mediadev library

Sort by:

Direction:

Common Service Evaluation: What Role Has the Common Service Played in Helping Agencies Communicate with Rohingya and Host Communities During the Covid-19 Pandemic?

Nicola Bailey, Nushrat Mehjabin, Sifati Tamanna

London: BBC Media Action (2021), 51 pp.

"The common service for community engagement and accountability, through its consortium members BBC Media Action and Translators Without Borders (TWB), aims to help agencies and sectors working to support Rohingya refugees and local host communities living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh to achieve thi ... s by providing a range of specialist, technical support services. Movement restrictions implemented since the beginning of the pandemic meant that humanitarian programmes were reduced to essential services only in the Rohingya camps, community engagement efforts were restricted, and many initiatives planned for the host community were cancelled. The common service adapted its activities in a number of ways: carrying out online training sessions with practitioners; conducting telephone research with communities; shifting the focus of communication products to meet communities’ information needs around Covid-19; and working with partners to use communication channels which would ensure information was still able to reach communities [...] This evaluation has shown that practitioners feel the common service played a critical role in getting important information to Rohingya communities during this time. It did this through: - Helping partner agencies understand Rohingya communitiesf perspectives and concerns, and how to communicate with them, based on up to date research and a cultural understanding developed over time (using What Matters? as a vehicle for sharing this information, as well as providing practitioner training and bespoke advice). - Creating and disseminating audio and visual content which is easy for Rohingya people to understand, and helps volunteers and field staff communicate effectively with them. - Working in partnership with humanitarian agencies to adapt communication strategies and make sure information was reaching people despite Covid-19 restrictions, for example adapting audio programmes to be played through mosque loudspeaker systems; training Imams to communicate on Covid-19; ensuring content is played at food distribution points and other essential services; and equipping community health workers with simple and effective communication materials about Covid-19 to use in door to door visits." (Executive summary) more

External Link (13)

Somalia Media Landscape: Key Results

London: BBC Media Action (2021), 1 p.

"Radio remains most popular media platform. Over half listen to the radio weekly. Internet is more accessed than TV. TV is watched mostly by young, urban, wealthier people. Men use all media platforms more than women [...] A nationally representative sample of 2,004 adults aged 18+ in Somalia were i ... more

External Link (16)

Understanding How Young Cambodians (15-30 Year Olds) Use Media and Information: Key Findings

BBC Media Action (2021), 6 pp.

"Social media is the most popular form of media, consumed by 87% of 15-30 year old Cambodians. Nevertheless, traditional mass media (television and radio) remain important, particularly for more vulnerable groups. For example, TV usage is higher amongst women, those from rural locations, and those f ... more

External Link (15)

Supporting Young Ethiopians to Secure and Succeed in Employment: What Role Can Communication Play?

BBC Media Action (2021), 3 pp.

"Based on this research, it was found that media and communication interventions could seek to leverage young Ethiopians’ optimism and enthusiasm, providing informative and inspiring content to fuel their ideas. This insight informed the creation of a social and behaviour change (SBCC) strategy to ... more

External Link (16)

Inspiring the Younger Generation in Ethiopia: How Can the Older Generation Support Ethiopian Youth?

Hilina Assefa, Kaushiki Ghose

London: BBC Media Action (2021), 7 pp.

"Key objectives of the research study were to understand young Ethiopians’ employment opportunities, aspirations, interactions with their elders and how they feel they are perceived by older generations. Conducted in May 2021, this research study involved participants from four Ethiopian states an ... more

External Link (15)

How Social Media is Helping Bridge Divides and Support Women’s Empowerment in Libya

London: BBC Media Action (2021), 2 pp.

"El Kul is seen as an impartial, timely, relevant and trusted source of information in Libya: the vast majority of the survey respondents (over 90%) agreed or strongly agreed that El Kul is informative and provides balanced and trustworthy content. There was a 7% increase in the proportion of respon ... more

External Link (15)

How Do Young Ethiopians Differ in Their Aspirations, Attitudes and Views About Their Future?

Hilina Assefa, Nicola Bailey

BBC Media Action (2021), 12 pp.

"BBC Media Action surveyed 2000 young people (aged 15–29) in four regions and the city administration of Addis Ababa in May 2021. The study highlighted differences in young Ethiopians’ attitudes towards work and saving, education, traditional gender and cultural norms, and youth participation in ... more

External Link (15)

Using Drama to Encourage Non-Violent Conflict Resolution in South Sudan

London: BBC Media Action (2020), 2 pp.

