Media can play an important role in promoting accountability, gender equality, addressing climate change, and improving health. BBC Media Action has produced various media programs that have helped increase citizens' knowledge of governance issues, encourage political participation, challenge gender norms, and prepare communities for climate impacts. An effective media development strategy should use both traditional and digital platforms to widely disseminate information and engage different demographic groups.

1. Media &
Development
Kihyon, Kim (Ph.D)
20211224 BBSC

2. Table of
Contents
Media & Accountability
Media & Gender
Media & Climate Change
Media & Health
Media Development

3. Media &
accountability

7. Media & accountability
• Access to media makes government more responsive to citizen’s needs,” concludes the World Bank’s
World Development Report of 2017. The report highlighted how many transparency and
accountability initiatives were unlikely to succeed if trustworthy information was not only available
but also widely accessible.

8. Media & accountability
• In Sierra Leone, regular listeners to the debate programme Tok Bot Salone were more likely to have higher
levels of knowledge on key governance issues and participate politically more frequently than those who
did not listen.
• At the end of the project, data from the 2013 nationally representative survey in Sierra Leone was analysed
to answer two research questions:
• 1. Is listening to BBC Media Action programming in Sierra Leone statistically associated with increased
levels of knowledge on women’s rights, political party agendas, corruption, and water and electricity
service delivery?
• 2. Is listening to BBC Media Action programming in Sierra Leone statistically associated with more frequent
political participation?

9. Media & accountability
• People who regularly listened to Tok Bot Salone were more likely to report high levels of knowledge
across political party agendas, women’s rights, water and electricity service delivery and corruption
than people who did not listen to the programmes
• People who regularly listened to Tok Bot Salone were more likely to participate frequently in politics
through contacting a national or local official, taking part in an organised effort to solve a problem
and/or attending a local council meeting, compared with people who did not listen to the
programmes.

11. Media & accountability
• In Nepal, BBC Media Action’s long-running political discussion TV programme, Sajha Sawal (Common
Questions), played an important role during the country’s transition to democracy, providing a
platform for people across the country to hold their leaders to account from 2007–2020.
• The programme reached nearly seven million people, over one-third of Nepal’s adult population.
Three-quarters (73%) of viewers said the programme increased their knowledge of key governance
issues. One-quarter (23%) “strongly agreed” that the programme played a key role in holding the
government to account

15. Media & accountability
• Political knowledge refers to an individual’s self-reported knowledge of political processes and institutions,
rights, governance issues and current affairs. BBC Media Action’s international research project measured
this by asking respondents to evaluate their knowledge of several governance issues specific to their
country, such as corruption or education.
• Political discussion on politics or governance issues is a form of public deliberation and civic engagement.
This was measured by asking respondents how often they discuss local and national issues with their
friends, family members and others.
• Political participation refers to how far individuals and groups are actively involved in the public sphere,
and political processes, debates and decision-making. This was measured by asking respondents how much
they do the following: participate in an organised effort to solve a problem; contact local or national
officials; contact traditional leaders; take part in a march or demonstration or participate in local meetings.
Where impact is c

16. Media & accountability
• In every country, in every category of participation, people who watched or listened to BBC Media
Action governance programmes reported higher political participation than those who did not.

17. • In every country, in every category of participation, people who
watched or listened to BBC Media Action governance programmes
reported higher political participation than those who did not.

22. Media & Gender

25. Sex and gender
• Sex refers to the biological and physiological attributes that typically characterise men and women.
• Gender is rooted in social conventions, not biology. It stems from successive societies’
preconceptions of what men versus women look and act like.
• Gender is not a binary thing, an ‘either/or’. It is a spectrum. Most people have some characteristics
that are considered ‘male’ and some that are considered ‘female’.

26. What are gender norms, roles and stereotypes?
• Gender norms are a society’s prevailing views about how men and women should behave and appear
differently. Examples might include: ‘men shouldn’t cry’ and ‘women should wear makeup’.
• Gender roles are the separate sets of responsibilities a society expects men and women to take on.
Examples include: ‘women should take care of children’ and ‘men should be the breadwinners’.
• Gender stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about people based on their gender. Examples include:
‘women like to gossip’ and ‘men are better at maths than women’.
• These three things are all connected and reinforce each other. To reduce inequality between men and
women, the gender norms, roles and stereotypes that can hinder anyone in reaching their full
potential need to be tackled.

