Media outlets should have an idea who's watching them (Photo by 'espensorvik' / flickr)

Today’s fast moving media environment requires a lot of flexibility from media workers. Multimedia skills are a must. Journalists need to be able to produce stories for radio or television, print or online. At the same time, digitization, the Internet and affordable equipment enables anyone who wishes to open a TV station on YouTube or at least run a blog site.

All this technical innovation offers tempting perspectives for hard working and talented journalists. But frustration and failure might set in when it turns out that hardly anybody is watching or reading.

Journalists can be very creative when researching stories which can serve as an eye opener for the audience. It’s said that good stories can literally be found on the street. But nevertheless, proper research, production and distribution to the audience also require solid funding. Thus, a successful media company will also need to think of how to attract financial backing either directly from the audience or from sponsors.

Here journalists could also use their creativity and research skills for understanding their audience. The new media realities also offer more choices for the audience. Times are gone when people would gather at a certain time around a radio or TV set to get the main news from the dominant broadcaster. Today, even the most remote communities are at least able to access different news providers via their mobile phones whenever it’s convenient for them.

Photo by EIFL / flickr

This new audience behavior requires re-thinking on the side of news producers. Along with journalistic skills, they also need a strong understanding of specific audience needs. A first important step is to define the target audience, i.e. for whom are we producing the reports? In case our client is another company, we should ask as well: what is their audience?

If we’re mandated to produce stories for students, our topics should focus on career development and urban life. On the other hand, sustainable land development and traditional music would be of greater interest to middle-aged viewers in the countryside.

Media producers should try to view daily life from the perspective of the target audience. This requires little efforts and costs. A small field trip to a student campus or the village market will most likely provide new insights about the target group. Just as with other research areas, we should try to answer questions such as: what are the routine tasks of our target audience and what information do they need to get it done better? What are their aspirations and dreams? What are their fears and frustrations? How do they access news? Finding the proper answers will enable us to produce stories that keep our audience interested in our work.

A media outlet that can anticipate the information needs of its audience or the target group of the client will maintain a stronger position on the market.

Photo by 'uncultured' / flickr

Natural disasters like cyclones and floods are a regular phenomenon in my native country Bangladesh.

As a result, the media there frequently reports on natural disasters. But working on these types of stories requires a special approach, two journalists working in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka told me.

Mustafizur Rahman is a journalist from New Age, a daily English newspaper published in Dhaka. Iftekhar Mahmud works for Prothom Alo, the leading Bengali newspaper in Bangladesh. They shared their experiences and opinions on what preparations journalists should take before and while covering a natural disaster. Mustafizur and Iftekhar say a reporter faces many challenges when going to cover an area hit by a natural disaster. Before departing to the region, a journalist should of course be sure to check his equipment. But there are other key issues to remember when writing a report on the affected area and its people.

Eyewitness reporting

Mustafizur Rahman

“Reporting on a disaster is different from general reporting, because the reporter has to personally go to the area that he wants to write about,” said Mustafizur. “You can collect information about anything by making a telephone call or by interviewing some experts. But when you are reporting about a natural catastrophe, you must see what happened there. You have to be an eyewitness of the suffering of the affected people. Your imagination will not be enough to project their suffering in your report.”

The right equipment

Following a natural disaster, the affected area often lacks everyday facilities like electricity, drinking water, etc. Sometimes the telecommunications system also breaks down. Keeping this in mind, a reporter should come prepared and carry the necessary equipment.

Iftekhar Mahmud

Iftekhar visited areas hit by two big cyclones in Bangladesh: Aila in 2009 and Sidr in 2007. He explains that he needed added preparations for reporting from these regions.

“When going to cover any area hit by a disaster, you should take first aid and medicine, enough dry food and drinking water,” he says. “For reporting, you need a recorder as well as a camera. Don’t forget your laptop and take two internet modems – in case one doesn’t work – extra batteries and a charger and multiple plugs with cables.” Iftekhar adds that it’s better to take a life jacket if you have to travel by boat.