"Mixed methods research found that including entertaining and relatable characters and storylines in the Life in Lulu radio drama engaged listeners and helped them to apply lessons from the programme to resolve conflicts peacefully in their own households and communities." (Page 1)

External Link (10)

Enabling Media Markets to Work for Democracy: An International Fund for Public Interest Media. Feasibility Study

James Deane, Maha Taki et al.

London: BBC Media Action (2020), 121 pp.

"This study outlines the case for, and the practical feasibility of establishing, a new International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM). Such a Fund would focus mainly on resource-poor settings across the world where the economic and political challenges confronting independent media have becom ... more

External Link (6)

Responding to the COVID-19 Info-Demic: Lessons from Quick, Collective, and Localised Action. A Policy Brief by the H2H Network on What Worked and What We Need to Do Next

BBC Media Action; evidence aid; Internews; Translators Without Borders (2020), 4 pp.

"Internews, Translators without Borders, and BBC Media Action collaborated to track and analyse rumours and misinformation circulating on social media in a range of languages. At the same time, Evidence Aid produced plain-language summaries of existing high-quality research to inform the decisions o ... more

External Link (13)

Handbook for Media: The New Coronavirus and COVID-19

Genevieve Hutchinson, Jacqueline Dalton

London: BBC Media Action (2020), 34 pp.

"The new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can spread rapidly and cause a lot of harm. But if communities respond appropriately and quickly, it is possible to limit its spread and the damage it causes. Mass media and communication have an absolutely vital role to play in this effort. Media can: provi ... more

External Link (15)

Life in Lulu: How Can Radio Drama Shift Peoples’ Perceptions Around Violence and Support Women to Resolve Disputes?

London: BBC Media Action (2020), 11 pp.

"There is evidence that [the radio drama series] 'Life in Lulu' had a strong impact on women’s attitudes and inspired female listeners to resolve conflicts non-violently and encourage others to do the same. This seems to be driven by having characters that are engaging to women and storylines that ... more

External Link (15)

Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Nutrition in Nepal: Informing and Motivating Communities to Pursue Healthier Practices in Mid- and Far-Western Districts

Sanjib Saha, Astha Siwakoti, Bhabasagar Ghimire

London: BBC Media Action (2020), 11 pp.

"This research briefing presents three case studies that demonstrate how BBC Media Action used insights from formative qualitative research to create public service announcements (PSAs) in 12 districts of midand far-western Nepal. BBC Media Action worked with local radio stations to target specific ... more

External Link (13)

In Full View: Creatively Tackling Sanitation in India

London: BBC Media Action (2020), 14 pp.

"Navrangi Re! (Nine To A Shade), a 26–episode television drama series was created to take the discussion on e Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) to mainstream audiences, beyond the domain of infrastructure and technology. It was the result of a unique partnership between a donor (the Bill & Melinda Ga ... tes Foundation), a commercial media network (Viacom18), an academic institution (Centre for Social & Behavior Change, Ashoka University), an evaluation partner (Oxford Policy Management), and a global media brand with proven social and behaviour change communication expertise (BBC Media Action). Navrangi Re! is the story of an urban neighbourhood – a mohalla – where lots of different people live cheek by jowl, and through the trials and tribulations of life in an urban jungle, find ways to overcome this constant crisis mode that has become normalised. The mohalla is a creative device to accommodate an entire socio–economic microcosm, with different families occupying different points on the sanitation value chain [...] The evaluation results of Navrangi Re! demonstrate the power of narratives in making the invisible, visible – in bringing attention to critical, silent and complex social problems. They also validate the science, art and craft used in BBC Media Action’s narrative ‘engagement’ model – a) rooting the storytelling in research and theory, b) a commitment to an immersive creative approach and c) an unwavering focus on ‘entertainment first’. The results also show that it is possible for narratives to walk the tightrope between outcomes and audience ratings to achieve change. There is strong evidence that an insight–based Theory of Change combined with all the ingredients that make compelling drama helped Navrangi Re! deliver on the twin challenges of achieving Television Rating Points (TRPs) week after week and demonstrating impact. The results shine the light on the need for innovative partnerships. Crafting partnerships that bring together donors, private sector platforms, academia, research and storytellers is the need of the hour. In a post–Covid world, different stakeholders need to convene more of these partnerships to leverage the power of narrative for stronger societies." (Pages 2-14) more

External Link (10)

Helping Radio Listeners Manage Their Money in Myanmar

Anna Colquhoun, Nicola Bailey et al.

