and the individual in the news
story to highlight the nature of the
interconnectedness.
Seeing is believing
TV images that convey the essence
of the complexity of international
development are infinitely more
powerful than isolated and
impersonal statistics – images that
show the impact of foreign
assistance, such as students in
schools learning, roads built,
people working etc. Consider
showcasing the impact of foreign
assistance in addition to
responding to the appetite for
transparency noting where
international development
activities have not worked.
INFORMATIONPUSH
Information push
The effective communication of
international development issues
will be driven by a focus on supply
by TV broadcasters rather than by a
demand from consumers. In our
study, citizens did not report
actively seeking out information
about international development
but rather describe how they are
exposed to it as part of their regular
consumption of general news and
information programming.
Consider appealing to viewers’
interest in international
development by promoting feature
stories on the issue.
UILDSUPPORT
THE CHANNEL
|
ISSUE 2 2012
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57
Top left
Flood
in China’s
Shaanxi Province
Lower left
Market economy
in Gulu, Northern
Uganda
Main picture
Clean water for
Sindh, Pakistan
Previous page
The binmen of
Aceh dealing with
tsunami and
earthquake
waste
Simple terms
The technical and formal language
of international development is
often not understood by audiences.
Most people that we spoke to in our
research do not understand the
insider vocabulary of the
international development sector,
including terms like international
development, food security, global
health, climate change and
governance. Consider using simple
language and explanations and
definitions for technical
terminology.
Values over demographics
Interest in international
development as an issue is
determined by what TV viewers
care about more generally, their
value priorities (money, family,
religion, security) rather than their
age or sex or social class. Our
research uncovered that those
interested in international
development as an issue had
developed an interest at a young
age because of their family
upbringing, their school experience
as well as their involvement in
faith‐based organizations. Consider
marketing programme and content
offerings about international
development and similar issues
based on tastes and issue priorities
rather than demographic profile.
The force of public opinion
Traditionally, public opinion about
international development was
heavily influenced by emotional,
uninformed superficial reactions of
the citizenry. Increasingly, TV
viewers are more sophisticated and
demanding in their assessment of
public affairs. Consider the
programme and content
expectations of an audience that is
increasingly exposed to a broader
range of perspectives on
international development and
other issues than ever before.
Global perspective
In order to differentiate one’s
ability to cover international
development news stories and
features in a manner that reflects a
global perspective, it is essential to
draw directly on a greater
diversity of sources and
viewpoints. There was a significant
imbalance in the sources
mentioned, particularly by the
opinion leaders and the policy
makers in our study, where few
cited media or institutional sources
from developing countries.
Consider the benefits of covering
international development and
other stories from a global and
Southern rather than a national and
Northern perspective.
Do you have thoughts to share?
Ideas? Join the discussion about
effective engagement on
international development issues at
AudienceScapes.
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