A contact address

It’s usually necessary to stay in a disaster-hit area for a longer period in order to report accurately. In this case, it’s necessary to arrange a place where you can stay overnight. This contact address is also important for your employer so that they can contact you anytime they need or can send you anything you need.

“In this case, I always try to contact an NGO or an aid organization before I reach the affected area,” says Mustafizur, who traveled to the area hit by hurricane Aila in 2009 and has also reported from flood areas in recent years. “They help me to arrange a place where I can stay overnight.”

Necessary numbers

Covering disasters doesn’t only mean reporting the facts and the suffering of the people. A journalist should also report on the cause of the disaster, rescue efforts or any lack of aid. It’s therefore important to talk to various aid organizations, rescue forces as well as local authorities to report on the various aspects. In preparation, the reporter should make sure to pack all the necessary phone numbers and addresses of his interviewees.

Keep your cool

A reporter traveling to an area hit by a natural disaster has to be prepared to encounter disturbing images. Iftekhar recalls the shocking scenario after Aila and Sidr.

Iftekhar Mahmud

“I saw many dead bodies that were floating in the river along with the dead animals,” he says. “I almost couldn’t breathe because the air was full of stink and poison, and the condition of the people who survived was miserable. It was unimaginable. Sometimes I was exhausted from seeing all this misery.” Iftekhar, who has covered many disaster-affected areas in the past few years, recommends that a reporter has to be mentally prepared for facing any kind of a situation when covering a disaster. Without strong nerves, it is not possible to cover a natural disaster, he says.

Reporting isn’t activism

Even though a reporter is a human being, he should not forget about his professional duties. Despite the humanitarian situation, a journalist should keep looking for stories on the cause and effect of natural hazards. He himself should not engage in the relief work. Instead, the reporter should contact experts and find out about any possible negligence from the authorities – keeping in mind to relate both sides of the story.

Resources for reporters

The UN has published a handbook for journalists who cover natural catastrophes: “Disaster Through a Different Lens.” As the title suggest, this booklet focuses on disaster risk reduction. It gives tips for reporting and contains useful information on different types of natural disasters like droughts, earthquakes and hurricanes. In addition, it presents some risk-reduction lessons learnt from previous disasters like the 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines or the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan. It even lists some disaster risk reduction resource centers, publications and experts.

After a disaster has occurred, most reporters will look for follow-up stories. According to the book, you can find angles for such stories if you

1. investigate the lack of early warning,

2. probe the lack of urban planning, and

3. question the preparedness of those responsible in the disaster management department of the authorities.

Another good source of information about disaster preparedness is the booklet “Disaster Programme Information and Reporting,” published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. You can download it for free. Among other things, it explains how journalists can collect data in the disaster-hit area.

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has also published a manual that can come in handy for reporters. It’s called “Disaster and Crisis Coverage” and is also available for free as a pdf download.

Training on disaster management

Different branches of the Red Cross and Red Crescent offer training programs and workshops on disasters, in which reporters can participate.

There are also many public and private organizations and institutes in Asia who offer different training courses on disaster management. The Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) provides different workshops on disaster management for journalists, which help reporters understand various aspects of a disaster.

There are also training programs offered by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Here is a list of upcoming training programs, which include training on disaster management and the role of the media.

In India, there are many institutes that offer disaster management courses. Follow this link to find the names of the institutes from every state of India.

Author: Riazul Islam

Riazul Islam is a student enrolled in the International Media Studies program at DW Akademie. Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, he started working there as a reporter eight years ago. He has worked for different newspapers and radio stations, including DW’s Bengali service.

photo: Alan Chan (flickr: Teakwonweirdo)

The Asian tsunami of 2004 and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami this year were two occasions where broadcasters around the globe relied heavily on user-generated content (UGC). They aired videos people had taken with their mobile phones, pictures snapped with digital pocket cameras or they simply broadcast information users had sent in via e-mail or as text messages from remote places.

