Role of Media: Facilitating institutions by resource mobilization

1. Role of Media:Facilitating institutions by resource mobilization Irfan Mufti – NHN Pakistan

2. Disasters and Humanitarian situations • Less time for planning and resource mobilization • Situations tend to change rapidly with fewer options to operate • Stakeholders compete on similar objectives and for common reasons • Resource constraints restrict abilities of response and facilitating institutions • Media and citizens focus is more on human sufferings and strategic issues like health, rehabilitation and preparedness for future is limits

3. Strategic Deviations • Response and Disaster management MUST be linked to preparedness questions • Sympathies and humanity concerns MUST not over shadow future preparedness issues • Immediacy of response MUST not diminish support for longer-term and strategic issues of preparedness • TV camera attentions MUST not be short-lived and divert attention from policies and resource questions

4. MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS • Media framed most Flood/Disaster stories by emphasizing government response and less often addressing individuals’ and communities’ level of preparedness or responsibility. • Media content studied focused significantly more on government response than on key public health roles in disaster management. • Media tends to emphasize different priorities according to the type of disaster or the individuals affected

5. MEDIA sets the AGENDA in disaster situations • Situation often results in a media-driven disaster policy that highlights deficiencies in the delivery of relief rather than local preparedness and national coordination efforts • The ability of the mass media to set the agenda for public discussion is known as agenda setting. • Agenda setting influences public agendas and policies through deliberate coverage of events and issues, with the media prompting policymakers to take action and satisfy the public’s interest or demand for answers

6. Dual roles • Disaster warning and keep the audience updated • Framing the situation to emphasize, depending on the selected focus, the response by government, individual and communities • Mobilize stakeholders MEDIA PROVIDES TRUSTED LINK BETWEEN AUTHORITIES AND PUBLIC

7. CONTROVERCIES • MANUFECTURING OPINIONS ON RESCUES AND RELIEF • Facilitating role in the preparedness phase • Experience confirms Media was a leading source of information but not providing encouragement or information about precautionary measures for earthquake

8. Agenda shapers! The media engenders public awareness and concern on the basis of the assumptions that: • the press and the media do not reflect reality but, rather, filter and shapeit • Media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues and subjects as more important than others

9. Media as MOVER and SHAKER! • The media played a historic role by pushing the government to take action, thus prompting a country of diverse citizens to reflect on natural disasters in their own communities. • media’s coverage of disasters should equally emphasize disaster mitigation and preparation. • Reporting on analyses of current and proposed disaster policies can help increase understanding of their potential impact. • media agenda setting can support disaster management practices (mitigation, preparation, response, recovery)

10. Media Facilitating… Resource Mobilization • First reaction on Media shall be the need for coordinated and focused resources and response • Messages of Resource needs shall be clear, well determined and supporting efforts on ground • Tone shapes the media’s agenda. A negative tone was prominent in depictions of the responsibility and response of the government and not-for-profit organizations, presumably driven by the public’s perception of these entities as possessing a civic duty and having easily deployable resources.

11. Expectations • The media helps advance the needs of vulnerable populations through policy-based messages; public health practitioners, by contrast, should strive to promote policy-oriented actions • Right messages help create space for support for institutions • Resource mobilization and right messaging • Accountability with responsibilities • Resource mobilization plan..

12. How can this be achieved? /1 • journalists to be more proactive in reporting on drought or disaster risk related issues. • Journalists needs to be trained regularly on disaster preparedness to enhance their understanding of the key disaster terms and scope of the hazards. • The policy makers should work closely with the press to broadcast or write • positive stories that can trigger change and offer solutions in the disaster prone areas. • Capacity building for journalists with close monitoring of their progress should be developed. • Journalists advocacy stories should target the government line ministries for quick action.

13. How can this be achieved? /2 • There is need to develop a journalist disaster risks guide book besides holding • workshops for them to make them more pro-active in reporting disaster issues. • Establish an online magazine for disaster stories. • Appoint a team of online editors and sub editors to receive the stories from the • journalists in the field and post them in Web magazine. • Identify a sponsor and staff permanent journalists to help coordinate the process • to show a sign of commitment in managing disaster. • Keep a data base of disaster prone areas.

14. How can this be achieved? /3 • Remunerate journalist writing stories used in the website. • Create a forum of competition and give annual awards for best researched stories on disaster • Conduct periodical trainings of journalists with interest in issues to enhance their scope of reporting. • Create exchange programmes where journalists can move from one country to the other • Give the journalists specific assignments on DRR issues to follow up. • The central function of the media should be to remind the policy makers and influence them to act by exposing the high dangers or risks facing the people and finding out what the governments are doing about rationalizing the problems affecting the vulnerable communities.