by Susan Alexander |
As a communicator, the Millennium Development Goals have been both a blessing and burden.
The Goals have taken a long time to get any traction in the media. After the 2005 Gleneagles Summit they penetrated the discourse of the “international community”. Amongst activists popular understanding and support for the MDGs was generated through actions like the Stand Up mobilizations, with massive involvement by Southern citizens. IPS worked intensively in its capacity as a development-focused news agency to use the MDGs as a way to get more space and attention for the core issues, and worked with journalists, partners and other media to strengthen communication capacity and impact.
Today such vanguard efforts are being replicated by other news outlets and partners, but with much still to be achieved. For general audiences the MDGs are, at best, jargon to be explained. A recent study of mainstream European newspapers showed just 3.5% of total coverage devoted to development co-operation, and most of that about disaster relief. Using the MDGs as an entry point for development journalism is a good approach but it is still a formidable challenge to get space and attention for development.
In 2010 it is hard to hear a shared narrative coming through. What is the story of success and failure that the “international community” wants to tell and what does the future hold? As the 2015 deadline approaches the Goals themselves are less compelling as a framing device and so the question is really what next?
Susan Alexander is Director of Operations at Inter Press Service (IPS).
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Pareti joins PADJ
Award Winning Pacific Journalist (pictured centre) Samisoni Pareti, has joined PADJ. We are proud to have Samisoni on board!
PADJ nominates 8 Pacific Journalists
PADJ has nominated 8 regional journalists for a Climate Change Fellowship under the Australian Leadership Award scheme, organised by the Asia Pacific Journalism Centre in Melbourne Australia. The journalists who have also become members of PADJ are from the Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Kiribati, Fiji, Cook Islands and Samoa. The Fellowship will take place in Australia next in February 2012.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Sharing climate science in the media
By Rosalie Nongebatu - Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation
23 May Apia, Samoa - Delegates at the Lessons for Future Action Conference have been reminded of the importance of communicating the Science of Climate in a manner that is culturally considerate and locally relevant.
This was one of the challenges in Communicating Climate Science put forward by the Pacific Climate Change Editor Cherelle Jackson during her presentation under the Information and Awareness Raising Session this morning. Another challenge Ms Jackson pointed out included the lack of knowledge and background in Science by pacific journalists, who usually learn on the job before communicating the information to the community.
“We have to teach and understand the science of climate change and then relate this to our audiences.”
Ms Jackson says although outreach programs and awareness campaigns are of great value to personally communicating the science, the most effective avenue would be the mass media whether it be radio, television, online or newspapers.
According to a study carried out by Ms Jackson at the Oxford University on climate change journalism in the pacific, weddings and food were mostly reported on while climate change and the environment were not a priority. Ms Jackson’s survey was carried out in newspapers produced across five of the pacific island countries.
“This was a curious finding, although unsurprising, as you would think climate change would be a priority issue for pacific island newspapers seeing that they are experiencing first and worst some of the impacts of climate change and you would think their audiences would be interested in the issue.”
Ms Jackson also attributed the low numbers of communicating climate science to three challenges which included the lack of science knowledge by journalists, the need for scientists to communicate information clearly to the media and the lack of access to climate change resources in pacific island countries.
She also quoted a study done by anthropologist Dr Peter Rudiak-Gould on the changing behaviour of the people of Marshall Islands towards climate change as saying that concern for climate change isn’t automatic, even for those in the highly vulnerable areas.
She said according to the research, foreign educators can help by teaching people about the science of climate change but only local educators can help people make sense of the issue in terms of local concerns such as loss of tradition.
Ms Jackson also made a few suggestions when communicating science which include simplifying the science for non specialists to understand, but not to point of irrelavance and not to use jargon.
She also suggested scientists to localise, and humanise the information so that people could understand better.
23 May Apia, Samoa - Delegates at the Lessons for Future Action Conference have been reminded of the importance of communicating the Science of Climate in a manner that is culturally considerate and locally relevant.This was one of the challenges in Communicating Climate Science put forward by the Pacific Climate Change Editor Cherelle Jackson during her presentation under the Information and Awareness Raising Session this morning. Another challenge Ms Jackson pointed out included the lack of knowledge and background in Science by pacific journalists, who usually learn on the job before communicating the information to the community.
“We have to teach and understand the science of climate change and then relate this to our audiences.”
Ms Jackson says although outreach programs and awareness campaigns are of great value to personally communicating the science, the most effective avenue would be the mass media whether it be radio, television, online or newspapers.
According to a study carried out by Ms Jackson at the Oxford University on climate change journalism in the pacific, weddings and food were mostly reported on while climate change and the environment were not a priority. Ms Jackson’s survey was carried out in newspapers produced across five of the pacific island countries.
“This was a curious finding, although unsurprising, as you would think climate change would be a priority issue for pacific island newspapers seeing that they are experiencing first and worst some of the impacts of climate change and you would think their audiences would be interested in the issue.”
Ms Jackson also attributed the low numbers of communicating climate science to three challenges which included the lack of science knowledge by journalists, the need for scientists to communicate information clearly to the media and the lack of access to climate change resources in pacific island countries.
She also quoted a study done by anthropologist Dr Peter Rudiak-Gould on the changing behaviour of the people of Marshall Islands towards climate change as saying that concern for climate change isn’t automatic, even for those in the highly vulnerable areas.
She said according to the research, foreign educators can help by teaching people about the science of climate change but only local educators can help people make sense of the issue in terms of local concerns such as loss of tradition.
Ms Jackson also made a few suggestions when communicating science which include simplifying the science for non specialists to understand, but not to point of irrelavance and not to use jargon.
She also suggested scientists to localise, and humanise the information so that people could understand better.
PADJ invited to speak at regional climate change conference
APIA - Founding Member of PADJ, Samoan climate change journalist Cherelle Jackson was invited to speak at the Lessons for Future Actions meeting on Climate Change in Apia last month. Jackson was the only media representative to speak at the meeting, she spoke on translating the science of climate change to Pacific audiences.
PADJ News: Mona Ainuu awarded SPREP Fellowship
APIA - Niue Journalist and PADJ Fouding Member Mona Ainuu was recently awarded an assignment fellowship with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, to report on the Lessons for Future Actions on Climate Change in Samoa. Mona was one of just two regional journalists sponsored by SPREP to cover the event.Tuesday, 17 May 2011
View Niue Election Results
PADJ has set up a page of the latest in the Niue Elections, uploaded and reported by our members in Niue. Visit Special Coverage: Niue Elections to follow the news stream.
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