Engaging with the media
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COMMENTS 
Media advocacy is a way of getting an important issue adequate and accurate coverage. An initiative in Bangalore showed how media advocacy highlighted the issue of a dying river and resulted in questions being asked in the state assembly
A tiny news item on the front page of the Bangalore edition of The Times of India dated January 18, 2008 was headlined 'UK not to use "War on Terror" term'. The news brief went on to state: 'The UK has distanced itself from the US "War on Terror" with the British ministers dropping the term and deciding to use jehadis as mere 'criminals' rather than an ideology-ridden group of desperadoes.'
Page 15 of the newspaper carried a more detailed news report with the headline 'UK drops "War on Terror"'. The news report explained the rationale behind the position and why it was significant. 'As you disrupt radicalisation, you must be aware of how you describe it and must not do so in a way that is inadvertently inflammatory' it said.
This is a telling example of the way in which opinionmaking is encouraged through the use of terminology and language. Past instances of similar nature are also evidence of different efforts to promote appropriate terminology. This is evident in efforts to stem stigma and discrimination in people with HIV/AIDS, disability, mental health and now terrorism. Therefore, when 'naxalite-infested area' is replaced by 'naxalite-occupied area', the change in the media language indicates real moves within the media to enable a change in attitude while communicating to the reader.
This is indeed a part of advocacy through the media.
Defining media advocacy
Broadly understood as the strategic use of mass media for advancing a social or public policy initiative, media advocacy is not new. Here, the advocacy makes use of a set of techniques drawn from public relations, advertising, news reports, investigative journalism, letters and grassroots lobbying to influence or change public opinion. For, often, it is through the media that non-profit organisations can contribute to the processes of framing public policy issues and actively enter and participate in public debate. Newspapers and television are important players in this effort.
Another approach is networking or working with members of other organisations with similar objectives. Through networking, the membership base of the issue and the critical mass required can broaden to reach out to inform a larger group of people about the change that is desired. Formation of coalitions and alliances can also provide platforms for shared work and planning.
A third area is creating and distributing media independently. The mobile and internet services are handy tools for this. These platforms help to relate direct experiences and explain the issue from a perspective that is appropriate. In other cases, too, creative and low cost media options can complement mass media content.
The importance of building media partnerships is perhaps the starting point in this cycle towards social equity and justice. Recent years have shown several innovative efforts to engage with the media. Short-term issue-based sensitisation programmes, seminars, trainings and awards are some of the more conventional approaches. Bursaries, fellowships and small grants have also been instituted to enable journalists to follow a story through.
The 'Water Journalist'
Communication for Development and Learning (CDL), a non-profit NGO based in Bangalore (www.cdlblr.org), attempted to engage with the media through an initiative called 'Water Journalism' - an effort to promote informed media coverage of water towards social equity and justice. Editors were requested to nominate one mid-career journalist to specialise in the issue of water in what was a modest attempt to create a partnership with the language newspapers.
Why water? The reasons are not hard to understand; very simply it can be understood as 'no water, no life'.
Five newspapers joined this effort and nominated one journalist each to specialise in the issue of water. CDL worked closely with the selected group of 'Water Journalists' to inform them about different aspects of the issue, as well as to expose them to the different initiatives underway to address water management and conservation. The objective was to cover the issue in a holistic manner whenever water was in the news. (See www.waterjournalism.org for more details.)
What did this result in? The clearest manifestation was a larger number of stories on the subject, more frequent coverage, and better positioning. Each of the five journalists was able to prioritise water in his/her publication and was able to cover the various dimensions of the issue as well as understand its inner complexities. Two of the participating newspapers started a weekly column on water where complex issues were debated and discussed. The perspective and source content for the columns was drawn from factfiles, periodic exposure visits, and dialogues with experts on water.
For instance, privatisation of water was discussed at length under the shady tree cover of the Press Club where the resource person outlined the Colombian experience and the water riots while also linking it to the reality closer home. Sanitation and water was explored at different levels as was rainwater harvesting, traditional systems of water management and several other issues.
