Public Accoutability:Community Radio’s Role

Taking Out The Trash

The media cannot address the issue of public accountability without putting its house in order and removing a major problem that is taking up space.

• Churnalism: a form of journalism that relies heavily on press statements, wire copy and pre-packaged material without researching or verifying content before publication…

--from Nick Davies, Flat Earth News

• The epidemic of churnalism has infected community radio stations—stations that are closer to ordinary people than mainstream media are.

The Trash

Back to Square One

• Research: to gather facts for the purpose of informing others accurately.

• Google is NOT a synonym for research!!!

• Bringing Sexy Back: rediscovering legwork: hitting the road to find the story, to smell it and taste it.

Back to Square One

Circa October 1996: Club Makokola, Mangochi

Back to Square One

Radio by the community for the community

Back to Square One

To give people who do not have access to mainstream media a channel to be heard and take theirrightful place in the democratic space.

Legwork Illustrated

On assignment on Lake Malawi,Mangochi—with Weekend Nation editor, George Kasakula. October

2010

Legwork Illustrated

A trawler called Flora, part of Lake Fisheries fleet. Five years ago, each boat brought in 3 tonnes of fish. Today, four boats bring in half a tonne.

Legwork Illustrated• There are over 300,000 fishermen who

earn their living on Lake Malawi.

• Most of them are artisanal fishermen, using dugout canoes and banana boats.

• The pride of Lake Malawi, chambo, had gone done by 85 per cent in 14 years due to overfishing, according to African Business Report.

Legwork Illustrated• UNESCO declared Lake Malawi a World

Heritage Site in 1984. This was because the 1,000 species of fish in the lake cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

• In 2004, the Malawi government got a loan of US$10.56 million and a grant of US$9.42 million from the Africa Development Fund for the Lake Malawi Artisanal Fisheries Project.

Legwork Illustrated• The money was meant to restock the

lake and to support over 300, 000 who depend on it for their livelihood.

• By the end of the project in December 2010, 400 fishermen’s groups should have received fishing units on a loan basis.

• By October 2010, only 20 had.

Moral of the Story

You cannot report what you have NOT seen.

ICTs & Journalistic Research

• One of the benefits of ICT is CARR—Computer-Assisted Research & Reporting.

• The fact that a myriad of public, private and have websites and links to databases means access to information is a lot easier that it was before the advent of ICT.

ICTs & Integrative Research

• The most effective research is integrative, blending different methods: desk/online research, legwork & ethnography.

• In my view, this is the most practical way to deal with public accountability.

Integrative Research &Public Accountability: A

Case Study

• How desk, field and online research can be combined to investigate and address a public concern

Integrative Research Illustrated

Consider the following facts:• The health budget went up by 45 per cent in

2012—from K1,772.9 billion to K2579.9billion

• K301. 7billion for drugs and medicines

• K77.9 billion to employ 2,500 frontline personnal across the country

• K389.3 billion towards infrastructure

Integrative Research Illustrated

• In 2013 budget, allocation to health is K3.6 trillion—a one trillion increase from 2012 and 11.3 % of total budget. (see Abuja Declaration & 15 % target)

• K594.1 billion for drugs

• K110.8 billion for equipment.

• Funds to recruit 2,000 frontline medical staff

Integrative Research Illustrated

• What difference has 45 per cent increase in funding made to the public health sector in rural areas?

• To find out, we did some formative research which led us to Mawawa.

Integrative Research Illustrated

• The only trained health personnel at Mawawa RHC is an Environmental Health Technician who is assisted by cleaners.

• The health centre cannot admit and referrals to Lewanika General Hospital are problematic because it is 22 kms away

• Mawawa Clinic has NO water and NO power

Conclusion

From the foregoing, it is clear what community radio needs to do to serve

the interests of its listeners, most of whom are rural and poor.