher levels of media development are more active in protecting vulnerable citizens.