Impact of Media Strategies by Six Civil Society Organisations in Tanzania

"Accountability Tanzania (AcT) partners tend to use mass media extensively to enhance their interventions in governance, social, economic as well as environmental issues. Many of these CSOs [civil society organisations] have significant budgets to support the engagement of media (print, TV and radio, social) in furthering their objectives. Nonetheless, little is systematically documented about the effectiveness of using media in bringing about accountability as well as desired change."

This is one of the key findings of a study led by the AcT programme to assess the effectiveness of media strategies used by partner CSOs during strategic interventions to increase the responsiveness and accountability of government. The study involved 6 of the 23 CSOs funded by AcT and comprised mainly in-depth interviews with informed respondents and a literature review of documents.

"Specifically, the study's objectives included:
a) Assessing how partners use print, TV, Radio and social media to convey messages and elicit responses from different audiences;
b) Gathering evidence of what moves citizens from receiving information to taking action;
c) Documenting current good practice from partner organisations in terms of monitoring, costs, efficiency and effectiveness of their media interventions;
d) Suggesting how partners can better understand and describe choice of media and value for money;
e) Suggesting how AcT's 'access to information' indicators could be improved."

The report is divided into five chapters. Chapter One provides an introduction to the study, brief background information, as well as objectives. Chapter two provides a brief review of theoretical underpinnings from which the interventions in this study can be assessed or understood. Chapter Three describes methodological approaches used in the research; Chapter Four profiles the different interventions and presents findings of the study related to the objectives outlined above; and Chapter Five provides conclusions and recommendations.

To highlight some of the findings of the research, the report states that partner organisations place significant emphasis on including media as part of activities; in four of the six CSOs analysed, media featured in 75% of interventions. Yet in some cases there are wide discrepancies between scope and budgets. For example, while the Legal and Human Rights Centre included media in 75% of interventions, their budget for media was only 3% of the total. Overall, the six CSOs prefer using the following media, in order of importance: radio, newspapers, websites, and promotional print materials. Four CSOs also preferred TV in their interventions, and four used social media extensively, while many also engaged directly with journalists. The report discusses how CSOs select their choice of media channel, as well as how many when different media are used. A mixed approach to reach different audiences is considered key.

A key question for the study was to assess the extent to which these media activities prompt citizens to take a particular action. There is significant evidence that readers, listeners, and viewers react to media in such ways as sharing or liking content on social media and calling in to radio shows usually to ask for more information or to express their opinions. Other actions include meetings organised to discuss contentious issues, debates initiated around particular problems covered by the media, or a changed attitude towards a particular behaviour. Overall, the study found that in terms of prompting actions, "almost all respondents in the six CSOs in this study strongly maintain that largely it takes more than just a message through one medium to have citizens take action." Likewise, "newspapers, radio, television or social media do not necessarily function in isolation with other more traditional means such as face to face meetings, songs, drama, Khanga messages, church/mosques, traditional ceremonies and other such forms of oramedia."

The concluding chapter offers six perspectives on what motivates citizens to take action, including perceived benefit, sustained and widespread messaging, and the involvement of trusted individuals and institutions. Integration of media is key to both messaging and cost effectiveness. For example HakiElimu, HakiArdhi, and LHRC post their radio or television spots on social media, where more discussions are generated online, and HakiArdhi airs village meetings on land issues, which are covered live by the local radio stations. However, while good practices appear to exist in all the CSOs, and some feedback mechanisms are in place, there is little documentation to provide evidence of what is working and what is not. The report offers a number of different recommendations, such as using appropriate media tailored for their audiences and objectives, engaging combinations of national and local media channels, and better understanding audiences' needs and what motivates them to take action.