These days, many radio and TV stations encourage their audiences to contribute material to their broadcasts. This gives them access to footage professional crews couldn’t otherwise get – or couldn’t get that quickly. And it gives the audience a voice, creating a two-way conversation with the broadcasters and making people feel like the broadcaster is there for them, picking up their stories and addressing their concerns.

Making the most of user-generated content

But how can broadcasters safeguard the quality and suitability of such content? After all, it’s supplied by regular listeners or viewers: amateurs, not trained journalists. Citizen reporters haven’t necessarily been taught the journalistic basics every professional has learned, like how to research facts, how to report accurately and how to be fair to all sides.

Some of this user-generated content may be excellent and add an exciting new dimension to the broadcaster’s programming. But some of it may just be poor quality, technically flawed, slanderous or off-topic. In certain cases, the material might be unfit for broadcast and simply a waste of time for everyone.

So how can broadcasters separate the wheat from the chaff? And how can users get a better idea what kind of material could be interesting for broadcasters?

UNESCO encourages guidelines on UGC and media and information literacy (MIL)

A few years ago, UNESCO and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association drafted some guidelines for UGC and MIL. They’re a bit dry reading, but they’re logical and make sense – both for users and for broadcasters.

But these guidelines were written within a Western European frame of reference. So UNESCO decided to ask African and Asian media professionals to create their own guidelines: Suggestions, regulations and rules suitable for the media environments in these regions.

Earlier this year, a team of journalists from different Asian countries got together with specialists from the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and DW-AKADEMIE to start drafting an Asian version of guidelines for UGC.

Members of the group came from Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Korea. They represented very different media – anything from highly commercial entertainment TV stations to state-run communist propaganda outlets.

How to find common ground?

Each of these media operated in different cultures, had different philosophies, were governed by different legal frameworks and catered to different audiences – who in turn had very different technical tools at their disposal to produce their UGC.

When you consider all of these odds and also keep in mind that this highly differentiated team only had two days to come up with Asian guidelines for UGC, you won’t be surprised that this group didn’t quite reach its goal. But they tried. And they gave their best. And they laid the groundwork.

For weeks after the two-day meeting, e-mails were exchanged back and forth among the group: the original text of the Asian guidelines was modified and modified again.

There is no final version, no version that everyone agreed to.

So what we’d like to do here is ask you for your help and your ideas. Below, we’ve posted the latest version of the guidelines for UGC that the group of international Asian journalists formulated. We’d be happy to hear your ideas and input. You can also view the document here. I’m sure UNESCO, the ABU and all participants in the Kuala Lumpur workshop would appreciate additional feedback from Asian users and media professionals.

By Thorsten Karg

Incorporating User-Generated Content (UGC) into Programming

A message to all program makers and UGC providers

The purpose of these guidelines is to help media staff and program makers understand the significance of user-generated content (UGC). It can be a valuable tool in our daily operations and programming and can foster mutual understanding between us and our audience.

Our readers, listeners, viewers and users are not just a passive audience; they are also potential content providers. They can help us with additional material for broadcast and supply valuable insight, stories, news, opinions and expertise otherwise not available to the journalists.

In order to guarantee high-quality UGC, our audience needs some guidelines on what and how to contribute to the programming. These guidelines shall help broadcasters uphold the principles of including UGC into our output and maintain its standard and quality.
Special qualities of UGC

There are common concerns for all kinds of content that we find on different platforms and use for our broadcasts, such as accuracy, taste and decency, legal liability, etc.  As program makers, we need to be aware of these concerns and alert our users to them.

Our users are not trained journalists. They are no experts at reporting a story accurately, fairly and without endangering themselves or those portrayed.

What makes UGC different from production by our own staff producers lies in the spirit of mutual trust and respect between media professionals and members of the public, voluntarism and the yearning for community-building from our users.

In communicating with our users during the process of soliciting UGC, we need to convey clearly to them what exactly we are looking for and what we would like to achieve in the very first place. This will not only justify the incorporation of UGC in a certain production, but will also ensure a higher quality of submissions.

Subsequently, all of this will reinforce our relationship with our audience. The audience will feel more integrated into the programming; reassured that the media organization is taking up its issues and concerns which will further cement the equity of the network as a truly a public service broadcaster.

