EVENT ANALYSIS

Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme

shaping their own story

COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENTS NETWORK
its change narrators a strong medium for The launch of community advocacy based campaign correspondents network and wider outreach to in the national capital on newer audience using a June 29th, 2013, marked gripping medium of an of=icial unveiling of a videos. bold and creative A partnership with Video partnership between Volunteers has been Poorest Areas Civil formed to create the Society (PACS) network to equip civil programme and Video society organisations Volunteers. with ability and skills to engage on issues of social The network that will exclusion and non- have close to =ifty correspondents is aimed discriminatory access to at providing community entitlements. based organisations and

Introduction

While Video Volunteers bring in a strong background and credentials in fostering community media and training community correspondents, PACS programme provides strong linkage with issues of social exclusion and wider policy impact.

Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme

The event
The launch event was packaged to create visibility for the initiative and engage mainstream media for the approach of providing voice to the excluded communities through video stories. Since one of the long-term objectives of the initiative is to empower women and men from excluded community Based in civil society organisations across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh the event was also aimed at providing them direct exposure to some of the top media editors and activists.

PACS has been pushing its breaking margins campaign that focuses on issues of social discrimination through exhibitions and multimedia narrative. Started on December 10th 2012, the campaign has gained brand recognition for the issue of discrimination and its linkage with poverty among excluded social groups. The event also included launch of a photo- exhibition titled breaking margins for social inclusion. It creates a powerful imagery of exclusion and its lived reality by manual scavenging communities. The exhibition will be on till 29th July 2013.

Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme The messaging

With a clear understanding that a wider hook for getting mainstream media attention and traction for the network among city audience needed messaging centered on the individuals, PACS designed all the artwork, key messages and multi-media in-house. The focus had to be on individual stories of these women and men from the excluded community, who have had history of struggle against discrimination. Most also come from the organisations that the PACS programme works with. The uniqueness of the messaging had to also draw from the popular projection of the so- called mainstream news or prime time and who the reporters are. The imagery of community correspondents as video campaigners was evoked to position them as change narrators who are also playing the role of catalysts.

Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme

The launch saw a lively panel discussion that questioned whether mainstream media was neglecting the other India, the socially excluded peoples agenda of equity and inclusion. And what does it mean at a time when community media can be easily created and disseminated. Outreach photographs, a =ilm and audio podcasts. The exhibition images and a photo brochure were developed.

The event and the initiative have generated visibility and interest among media watchers, including editors of The web outreach fetched some mainstream media out=its. encouraging numbers and provided opportunity to position PACS in a Three key streams were targeted newer constituency within the social through the events. These are social media users. media, national media and institutions. We have envisioned role for all of these One of the signi=icant outcomes of the within our community strategy. outreach plan has been the channel it has opened up with some of the top- For the social media outreach we were level media editors and media activists. able to develop and harness some very An eminent panel took part in a panel gripping and popular posters, invites discussion that saw some interesting and banners. The crisp content based discussion on media and the issue of on quotes of correspondents was used exclusion with regard to representing for impact. the voices of the other India. They have offered long-term support for the The content gathering for the event and community correspondents network. visibility saw generation of over 80

Sam Sharpe, head of DFID, chronicled how the shi7 from history wri9en by kings moved to the voice of the people through the prin?ng press. Then came radio, TV and the new media. Now with an ini?a?ve such as this, the unheard voices will truly be foregrounded. It will be a tool for transparency and help us understand more subtle forms of discrimina?on.

FASHIONMONTHLY 23 January 2013

The social media messaging also communicated the core focus on enabling communities through these change makers. The events page and posts on Facebook created an outreach of about 10,000 views, thus potentially reaching several thousands others indirectly. A Flickr gallery and a short =ilm were created for visual outreach. This is besides case studies and webpage showcasing the CCN videos that were created.

Communications and branding

The event was used to brand CCN as a community owned and collaborative initiative. While the stories of correspondents from the socially excluded groups were used to create individual hooks, the long-term vision for connecting them to ongoing campaigns was showcased through themes the correspondents have been covering. The social media messaging also communicated the core focus on enabling communities through these change makers. The events page and posts on Facebook created an outreach of about 10,000 views, thus potentially reaching several thousands others indirectly. The media coverage drew quality over numbers, with in-depth reports appearing in mainstream newspapers and prominent news wires. These include Indian Express, The Hindu, Press Trust of India and Indo Asian News Service. The combined coverage, online and of=line, stood at 35 appearances.

The panel discussion on media and social change drew attention because of prominent pro=iles of the participants. Vinod Mehta, Editorial Chairman, Outlook group felt the emphasis should be on how to get such stories to be part of mainstream media, to sharpen skills that ensure stories are newsworthy. While it was true that mainstream media did not give issues as much space as required, it was also true that they was greater exposure to cases of injustice particularly by the electronic media. Stalin K, of Video Volunteers, highlighted the ability of the community correspondents to create direct impact by raising hyper local issues. The training and good story telling by the community correspondents has allowed the videos to create much wider impact. Speaking of the vernacular media, Neelabh Mishra, editor of Outlook Hindi, said that while the reach is huge, there is fragmentation and news has become hyper local, with little or no national footprint

Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme

Columnist and media commentator, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta spoke of how the fourth estate has become real estate, where a Bollywood stars suicide evokes more interest that a farmers. People should now look towards the new media social media, mobiles and so on.

this ensures that issues like caste and discrimination came through a gender lens.

Vipul Mudgal, Director, Inclusive Media for Change, CSDS, spoke of the urban slant of re=lecting rural issues. Not only is the space allocated very little, the framing is only through things like Pamela Philipose, Director, Womens disasters and malnutrition. This does Feature Service, was happy that there not take in the right to communicate or were lots of women in the network and to be heard.

Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme

Media Coverage appeared in following prominent outlets and portals

Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme

Selected listing of media coverage

Hyperlocal Videos by Rural Community Journalists http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=802329 Keeping It In The Community http://www.newslaundry.com/2013/07/keeping-it-in-the-community/ Telling their own story http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/telling-their-own-story/article4877341.ece Community call for the socially marginalised http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/community-call-for-the-socially-marginalised/article4868756.ece Innovative videos to initiate change http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/innovative-videos-to-initiate-change-113062900509_1.html A community correspondents network for India http://cj.ibnlive.in.com/a-community-correspondents-network/8767/ Stories from the hinterland: Community journalists go hyperlocal http://www.ufm4u.com/News.aspx?ID=1669 Hyperlocal videos by rural community Journalists http://www.jknewspoint.com/newsdet.aspx?q=16903 Stories from the hinterland: Community journalists go hyperlocal http://m.indianexpress.com/news/stories-from-the-hinterland-community-journalists-go-hyperlocal/1135801/ Innovative videos to initiate change http://www.theweekendleader.com/Headlines/1310/innovative-videos-to-initiate-change.html Innovative videos to initiate change http://www.bihartimes.in/Newsbihar/2013/June/newsbihar29June9.html Innovative videos to initiate change http://www.sentinelassam.com/editorial/story.php?sec=3&subsec=0&id=163541&dtP=2013-06-30&ppr=1

Resources
Photo essay: http://www.flickr.com//photos/pacsindia/sets/72157634372855324/show/ Facebook events page: https://www.facebook.com/events/665088343517515/ Film: http://youtu.be/InG1OKSDd8A Webpage:http://www.pacsindia.org/ccn-launch-june-2013