Capacity Building – KCOMNET

P-FIM as a production tool for journalists

kcomnet — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 04:59:43 +0000

When it comes to productions, creativity really matter, sometimes it won’t hurt to borrow a leaf.

P-FIM means People First Impact Method. It was created by Gerry McCarthy and Paul O’Hagan who are the Co-Developers and Directors of the exercise.

The P-FIM exercise engages the communities directly by listening to their issues. Just like any other interview done by a journalist, listening and reporting are principles which applies in this exercise. The big difference: with P-FIM there’s no room for interpretation; you report what is said. The skill of listening is wanted here. Ask yourself: When was the last time you listened to someone without interfering, interpreting their statements or judging them?

This activity is important in our day to day work. We serve the community through different mediums and Community Radio is one of them. Community Radios are mostly owned by the community to inform the residents on the happenings using the local language of that community.

Radio is the most powerful medium of communication, using P-FIM when generating our programs and productions will bring us closer to the community. Most of our community members do not understand how radio or any other media tool is working. It is our responsibility as journalists to explain it to them so that they do not feel left out in our programming. Our communities need to feel that they own the stations, they need their voices to be heard and their issues addressed in their radio.

Voicing their concerns through their statements is more important compared to interpreting what they could mean. Statements are very powerful and every producer or editor knows quite well what makes good soundbites in different productions.

Asking the communities to highlight those issues which are important to them and advocating for their priorities is more important than having huge development programs in our communities that residents are not interested in and won’t own because they don’t address their real concerns.

Using P-FIM in our productions will not only highlight issues in our communities but it will help journalists to look at different ways of doing a production. It is a skill that will make our productions powerful and it will have direct impact to the communities keeping in mind the media ethics and law.

Trainings on P-FIM will be conducted and through the Community Radios, we will produce different productions, with different approach. These productions include: Cameo, radio dramas, news items, radio shows, documentaries etc. People use different methods and skills in productions as it advances and as Heraclitus would say, “There’s nothing permanent, except change.”

Mitigating Floods and Climate Change Through Community Radio

kcomnet — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 04:57:13 +0000

RANET(short for Radio/Internet) is a project established in 2006 by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, under the Kenya Meteorological Department(KMD). The project is mandated to interpret and disseminate information on the climate and weather outlook, forecasts and ultimate early warnings for any impending catastrophes in collaboration with the KMD. As an early warning system incorporated in the National Disaster Management Authority, RANET has six (6) radio stations strategically located in areas affected by climate and weather-related catastrophes. These are namely Kangema in Murang’a County, Kwale RANET in Kwale County, Nganyi in Vihiga County, Suswa in Narok County, Bulala in Busia County, and recently RANET Garbatula in Isiolo County.

Bulala FM is situated at the Bunyala Sub-County Headquarters in Budalang’i Busia County. It serves a 30-KM radius and boasts of a 250,000-strong listenership. Bulala 107.5 FM is the first, and so far the only, Community Radio Station in Bunyala, and the entire Busia County, hence our slogan: “Mwanawa’mberi, Omwoyokwa’Abanyala” which translates to “the first born (of the community), the voice of the Banyala.

The station has an all-inclusive programming schedule that runs between 6:00 am to 12:00 Midnight and has informative (news), educative and entertaining programs for the Banyala community and its environs, which include Samia and parts of Busia town.

Budalang’i has in the recent past been of National and international concern over perennial flooding during both the long and short rainy periods. Sandwiched between three water bodies i.e. the Yala Swamp, River Nzoia and the Great Lake Victoria, communities living around these water bodies have been hard-hit by devastation of their farmlands, destruction of their homes, death of their domesticated animals and to an extent, people’s lives are lost, mainly due to water-borne diseases caused by the contaminated water, which stagnates for almost three months. (insert photo 2)

From 2016, Bulala FM together with other RANET radios has partnered actively with KCOMNET’s Umoja Radio for Peace Project. This partnerships have seen many young journalists and producers benefit from periodic training and capacity building in production and conflict sensitive news reporting, such as conflict over the shared L. Victoria water resources. Other engagements with KCOMNET have also given the journalists a great deal of morale boosting and for social status in the community they serve and in the larger media fraternity.

Bulala FM looks forward to enhanced engagement with KCOMNET and other representative media organization in the championing for the interests of RANET Community Radio Stations, whose very existence has been hanging in the balance with the Ministry of Environment leadership threatening to withdraw paying salaries of the radios’ staffs. This is against the background of Communications Authority (CA) of Kenya’s regulations barring commercial advertising by Community Radios. Community radio can only survive through public funding or by being allowed like the private radio stations to engage in commercial advertising to be self-sustainable.

Fake news and fact checking – How to deal with this

kcomnet — Mon, 24 May 2021 15:01:16 +0000

Is the 21^st century, the era of fake news? And did Donald Trump actually put the words “fake” and “news” together? Well, he claims he invented the term “fake news”. In actual fact, he didn’t. Fake news also known as rumours have been there since medieval times. What we are experiencing now is the rebirth of fake news with kind of vengeance, thanks to social media. So, why is it important for community media journalists to learn how to deal with the epidemic of fake news?