 

Guidelines for both program makers and UGC providers

This section gives an example of user-friendly guidelines which the media organization can publish when soliciting UGC. These guidelines will need to be adapted to each broadcaster’s special requirements and the media laws of the respective countries.

1. Fairness and Accuracy

Our belief:
Fairness and accuracy are essential elements of our content – especially in our news and current affairs programs. We cannot serve the public well if we fail to be credible. You as a contributor will also be helping us to achieve this. Having said that, there is also non-news or fictional content in which we welcome creativity. In these cases, accuracy might not be the highest priority. However, it is still important to be fair – even in fictional content – if it includes personal comments and views.

Your contribution:
In cases where we are looking for factual or non-fictional content, make sure your content is fair, authentic and accurate to your best knowledge. You can help us by including some information on where, when and how you obtained the material (e.g. when and where did you take the photograph, make the video etc? Who are the people depicted? What additional information can you tell us about the incident?)
In cases where we are looking for fictional content, we will specify the purpose and the nature of what we are looking for. While accuracy might not be required, you should always put yourself in other people’s shoes for a “fairness check”.

2. Social and cultural sensitivities

Our belief:
We live in a highly globalised world and our content, including your contributions, can be accessed by audiences both locally and globally. We strive to ensure that these contents are universally acceptable by people in our own country and around the world. We believe by doing so we will be able to live in a more harmonious world.

Your contribution:
Always be aware whether your submitted content might cause anyone to feel discriminated or offended, particularly in regard to gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.

3. Taste and decency

Our belief:
We believe in observing the basic tenets of taste and decency in our day to day dealings with people whatever their creed or color, sex or gender. This becomes even more important in this highly technological age where instant global communication and interaction has become a daily reality.
All material submitted should be in accordance with common taste and decency. That is why we consider content unusable that contains obscenity, vulgarity, pornography, paedophilia or extreme violence. The same is true for material acquired by illegal means.

Your contribution:
Do not submit any material that violates taste and decency or upsets the sensitivities of other members of the audience. Please avoid insults, threats, abusive words, harassment and the unauthorized use of photos.

4. Voluntarism

Our belief:
We believe that UGC should be community-driven and authentic. Voluntarism is precious and should be promoted. That is why our general rule is not to pay users for submitting material.
In some special cases, however, we may reward our UGC providers, for instance if extra efforts are required to provide such content. We will state our criteria for rewards if and when such conditions arise.

Your contribution:
Your participation is highly appreciated. It should be voluntary. If voluntary contribution is not what you expect, please reconsider before submission. Rewards will only be given if we have clearly stipulated this beforehand and discretion rests on us.

5. Eligibility

Our belief:
Effective communication and understanding is promoted by making rules clear in the first place.  We strive to get our messages across when we recruit UGC of a specific nature. We hope by doing so, we can eliminate the chance of causing false expectation or confusion. Quality and standard of the submissions can also be strengthened. We will provide contact details for interested contributors who have additional questions.

Your contribution:
Kindly read through the specifications laid down for a certain project or program soliciting UGC and consider if you would like to contribute. You are welcome to contact us if you have further enquiries.

6. Legal and regulatory issues

Our belief:
Both our professional program makers and UGC providers live in the same social and legal context of their country.  We believe that it is the responsibility of both sides to ensure that the content on our public platform meets the legal requirements and social expectations of our community.

Your contribution:
Your submitted content must comply with the media and broadcast regulations of this country and this media organisation.
Always respect and observe laws.  In layman’s terms, use your common sense and respect other people in the community all the time.

7. Intellectual Property Rights

Our belief:
We believe that originality of UGC protects you and us from infringing the rights of a third party. In addition, it stimulates creativity and nurtures talent.
It is not our intention to own the intellectual property rights of the material UGC providers send us. The rights stay with you, the contributor. In some cases, we may reserve the right to use UGC in order to generate a profit for the broadcaster.