But at the end of the day, we asked ourselves -- is this media advocacy? Was an increase in coverage, albeit more informed, all that was required for creating social equity? If this was not so, could the effort be understood as journalism for journalism's sake?
A look at the big picture is perhaps necessary. Diagram 1 illustrates the linkage that was attempted which would take the coverage to impact on policy systems and towards social justice.
Water Journalism' worked at three different levels:
- At the most direct level was the continuous effort to invest in the journalists and promote a better understanding of water in the select group.
- At a second level was the involvement of the editors who committed to prioritise the issue of water in their newspapers.
- As much as the effort to increase reportage and promote informed coverage was a parallel effort to disseminate the issues investigated. Only when this coverage could be used by legislatures to table issues in the state assembly and demand accountability, would the objective of this initiative be truly met.
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A river runs dry A series of four articles on the River Kaveri in Kannada Prabha by Girish Babu, one of the 'Water Journalists' (WJ) resulted in some much needed awareness creation and action. The exercise started with an orientation meeting with S Vishwanath, a resource person of WJ, where the story angle germinated. A detailed discussion with Vishwanath and access to appropriate facts and figures were used to support the arguments that developed into this four-part series. The series started with an article titled 'In 40 years, the River Kaveri will run dry' and was followed by 'Dharam, your one signature could give the dying Kaveri a gift of life', 'Bangaloreans now need to repay their debt to drying Kaveri'. The series concluded with 'Foggy Madikeri is now steaming hot with sunlight'. The issues highlighted in these articles, of the drying up of the river, the causes of drying, and the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders, were raised in the state assembly, thereby drawing attention to the newspaper stories. This was followed by Prof B K Chandrashekhar, former minister, raising the question in the Council. Gurupadhappa Nagamarapalli, the forest minister admitted the lacuna in action by the government in this area. A question on sand mining in the tributaries of the Kaveri, raised by Mr Arunmachaiah, a member of the Council, also resulted from this series of articles. Simultaneously the coverage also evoked a positive response from readers in the 'Letters to the Editor' column. Readers appreciated the articles saying that the series provided them an insight into the Kaveri issue and forced the government to take corrective measures. They also affirmed the need to build awareness about drying of the river and need to conserve water. The series also demonstrated the editorial willingness to give space on the front page on four consecutive days and confirmed the vital role of the editor in improving the coverage. |
Results and lessons
A series of articles on the drying up of the Kaveri River in Kannada Prabha (see box) illustrates the full cycle of the concept wherein a better understanding of the issue and access to 'reliable sources', led to an informed article appearing in the anchor position of the front page of the newspaper. The story was forwarded to the MLA who tabled it in the legislative assembly. Debate on the issue followed and accountability was demanded.
Media advocacy played out the full cycle of intervention, journalism response, editorial support and policy action.
What did it take for the media to practice good, fact-based, fair and impartial journalism that informs responsibly? Some of the critical ingredients were:
- A respect for their commitment
- Long-term and sustained inputs
- Immediate coverage was not expected.
The lessons learnt from this experience were, first, that it is possible to build partnership with the media. Though Water Journalism was initiated with the language press, there was a strong indication from English language newspapers that they wanted to be involved in the initiative.
Second, the initiative worked on the principle of mutual respect. The effort was to invest in the journalists and their capacity for in-depth journalism. A spirit of mutual appreciation and respect was a dominant theme right through the programme.
Third, it was a sustained effort over a period of a year. Water journalism was not a one-time effort or a short training/sensitisation programme which expected immediate results. The design rested on the fact that equipped with better knowledge and information, journalists could integrate this understanding into any story they wrote. The output therefore was long-term and sustained.
Finally, the initiative indicated that if positioned as a partnership, editorial support was indeed possible.
Media advocacy has for too long been regarded as a campaign towards a specific end. Perhaps the approach conventionally adopted is that of a sprinter in a 100-metre dash. Can we try to convert this into a marathon...?
(Shangon Das Gupta is a Bangalore-based development writer and media researcher. The findings of the media research and analysis are used to design innovative models for building partnerships with the mainstream media to encourage informed reportage of social issues)
InfoChange News and Features, October 2008