Making Poverty Newsworthy

from All Africa

Leadership (Abuja)

By Kunle Somorin
Abuja

As the half term results of the Millenium Development Goals are being reviewed, it is clear the 2015 may be a pipedream for developing nations quest for eradication, or even halving the poverty ratio. In a recent report by Panos, a London-based communication think-tank, the mass media have a herculean task to mainstream poverty as a core beat in order to help the multilateral dream. Kunle Somorin gives the synopsis:

One of the major planks of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to reduce the number of people living in abject poverty by half. Mid- point into 2015, poverty continue to straddle the entire life and living of people in sub- Sahara Africa and most of South Asia. These two sub-regions are noted for being homes to 75% of the world's poorest.

In terms of journalism practice, many of these countries, particularly in Africa, are still in their fledging; the media is still an infant industry struggling to find its feet. Despite, these obvious constraints, the report argues that the time has come for all policy actors to recognize and support the potentially critical contribution of the mass media to efforts to reduce poverty in low - income countries.

The reoprt, released last month acknowledges the efforts aimed at pushing poverty out of circulation. Regrettably, it returns a grim score - card on previous exercises. The melange of efforts, especially the World Bank - approved and - supported Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPS), it states needs a greater dosage of public enlightenment, which the mass media seemed best suited to champion.

In spite of the praise - worthiness of PRSPs, a major snag is that many international donors, who claim to be working to reduce poverty are yet to appreciate "that a vibrant and independent media sector is essential for development and needs support".

The research conducted across six countries in Africa, including Nigeria and South Asia analyses a wide spectrum of the society and found a nexus between the outreach capacity of the mass media, the serious political, commercial and professional dimensions that impede or beef up media coverage. It also discloses that the media have done well in previous endeavours, especially during the struggle for independence and in stemming the tide of authoritarian regimes in their countries. These successes recommend them for the daunting task of poverty reduction.

Specifically, the report notes that by raising awkward questions and championing the views of poor people, partnering with the media can bring about the re-sharpening of public opinion and act as a lever for policy change. The multi-lateral agencies, should realise that high - quality public services and public interest journalism are intertwined and public media practice needs to be viewed as 'public goods'.

"Public goods", is said to be an economic term referring to goods which once produced (or existing) benefit all members of a society - for instance, peace, clean air, education justice.

It also take cognizance of public service journalism as involving media content that is valued for its intrinsic merit; based on the highest professional standards and wider benefit for society and not just the commercial worth. A major feature of this brand of journalism is said to be "accessibility (including by poor and marginalised people) and quality content that is true, informative and reflects different voices and perspectives".

On its own, public interest journalism is stretched to include media content that provides citizens access to information on key aspects of public life significantly affecting their well - being and involvement. Such coverage tends to address neglected or unexplored discourse or illegitimately kept confidential or secret by public and private power - holders. By exposing these ill-conceited information and stories, the media encourages accountable governance and supports the ability of the citizens to hold power-holders to account.

The enormity of these tasks, naturally, makes for challenges and constraints. Commercial and political pressures are key concerns here. In the wake of media liberalization, competition has threatened the diversity of coverage and quality of content. The pursuit of 'saleable stories' is therefore thrown up to the detriment of pro - poor reports that have little commercial value. Since survival is the name of the game, newspapers and electronic media concentrate on "attractive" subjects, giving focus for mainstream public affairs reporting that can jell with conventional audiences with the requisite financial muscle. Even where features on personality - based coverage of elite politics are available, the pressure on editorial space makes a no - case submission for the poverty beat before editors.

Advertising revenue, being the life - wire of most African media organizations, makes reporting the poor unattractive. Who pays the bill? This structural problem of media finance, oftentimes influence editorial judgement. It is further compounded by the dynamics of under - skilled, under - trained, poorly paid and precariously employed journalists operating the system.

The report further argues that with these constraints: "Time and resources may not be available to find the research needed for stories on poverty reduction, especially ones informed by poor people's views". Clearly, an ill-informed journalist a danger to the society because he/she is fraught with the ability to gather and decipher the growing range of information and analysis on poverty reduction issues. They are hindered also by frequent official secrecy, bureaucratic red tape and an apparent ingrained tendency to rely on state and government sources of information, even when in short supply or difficult to access. That, however, is not to say that in terms of PRSPs, some governments have not made progress in official information-sharing and public communication. Official media relations capacity could still be strengthened as part of continued progress.

