Values, the media and poverty

1. Values, the media and poverty Guy Berger Rhodes University South Africa

2. What’s the world’s No.1 problem?: • Aids? • Digital divide? • Corruption? • Women/child abuse? • War and strife? • Fundamentalism? • Despotism?

3. It depends what you look at: For me, one problem stands out as our worst pest, and we need value-driven journalism work in order to tackle it

4. Its ugly name is: POVERTY Let’s look at: • Why Poverty is Public Enemy no. 1 • The journalism of poverty • The poverty of journalism • Conclusion: what’s to be done?

5. SECTION B: Public Enemy No 1. • What’s bad about poverty? • People are “less” - cashless, foodless, homeless, landless, illness, powerless. • Note: job-less ≠ poverty • Bad to have Aids, worse: poor + Aids • Many indirect effects: • Poverty doesn’t cause crime & Aids, but it does contribute.

6. The pinch of poverty Pinpointing whose problem it is: • the poor? • government? • civil society? • business? • individuals? • media?

7. The pillars of poverty • An act of God, or • an act of man? • Quiz: What are the underlying causes? • A local issue, or • a global issue? • Quiz: UN Millenium Goal for 2015?

8. A rights issue – it’s political • Poverty is the cause and the effect of the denial of human rights. • Systematic violation of these rights degenerates rapidly into poverty • The most acute moral question of the new century is to understand how such massive and systematic violations, day in, day out, do not trouble the conscience. - Pierre Sane

9. Questions 1: • What’s the delay in ending poverty? • What are the solutions? • Who is part of the problem? • Can media be part of the solution?

10. Consider words of Kunda Dixit • Poverty reflects deep structural problems within societies. Media isn’t a solution, but perhaps the way it is practiced is a part of the problem? • Let’s be realistic: the media can’t end poverty. But if we in journalism don’t cover it intelligently (with attachment and outrage) the media will be an obstacle in poverty alleviation.

11. “Poverty” has many faces: • The term is a generalisation of specifics: • hunger. • lack of shelter. • being sick and not being able to see a doctor. • not being able to go to school and not knowing how to read. • not having a job. • fear for the future, living one day at a time. • losing a child to illness from unclean water. • powerlessness, lacking representation & freedom. (World Bank)

12. A complex topic: 1 • “ Hard to link the different aspects: • So therefore you get singular stories: manifestations (eg.streetkids) or broad concept (eg. poverty resolutions), and no linkage. • In SA, the one-dimensional focus is more common than the multidimensional one, • Examples of reporting on one angle, more-or-less in isolation of others, are in land and housing/homeless stories.

13. A complex topic: 2 • Poverty is often hidden under other frames – crime, gender, Aids, strikes, unemployment. • But poverty coverage often hides aspects like gender, and power. • Challenge is to cover a condition with many causes

14. SECTION C: Looking for answers: “Development journalism” … has failed Free market media in USA/India … has failed

15. Developmentjournalism effect: • It reinforced man-made poverty. • Was bad journalism: “lies, easy victories” • Responsibility, no freedom. • Clearly • this model lacks democratic values, plus real compassion.

16. Free market model 1 • USA: poor people invisible in news, • Middle-class audiences resent it. • Indian media “consistently panders to the consumerism and lifestyles of the elite and rarely carries news of the reality of poverty.”- PalagummiSainath • Freedom, no responsibility

17. Free market model 2: • Stereotypes of lazy, failed people. • Racialisation: “poverty = black” • Individual, rather than govt/societal issue. • “Deserving poor” victims vs blameworthy. • Absence of voices of poor people. Clearly: Elitist model lacks solidarity value

18. Journalism of poverty: disconnect • Dichotomy: • Stories of people who are poor • Stories of “poverty” (often policy promises) • Reports of manifestations of poverty, do not ID these “exhibits” as constituting “poverty”. • Yet, linkage is necessary to grasp poverty as a generalised condition with inter-dependent and mutually reinforcing dimensions.

