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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

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Strengthening Accountability Through Media in Nigeria: Final Evaluation

Michael Adebisi, Foluke Fadare et al.

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 47 pp.

"In a highly competitive media landscape, BBC Media Action’s governance programmes reached 52.8 million people in 2014 (and an estimated 64.6 million cumulatively), representing more than half the adult population of the country. One reason for this success was the brokering of radio partnerships ... more

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Strengthening Accountability Through Media in Kenya: Final Evaluation

Catharine Buckell, Sopie Baskett

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 59 pp.

"Funded by DFID, under the Global Grant project, BBC Media Action produced three seasons of the weekly TV and radio programme Sema Kenya (Kenya Speaks). Sema Kenya featured a moderated discussion between a live panel of officials and an audience of ‘ordinary’ Kenyans and was designed to enable i ... ndividuals, communities and governments to be better informed and more engaged in tackling governance challenges. Alongside this, BBC Media Action delivered a mentoring programme, initially with six local radio stations, and later with the national broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), which has the largest footprint in the country. Through this work, BBC Media Action aimed to strengthen the capacity of Kenya’s media sector to produce governance programming that supported and mainstreamed the overall objectives of the project at both the local and national level. [...] Sema Kenya contributed to people being more informed about and engaged in politics. Audiences were more knowledgeable about politics, discussed it more with friends and family, felt more confident in their ability to influence political processes and participated more in governance related activities (particularly at the community level) – all factors that support bottom-up accountability. Audiences themselves linked Sema Kenya with these outcomes. This finding was validated by analysis confirming a significant positive relationship between watching or listening to Sema Kenya and consistently higher knowledge, discussion and confidence to engage in politics, even when taking into account other factors that might influence these outcomes (such as education, age and interest in politics). While Sema Kenya’s audience was more likely to participate in politics, qualitative research respondents rarely attributed their actions directly to what they had heard on Sema Kenya. This reflects findings from advanced quantitative analysis (structural equation modelling) that suggests the link between Sema Kenya and increased political participation is indirect and mediated by political knowledge, discussion and self-efficacy. Supported by an extensive network of broadcast partners that stretched across all 47 counties in Kenya, the discussion programme reached an estimated 12.7 million people over three seasons, with a peak audience of 5.7 million in 2013 – the year of the general election. The show also maintained a loyal audience throughout all three seasons, with around half of all those reached annually tuning in for at least every second episode." (Executive summary, pages 6-7) more

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Doing Debate Differently: Media and Accountability

Will Taylor

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 34 pp.

"This paper discusses a number of ways in which media plays a part in increasing accountability. It draws on quantitative and qualitative data from BBC Media Action’s work in nine countries. It finds that: media can influence accountability by empowering people, creating opportunities for construc ... more

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Turn Up the Volume: Empowering Women Through Media. Lessons from BBC Media Action’s Governance Programming

Josephine Casserly

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 26 pp.

"This practice briefing sets out what BBC Media Action has learned about how media can provide a platform for both men and women to hold their leaders to account, while empowering them to participate in their own communities. Unpicking the challenges faced and the solutions found, it will bring toge ... more

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A Bigger Splash – Partnering for Impact: Lessons from BBC Media Action’s Work to Improve Maternal and Child Health

Sophia Wilkinson

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 30 pp.

"Drawing on BBC Media Action’s work on maternal and child health with governmental and non-governmental partners in Bangladesh, India and Ethiopia, this paper discusses: the value of these partnerships for successful health communication; the part played by media and communication in wider health ... more

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Strengthening Accountability Through Media in Afghanistan: Final Evaluation

Anna Godfrey, Georgina Page, Ahmad Tamim Sharifzai

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 59 pp.

"In 2012 the opportunity for ordinary Afghans to communicate with political authorities or hold them to account was extremely limited. To help address this BBC Media Action worked with state broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) and the BBC Afghan Service to co-produce the TV and radio nati ... more

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Improving Maternal and Child Health Through Media in South Sudan: Final Evaluation

Trish Doherty, Karen O’Connor

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 51 pp.

"Following decades of civil war, South Sudan still lacks a functioning healthcare system and has some of the worst maternal and child health indicators in the world. To help address this, between 2012 and 2017 BBC Media Action produced and broadcast a range of national radio programmes seeking to in ... more

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Media and Political Participation: Fostering Inclusive Governance

Andrea Scavo, Chris Snow

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 55 pp.

