1. Understanding and unlocking community capability:
Role of local media in Sundarbans
health system ecology
Shibaji Bose, Upasona Ghosh, Rittika Brahmachari,
Sabyasachi Mandal
HSR Cape Town, 3rd October 2014
2. The Sundarbans……
Triple betrayal
Geography
Climate
History/Politics
4.5 million people
• on 54/106 islands
• Subsistence agriculture and
forest /river products
• Chronic poverty
• Double burden of disease
• Sub-optimal health care
system
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3. Objectives
To explore:
1. Quantity and quality of reporting on human health
in the Sundarbans
2. Community’s perceptions on role of local media in
representing and influencing their health needs
3. Local journalist’s perceptions of community
health needs and demands
4. Political economy influencing media reporting
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4. Content Analysis:
1 mainstream English, 1 mainstream Bengali, 3 local news papers for 6
months on the basis of Audit Bureau of Circulation, 2013
Focus Group Discussions:
8 FGDs with community members in 2 geo-climatically vulnerable blocks
(4 FGDs in each block)
Informal Ethnographic Discussions:
10 discussions in tea stalls, news paper circulation points, local clubs,
etc. in 2 geo-climatically vulnerable blocks (5 discussions in each block)
In-depth Interviews:
15 in-depth interviews with journalists and editors of local level news
papers across two geo-climatically vulnerable blocks
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Methodology: Quantitative and
Qualitative Approaches
6. Type and reach of print media in the study
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Types of print media in
Sundarbans
Language State Sundarbans
mainland
Sundarbans
remote islands
Mainline daily English x x
Mainline daily Bengali x x
Local weekly Bengali x x
Local fortnightly Bengali x x
Magazine quarterly Bengali x x x
‘We rarely get to see a Kolkata newspaper. The local reporters and the local
newspapers are the main source of our news’- Community FGD, remote island
‘One of the biggest chunk of our circulation is in G-plot- the remotest part of
Sundarbans’- Editor, local newspaper
7. 7
Health News Content
Mainline
‘We try to write about the
most tiny things like doctors
not coming regularly because
we know that has an affect for
the people of this island’ –
Editor, Local fortnightly
‘The state media seem to get
interested if there are large
scale child deaths. They then
drive down in droves”- CBO
Head, Namkhana block
Local
PI: Pan India
8. Health vs Conservation agenda
Mainline news media panders to the interest of its core city
audience in West Bengal and India in disproportionately covering
conservation issues vs. local livelihood concerns of the
Sundarbans archipelago
‘The tigers are the first citizens of Sundarbans. More money perhaps is spent
on them than for the children of the islanders’ – Doctor working in the
Sundarbans
Local media also provides considerable coverage of Project
Tiger, but also covers links to the livelihood of the islanders
‘We do provide news about tigers but we also cover how livelihood of the
fringe population is being gradually affected due to these policies’ – Editor of
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a local weekly
9. News roles: Local media in between
community & mainline news
Community trusts local media more than mainline media due to coverage
of local health news, which attracts local readership
‘they at least try to travel to the spot and doing a bit more research whereas
the mainline guys just get it though the wire…it’s very difficult to trust them.” -
FGD participant, remote island
‘’Daily problem of access (health infrastructure, nature of local jetties) are
highlighted by the local papers. They best understand our problem because
they reside in Sundarbans’- FGD respondent, remote island
Local media also follows mainline media emphasis on sub divisional &
district level events and on higher level decision making in health: state
ministers, annual budgetary allocation in health, NRHM schemes
‘we try to complement local health news with health reportage in mainline
newspapers as opinion leaders in the islands are interested to know what is
happening at the decision making level’ – Editor, local news paper,
Namkhana Block
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10. Political economy:
mainline vs. local media
Mainline Local
Ownership Large scale corporation Self-entrepreneurship by well
known community actors
Financing Revenue model based on full
scale marketing & advertising
Low subscription figures & ad
revenues uncertain and on
credit
Influence of
editorial
board/management
Favors political news over
health news;
Bias towards private sector
Less of a gatekeeper
Focus on public health sector
Political influence &
associations
Some serve as outlets for
multi-national corporations &
big political parties
As community actors they are
highly influential and not
impartial; bias towards
dominant community
Printing costs Runs on subsidized newsprint;
Economies of scale
High printing costs, mostly
from Kolkata
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11. Summary of findings and next steps
Mainline media are corporate entities remotely connected to the
disadvantageous community in vulnerable pockets who are not
the ‘audience’ for their ‘product’
Local media has more quantity & better quality coverage of local
issues, including health & enjoys more community trust
The local media is more embedded in the community but also a
polarising force: people appreciate the local coverage but not
always the political views
Next steps
Orienting local journalists on community health issues & MCH
Creating a common platform with local media, community
organizations and leaders for health dialogues to link
information to action
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