But, the report notes, many journalists are unable and unprepared to track down and use alternative information sources when they miss out on stories. This weakness is not only due to skill deficiencies, but reflects problematic professional practices associated with the alleged shortcomings of 'event-' and 'statement-based' reporting, which, though a crucial media activity, often lacks analytical depth.

A key opportunity identified is the unrealised potential of better understanding and working relations between civil society and the media. Interaction has often been impaired by misunderstandings and misplaced assumptions and expectations of each other's role and practices.

Given media resource problems, this situation has often led to the media and journalists accepting or being offered payment by civil society organisations to cover their 'stories' or to carry pieces that civil society groups have written themselves. Whatever the possible short-term benefits for communicating with the public on poverty reduction issues, these practices can often be questioned on the grounds of the outputs' journalistic worth and longer-term sustainability.

The report argues that civil society must develop a stronger understanding, not just of the constraints and pressures journalists deal with, but also a greater appreciation of their professional needs and how to meet them. Conversely, the report argues that the media, in its coverage of poverty reduction, has much to gain through stronger interaction with civil society. The benefits include sources, insights and contacts and greater familiarity with the issues at stake, as seen by those often working closely with or seeking to represent poor people. One of civil society's concerns is that the media can often lack a sensitive, rigorous grasp of policy issues and the practical and political challenges of working with poor people and policymakers.

Highlighting the example of one recent initiatives with editors in Kenya (which revealed that poverty stories can indeed provoke considerable interest among public audiences), the report stresses the crucial importance of engaging media owners, managers and editors in discussions of how to strengthen the level and quality of coverage of issues related to poverty reduction.

How editors view the opportunities and constraints for meeting this challenge, and what will resonate with public audiences, is a vital starting point. Further information on their views, and those of public audiences, would help all policy actors - and working journalists themselves - to pitch possible stories more effectively in an often difficult media context.

One significant impression is that promotion of poverty as a traditional social welfare issue is unlikely to boost the level, range and impact of national coverage. But while the prevalence of poverty may challenge its newsworthiness, the report stresses that feature stories can have a very important place when new angles are found and hard-hitting human stories told.

Similar questions are raised over the value of promoting public interest stories on poverty reduction as a specialist topic. Particular aspects of the policy process intimately linked to poverty reduction - such as national budgets, a key item on journalists' agendas -could be promoted with the media. But, rather than focusing on the institutional mechanics of PRSPs or national development plans, those keen to interest the media may find it more productive to focus on key aspects of wider policy-making relevant to strategies on poverty reduction, drawing out the links, inconsistencies or gaps.

The media and public audiences thrive on controversy, so the pros and cons of contentious decisions such as state reform or privatisation may prove more interesting, particularly when local and national political angles and their real-life relevance to the public can be brought out. Whatever the story, those wishing to engage the media need to be aware that a key consideration for the media will always be its topicality, newsworthiness and audience impact.

One approach to engage the interest of media is to look for ways in which

possible poverty reduction stories can be integrated into the core 'beats' of journalists such as politics, business and economics, governance, corruption, crime and so on. Some editors consulted stated that, notwithstanding their concern poverty reduction is unlikely to become a distinct area of specialisation, given the nature and demands of the mass media.

This suggests that just as space would be welcome for journalists to develop knowledge of poverty reduction issues and how they relate to core topics, the actual journalistic skills required - such as critical analysis and research skills - may not be much different from those needed to cover any subject. Covering poverty reduction may be a reflection of the wider challenge of strengthening public interest reporting. These are issues to be considered by those outside and within the media industry concerned with supporting stronger journalist training.

The report stresses the need to recognise and support the vitally important role that alternative media such as community radio can play, and that other forms of inclusive communication (such as oral testimonies and community theatre) can be successfully combined with the involvement of the mass media to amplify poor people's voices and scale up their impact.

The report urges all actors to strengthen their support for the media, recognising both the value of the mainstream media's public service and public interest roles and the contribution of alternative media, as part of an integral approach to the whole sector. For all the benefits of specific initiatives to tackle problems and seize opportunities, it concludes that a structural approach is called for, including support for comprehensive public policies on the media.