BBC Media Action (2019), 7 pp.

"Through understanding audience members’ priorities, views and experiences, Yay Kyi Yar ['Towards Clearer Water', a factual magazine radio programme] has been able to engage and inspire people. Listeners were driven by stories of ‘people like them’ achieving things they had not thought possibl ... more

External Link (17)

How Has Media Programming Supported Polio Eradication?

Sanjib Saha

London: BBC Media Action (2018), 11 pp.

"Since 2013, BBC Media Action has been working closely with Unicef to support polio eradication. Through mass media programming – radio magazine shows and drama, and radio and TV public service announcements (PSAs) – it has sought to break down barriers to immunising against polio and other chil ... more

External Link (16)

How Effective is Communication in the Rohingya Refugee Response? An Evaluation of the Common Service for Community Engagement and Accountability

Nicola Bailey, Mahmuda Hoque, Katherine Michie, Fuad Ur Rabbi

London: BBC Media Action (2018), 30 pp.

"A survey, conducted in July 2018, interviewed 750 people from the Rohingya community and 750 people from the host community (local Bangladeshi citizens) about how they access information, what they think of the information and how they communicate with aid providers. The survey tracked how perceive ... d provision of information has changed since an initial information needs assessment, carried out by Internews, in October 2017 [...] The survey shows that people feel substantially more informed in July 2018 than they did in October 2017. The Internews study in October found that only 23% of Rohingya men and women felt they had enough information to make good decisions for themselves and their family. This recent study shows that 84% feel they have enough information to make good decisions for themselves and their families and three quarters (75%) of the Rohingya community said it had become easier to get information over the last six months. This is similar to other data collected – a recent Translators without Borders study found that 68% of Rohingya refugees feel they have enough information to make decisions. During fieldwork, almost a third (30%) of Rohingya survey respondents asked the data collectors questions such as, did they know where to collect relief, or did they know anything about the Government’s plans for repatriation? This suggests that while the Rohingya community feel better informed than when they first arrived, they still have many questions, particularly around their future – only 41% of respondents said they felt informed about their options for the future. The survey showed that the current key information needs of the Rohingya and host community are around their main concerns – where to find food. The Rohingya are also worried about sourcing cooking fuel, while the host community is seeking information around financial support as a result of perceived declining employment opportunities [...] Mahjis (Rohingya community leaders) are the main source of information for Rohingya people (mentioned by 87% of participants) and are now the most trusted source of information (they were only ranked 7th in the October 2017 information needs assessment). This increase in trust may be reflective of how agencies and camp coordinators are more systematically using mahjis to share information with people in their camp block. Mahjis are the main channel through which Rohingya communities say they communicate with aid providers (mentioned by 38% of respondents)." (Executiv summary) more

External Link (18)

What Role Can Drama Play in Conflict? A Radio Drama for Syria: Qualitative Research Findings

Sally Gowland

London: BBC Media Action (2018), 5 pp.

"Against the backdrop of the war in Syria BBC Media Action produced and broadcast 150 episodes of the radio drama Hay el Matar (Airport District) between 2015 and 2017. Funded by the European Commission as part of a broader project aiming to help build an open and inclusive society in Syria, the dra ... more

External Link (14)

A Guide for the Media on Communicating in Public Health Emergencies

Genevieve Hutchinson, Jacqueline Dalton

London: BBC Media Action (2018), 30 pp.

"This manual provides tips for media practitioners on how to help audiences during health emergencies. It can be read in conjunction with BBC Media Action’s Lifeline Production Manual (available online) which provides more general guidance on how to communicate with people affected by humanitarian ... more

External Link (13)

Is it Time for a Global Fund for Free and Independent Media?

James Deane

BBC Media Action (2018)

"In recent weeks I have argued there is a need to bring fresh energy, creativity and intensity to efforts to support independent media. But these alone will not be enough. There is a fundamental problem of resources so I propose the creation of a new Global Fund for Free and Independent Media focuse ... more