Your contribution:
All content you provide should be original to avoid infringement of any rights of a third party. The intellectual property rights remain with you. Your permission for us to use your material is not exclusive.
By submitting your content to us, you also grant us the right to edit your content for journalistic or programming reasons. We will not alter the meaning of your content with these edits.

8. Child Protection

Our belief:
We hold children’s rights sacred.
We will not accept any photos, videos or other material depicting children or minors that would violate the universal children’s rights, as laid down in UNICEF’s Convention on the Rights of the Child). This includes, among others, the right to privacy, health and security.

Your contribution:

If children or minors appear in the submitted content, you must provide written consent from their parents or a legal guardian. We reserve the right to reject any such material that is submitted without the above-mentioned consent.

Unless otherwise requested, the full names of children and minors may be disclosed when the material is aired or published.

9. Privacy

Our belief:
Privacy is a very important aspect in our programs and dealings with our audience. No program  material should violate the right to privacy of any individual or institution.

Your contribution:
Please do not submit anything that will violate or compromise the privacy of other users or entities unless you have obtained their expressed or written permission to publish the material.

10. Defamation

Our belief
While we believe in freedom of speech and of the press, we strongly believe that mass media must not be used to malign or unfairly attack the reputation of any individual or entity. We also believe in accurate news reporting and fair commentary, which allows different parties the opportunity to present their side or respond to any allegation.
Defamation is not acceptable.

Your contribution:
Please do not submit anything that will damage, insult or unfairly criticise a person’s or entity’s character or reputation. Please do not submit anything that may be interpreted as libellous. Do not upload violent content that may be upsetting to others.
This media organisation will hold the UGC providers liable against any claims arising from the usage and broadcast of submitted content.

Is there a proper definition of journalism in the Lao language? Since DW-AKADEMIE’s first workshop on journalism at the National University of Laos in Vientiane, there is. It was conceived by 15 staff teachers of the Department of Mass Communication at the Faculty of Letters – after long discussions revolving around somewhat abstract terms like “media”, “the public”, “society” and “information”. 

Lao is not a language that lends itself to describing abstract ideas. Yet the 15 teachers feel it was worth the effort to lay a foundation they now can build upon. They are learning the mindset, tools and skills that in combination make a journalist. The reasoning behind this is that they are the ones training a new generation of Lao students who are eager to take on the profession.

Redefining public and professional understanding of journalism

Laos is opening up its state-controlled media market. The new economic era, started in the late 1980’s, only recently reached the media.

Today, more and more print publications and privately funded but state-controlled television and radio channels are starting up.

In this era of transition there is a dire need for new concepts. This involves exploring the very definition of journalism and the role of journalists.

Previously, a journalist served the government, “explaining the party’s policy to the people”. This is a concept that a growing number of people reject by simply switching off. The ruling People’s Revolutionary Party now officially wants to swap this premise for one that includes two-way communication between politicians and the people.

Uniting practice and theory

Still, the old mental models are deeply rooted – and so discussions about changing them are lively.

The idea is for the university to become the focal point for dialogue about the concept of journalism in the making of a new Laos.

Until then, practical training is interwoven with more theoretical exploration. “Types of questions and how to use them” was the main focus of a workshop in March. 

The trainees are trainers themselves, so DW-AKADEMIE trainers put emphasis on creating a learning situation that conveys not only knowledge but also methods.

Here’s one training method that was both fun and effective. It’s called “Human Bingo” and is quite helpful for training the mechanics of open and closed questions:

Each participant tells the trainer something special about himself that the other participants don’t know or expect. It can be a talent, dream, wishes, plans. The trainer collects the statements individually (and hidden from the rest of the group), writes them down on individual cards that are then redistributed. Each participant gets one card and has to find out which statements belong to whom. Their first questions have to be general and open questions. If the interviewer thinks that the statement he’s holding in his hands fits the interviewee, he can ask directly about his assumption. But he should choose carefully when to guess because this is only allowed twice per person.

Try it yourself – it also works well as a warm up for all kind of group activities.

Contributed and photographed by Daniel Hirschler and Michael Karhausen