"Increased political participation is seen as central to building accountability between citizens and leaders. Through debate and other factual programmes BBC Media Action uses media and communication to foster participation by providing information, stimulating discussion and enabling people to int ... more

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Lifeline: Working with Broadcasters in Humanitarian Crises. Tips for Aid Workers on Working with Media to Save Lives

Jacqueline Dalton

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 23 pp.

"The guide is not about how to use media for public relations or fund-raising purposes; it focuses on working with media to share useful and actionable information with communities affected by crisis. Humanitarians call this kind of communication different things: “community engagement”, “comm ... more

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Lifeline Production Manual: A Guide on How to Make Programming for People Affected by Humanitarian Emergencies

Jacqueline Dalton

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 26 pp.

"The purpose of Lifeline programming is to make content for people affected by humanitarian crises in order to help save lives and reduce suffering [...] Lifeline programming requires a different approach from conventional newsgathering and reporting. It involves sharing practical, actionable inform ... more

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Strengthening Accountability Through Media in Sierra Leone: Final Evaluation

Karen O’Connor, Josephus Kongo

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 55 pp.

"The magazine programme Fo Rod and the debate show Tok Bot Salone built a loyal and engaged audience. The number of people who listened to either one or both programmes increased from 0.8 million in 2013 to 1.1 million in 2015, representing 29% of all adults. The proportion of regular listeners was ... more

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Accountability, Nation and Society: The Role of Media in Remaking Nepal

Kiran Bhandari, Dipak Bhattarai, James Deane

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 23 pp.

"This briefing explores some of the key challenges facing the Nepali media. It outlines growing concerns over politicisation and co-option, particularly of the mainstream Kathmandu-based media, as well as other economic and technological challenges facing the media. The briefing further outlines how ... more

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Voices of Refugees: Information and Communication Needs of Refugees in Greece and Germany

Theodora Hannides, Nicola Bailey, Dwan Kaoukji

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 52 pp.

"This study provides a snapshot of refugees’ experiences regarding communication and information at different points on their journey. It examines the communication behaviours and priority information needs of refugees in three areas: on their journey, in “transit” camps in Greece, and in Germ ... more

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Curbing Corruption and Fostering Accountability in Fragile Settings: Why an Imperilled Media Needs Better Support

James Deane

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 29 pp.

"An independent media is one of the most effective assets we have in efforts to curb corruption and foster accountability. Yet it is deeply imperilled, particularly in fragile states and often poorly understood by the international development sector. This policy working paper argues that unless dev ... more

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Communication in Sierra Leone: An Analysis of Media and Mobile Audiences

Annabelle Wittels, Nick Maybanks

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 52 pp.

"The survey indicates that radio remains the most widely accessed broadcast platform in Sierra Leone. In all, eight out of 10 (81%) Sierra Leoneans have access to radio, and 47% listen to it daily. Radio listenership is fractured, however, with no single station able to reach a national audience. Ar ... more

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Using Media and Communication to Respond to Public Health Emergencies: Lessons Learned from Ebola

Sophia Wilkinson

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 30 pp.

"This practice briefing sets out what BBC Media Action learned in delivering and supporting health communication in response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa in 2014–15. It has a particular focus on Sierra Leone as this was the hub of the organisation’s response. The paper aims to contribute t ... more

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The Role of Independent Media in Curbing Corruption in Fragile Settings

James Deane

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 19 pp.

"This policy briefing examines the prospects for media being able to play that role, especially in fragile states. It concludes that the evidence supporting the effectiveness of media as an accountability actor continues to mount even when the performance of other anti-corruption measures are called ... more

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Exploring the Role of Communication in Community Health

Annabelle Wittels

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 48 pp.

"This report draws on two studies: first, a nationally representative quantitative survey, and, second, a qualitative study across three locations in Sierra Leone [...] Ninety-five per cent of research participants reported accessing health information in the previous three months – 93% receiving ... more

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Governance and Rights: Our Approach and Strategy

London: BBC Media Action (2016), 12 pp.

"This paper outlines BBC Media Action’s approach to Governance and Rights and our strategy for achieving impact in this area. This paper builds on the significant advances in our Governance and Rights practice, research and policy initiatives since the last approaches and strategy paper in 2013. T ... more