19. Journalism of poverty: Charity angle • Examples of headlines: • Africa wants debt cancelled • Rejoice R40m to uplift poor • Little too late, G8 • Result: agency by the poor is under-played. • Their status is projected as being that of objects to be pitied and uplifted by others. • The poor are thus seen from a consumption, and not a production, point of view. • Paradigm of poor as “in deficit”: • No recognition of their achievements & potentials

20. Journalism of poverty: political soccer • Examples • President promises relief • Opposition accuses President of neglect. • Little independent follow-up. • Glorification of the correspondent • Sympathy is created with the journalist, not poor people

21. Journalism of poverty – hidden Often: Implicit, rather than explicit Often: Should be there but isn’t Blind spots: • Cold snap coverage – what of the poor? • Protests – no poverty info on background. • Very little on how “development” relates. • Poor scrutiny of statistics. • No debate about nature, extent, causes, remedies.

22. Journalism of poverty: voices • Absence of poor voices on policy issues. • In SA, 60% of poverty stories did indeed provide a platform for poor voices. • Yet these were overwhelmed by the voices of people in authority. Thus, government officials constituted 47% of sources.

23. Journalism of poverty: gender • Disaggregation not common – eg. Unemployment stats not broken down into male and female. • In SA, only 6% of articles included an explicit gender angle, or linked gender and poverty. • In another 12% of stories, there should have been a gender angle - eg. stories on pension queues; plight of jobless youth; land restitution.

24. Who we’re told is “responsible”: Causes: • Bad luck • Cruel nature • Apartheid • Backwardness Solutions: • 25% of poverty stories = the responsibility of poor people themselves • 32% gave government the responsibility.

25. Whose “responsibility” is it?: Solutions – “Delivery mindset”: • Government praised or panned by politicians • Government by default (in: charity stories) • Civil society organs (churches, NGOs) • Non-poor individuals Let off the hook: • the rich, business people • global system

26. Who should address poverty? Solving poverty seldom painted as some-thing where all stakeholders play a part: • - poor people (they are not "objects" to be pitied and uplifted through pure charity), • - government (elected bodies supposed to deal with it), • - civil society (ngo's, scholars, students, churches, etc.), • - employers/business/educational institutions, • - individuals.

27. SECTION E: Poverty of Journalism • Spinning the story: • Our journalism in general needs changing – • Why and how.

28. Problems in journalism • Poverty does not have to be covered. • Poverty needs enterprise reporting • Few press releases! Few lobby actions. • We fixate on success and celebs … • Survival not seen as an achievement. • Events easier to cover than processes. • Solutions-oriented journalism is atypical.

29. SECTION F: Conclusion What’s 2B done? • Conscious editorial strategy: • Driven by values • “Demand more time, agitate for more space, revisit the subject”

30. Potential • 1.Agenda setting: Sensitise readers, listeners, viewers so as to put the issue higher on the public agenda: • 2. Aim to impact on the policy of institutions(eg. councils, business, provinces,, etc.): • 3. Impact on individuals who have power: persuade them to engage. Coverage that moves them emotionally, empowers them with ideas and information, encourages them to give time, money, skill.

31. Potential • 4. Be a watchdog: Expose exploitation, abuses, corruption. • 5. Inspire entrepreneurship: Publicise business achievers. • 6. Empower: Ensure that stories are educational as well as informative. • 7. Resources for poor people: Provide user information - where to get relief, skills, loans, jobs.

32. Summing up the point: • Poverty is everyone’s problem. • While media must be free, it can well keep responsible spirit of developmental journalism. and • Avoid elitist role of free market media. • Inform, expose, debate, hold accountable, give frontline voices, inspire, educate, empower. • Even break hearts.

33. Potential to make a difference: Good coverage can impact: • On policy of govt, business, schools, etc • On practices of these institutions • On economic strategies • Conscience of rich people • Empowermentof the poor • On local-global compassion & solidarity.

34. Appeal to journalism: • Journalism ≠ social marketing, but a conscious and pro-active approach can enrich poverty-related news and its impact. • “We’re not asking journalists to become activists and start waving the flag, but they shouldn’t just be passive observers anymore to the misery and deprivation around them.” Kunda Dixit

35. Outcomes: • P: Press can play a role • O: Only if you’re pro-active • O: Organise a strategy • R: Reap the results - reduce poverty! • Journalism should be a full part of the rich resources for reconstructing our humanity.

36. One day, perhaps, we will not have this biggest problem to report anymore. Thank you