MMA’s innovations- Enabling change
We recently had the chance to present some of our innovations atPower Reporting – the African Investigative Journalism Conference (9-11) November. William, our Director, presented a session on “Churnalism”, showcased the site and demonstrated the tools to the largest gathering of investigative journalists in Africa. We also demonstrated Wazimap and its capabilities to those present, showing how these tools can improve the depth and quality of reporting. We have received requests for trainingand to consider adding information from the Department of Social Development (DSD) nationally and from Gauteng Province where we understand it is already being used by DSD staff.
Demonstrating “Newstools” at Power Reporting, 2015
Shika Moto ECD course home page →
“Shika Moto”now provides a genuinely free wifi system in Villa Liza on the East Rand enabling people to communicate for free and enhance the process of being informed digital citizens. The benefit to the community has been seen firsthand through the early childhood development course content that can be accessed via the site. In November this year we launched our first ever online parenting course with our community partners and wehave 36 participants signed up for the course. We look forward to rolling out “Shika Moto” to more communities, enabling us to expand both our reader groups and the early childhood development content. Already we have given IT skills to a local community member and she is proving a fast learner on maintenance of the system and promoting its benefits. Her ability to maintain and promote it helps not only with skilling young people but also helps with ownership of the network. In 2016 we will be using it to help hold media accountable.
In recognition of our work, we were approached by Government Communication Information Services (GCIS) to submit a report on the current levels of diversity in South African media content. The research will form part of GCIS’ preparation for a discussion document on Media Transformation and Diversity.Issues relating to media transformation and diversity are not only of great interest to government but it is also important that government fulfils its responsibilities in helping promote and encourage media transformation and diversity. To do this, we are expanding the capacity of “Dexter” (our internal media monitoring tool) and our site to develop a Media Diversity Index (MDI). The scores generated by the MDI will enable us to make evidence-based recommendations to GCIS, and we will also promote them more widely. In producing the index we aim to ensure not only a once off tool but rather an ongoing means of raising issues of diversity that will help track media performance.
Continued support of The Raith Foundationmeanswe have been able to carry on expanding the capabilities of our tools and put them to good use achieving our objectives of being the pre-eminent media “watchdog” in Africa, improve news quality and ethics in reporting and robust and effective communication legislation and media codes of conduct.