28. Media & Gender
• Gender blind/unaware
• The specific issues affecting women are not identified at project design stage. They may only refer to
issues affecting ‘people,’ ‘communities,’ ‘youth,’ ‘audiences’ etc., rather than breaking these groups
down by sex. There is no gender analysis of the wider context and it is not clear how women, girls,
men and boys are differently affected by a particular issue.
• Gender neutral
• The differential needs of women and men are identified in the project documents or by stakeholders,
but are not addressed in the project activities or media content.

29. Media & Gender
• Gender sensitive
• A robust gender analysis has been undertaken to understand the different barriers facing women,
girls, men and boys using sex disaggregated data (learn how to do a gender analysis here). Specific
solutions to address the needs and concerns of women and girls are included in the project activities
and outcomes. Activities focus on women’s practical needs to improve their condition in their
everyday lives.
• Gender transformative
• There is an attempt to challenge the root causes of gender discrimination by, for example, addressing
discriminatory gender norms, stereotypes and unequal power relationships between the sexes.
Activities might focus on more strategic needs that improve the position of women and girls in society.

32. Gender-based violence (GBV)
• Gender-based violence (GBV) is violence that is directed against a person on the basis of gender. It
includes physical, emotional, psychological and sexual violence. GBV also includes threats of violence,
coercion or denying someone resources on the basis of their gender. GBV can happen in public or in
private places.
• Anyone can sufer GBV: women, girls, men and boys. However, women and girls are particularly
vulnerable to this kind of abuse, especially in emergency situations.2 Anyone can inflict GBV: family
members, spouses, partners, friends, colleagues, strangers, military personnel or even aid workers.

33. Gender-based violence (GBV)
• GBV is often under-reported due to feelings of shame or fear of the associated social stigma,6 which
can include social rejection or ‘victim blaming’ (by the abuser, the wider community or even the
survivor themselves).
• Media and communication can help by raising awareness of GBV and that violence is not normal or
legitimate behaviour.
• This can help survivors realise GBV is not their fault.
• You can help inform people about their rights, legal protections and support services available.
• You can also provide positive and empowering male and female role models in programmes.
• Helping stimulate discussion and address taboos can be a powerful way to break the silence on this
issue and introduce changes in attitudes and eventually behaviour.
• It is important to engage the whole community, not just women and girls. Think about how to also
engage men, boys and community and religious leaders.

34. Gender-based violence (GBV)
• You should use the term ‘survivor’, rather than ‘victim’, when talking about people who have sufered
GBV. This puts the focus on recovery and survival rather than being a powerless victim of GBV.
• Do not broadcast the identity of GBV survivors. Talk with local GBV specialists about the sensitivities
of broadcasting locations of places where survivors can access help, because this might put either
survivors or those helping them at risk.

35. Media & Climate Change

40. Media & Climate Change
• In Bangladesh, BBC Media Action produced the reality TV series Amrai Pari (Together We Can Do It).
Broadcast between 2014 and 2016, the show and related outreach activities aimed to help people
prepare for and cope with changes in the climate, reaching 22.5 million people.
• The show travelled to locations across Bangladesh, challenging communities to execute a task that
they had identified themselves to improve their resilience to climate change.

44. Media & Climate Change
• In the Philippines, Plan International launched Youth Reporter in 2013, when the aftermath of Typhoon
Haiyan left millions of young people devastated.
• This participatory, community-based media project enabled young people to share their stories and
priorities around climate-related disaster risk reduction with each other, and with local adults and decision-
makers.
• Using creative media, videography and broadcast journalism, Youth Reporter was designed to evolve
during the post-typhoon recovery process and inform efforts on risk-informed development, rights and
climate change adaptation.
• As young people learned media skills as interviewees, producers and directors, they also developed media
literacy skills.

46. Media &
Health

49. Media & Health • With nearly 100 million Bangladeshi adults having access
to a television, BBC Media Action developed a television
drama, Ujan Ganger Naiya (Sailing Against the Tide), and
discussion show, Natoker Pore (After the Drama), to help
respond to these challenges.
• Both programmes are shaped by formative research, pre-
testing (drama only), and health communication theory
and practice.

56. Media Development

57. Media Development

58. Media Development

59. Media Development

60. Media Development
• 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 from lower socio-economic groups.
• Whilst the vast majority of young Cambodians now go online in some form (using websites, social
media or online messaging services) and use smartphones, there is still some disparity between
demographics – usage is higher amongst men, those from urban areas and higher socio-economic
groups.

61. Media Development
• A multiplatform approach is recommended to widen reach, using traditional media and outreach as
well as digital to ensure more vulnerable groups are included.