Let’s first educate ourselves on the meaning of the term fake news? It is simply deliberate misinformation which is spread via various media – print, broadcast, video, online, among others. It is vital for KCOMNET to try and deal with the issue of fake news in order to retain credibility and authenticity of community media. KCOMNET does this through the Umoja Radio for Peace Project, a capacity building project in partnership with GIZ/CPS.

The first process of containing fake news is fact checking. In the workshops on fake news conducted for community radio journalists by Umoja Radio for Peace Project team, include a module on fake news and how to verify information. Participants are usually taken through the five step process of checking fake news which was developed by an organisation known as Africa Check.

Step 1; Always try to identify the original source of information. This involves; checking the source/author, using the 5W’s (Who, Why, What, When and Where), checking the figures (if they exist), and finally, images. One of the websites that can be used to verify fake news is tineye.com. This website can be used to reverse search images and see if they are originals or photo shopped.

Step 2; Verify the content. Simply check the quality of source of information. Is it being used in a good way? Is there any information that has been left out that could influence the interpretation? if the answers is No, do not spread the word without a caution/caveat. If the answer is Yes, go to step 3.

Step 3; Check for Context, Step 3, Check for context – is it user generated? This means establishing the content that is reposted mostly on social media platforms. Sometimes User Generated Content may be subject to copyright of which ideally the owner should be contacted for permission to use.

Step 4; Obtaining permission. If getting permission is not possible, then do not publish or broadcast user generated content in its original format.

Step 5; Setting out the evidence for your reader/audience. If permission is granted in step 4, finally go to step 5. This authenticates the work of the journalist and provides easier comprehension of their work.

If one has answered YES to all the five steps, your information is factual and can comfortably be published/broadcast.

Other than journalists, fact checking process can be used by regular citizens, activists’ among others to always undertake background check when they receive information, mostly on social media. This will help in controlling a lot of unverified information being spread that causes more harm than good.

For further details on fact checking Training, Research and Information, you can get in touch with KCOMNET’s Umoja Radio for Peace Project team; Sheila – Sheila@kcomnet.org and Michael – Michael.scheweres@giz.de

Chit Chat With Community Radio Journalists

kcomnet — Mon, 24 May 2021 15:01:01 +0000

Radio ratego is a community FM station broadcasting from Siaya county on a frequency of 98.9 that covers the wider Siaya and some parts of Kisii. The station has diverse programs that encompasses all ages in the areas of entertainment information and education. Umoja Radio for peace, a program under Civil Peace service in collaboration with Code For Africa recently undertook content production training targeting local journalists at the station in enhancing their capacities in radio production as well as fact-checking and verification of information. The Umoja team had a little chat with one of the Ratego staff after the training;

Name: Christine Odhiambo

Community Radio: Ratego FM

Role: Programs presenter

How do you define your role at Ratego? : I am a presenter. I also do mid-morning program and news briefs in between 10 am and 12 noon.

What does Ratego and Chuny Piny mean? : Ratego is a Luo name that means ‘a Hero’ Chuny Piny means ‘the heart of the people’

Why Community Radio? I chose community radio because I have been having an interest in working passionately for the community. I have the courage of working for the community. I simply have the interest of my community at heart

What’s your opinion on fake news: Fake news has affected me. I have that experience. There was a time I was about to go on air with a piece of story that looked so real. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. I dropped it after I was alerted by my colleagues. Minutes before the top of the hour.

What’s your most exciting experience in community radio? I was a presenter in Pacho Radio before joining Ratego. And alas! All my listeners followed me to Ratego. They usually call me on my show. Even for those who can’t access the radio frequency, they just call to inquire about the topic that I am tackling and they participate in the program even without listening.

What’s your take on the role of KCOMNET in capacity building of community Radios? It is my first time to learn about KCOMNET because I have never participated in any KCOMNET training before. But all the same am so inspired. I feel like KCOMNET can still d a lot in terms of capacity building If they increase the frequency of grassroot engagements with community radios.

How can you describe your audience: My audience are the best. To me they are my bosses. I am there for them. They have given me a conducive atmosphere and confidence as a journalist in as much as I don’t see them they always contribute to my program. They are very positive and so engaging.

What’s your most embarrassing moment on radio: One caller during a live program started seducing me on air. To me this was so embarrassing since I got puzzled on how my listeners would depict me.

How can you describe Ratego FM programs: They are so engaging and they cut across all age groups. Everybody’s interest is involved.

When we talk of ‘Community Radio’ what’s your understanding of it?: Its community based. Key owners and proprietors are the community members. Simply put, the back bone is community

What has been your biggest challenge as a community radio journalist: Working as a volunteer. I have personal life. I have bills to meet. Financially automatically I get numerous challenges because I don’t earn and at the same time I have to deliver on my duties. Basically challenge of survival. But this is common phenomena in community radios.

Where do you see the future of community radios: What I have known and for the years that I have worked with community radios, am so eager and anticipating that in the coming years if community radios continue to partner for a common course, community radios will emerge the best in as far as fostering social change is concerned. In most cases, community radios are real unless those which experiences some level of political interference

What’s your biggest fear as a community radio journalist? : My safety. At community radio I believe that am working for the community and they must be informed in all aspects and there comes a time where you feel that there is something that has happened and you have to honor your duty to inform but then again how safe are you?

What key Interventions can you suggest for community radios: They should be recognized as those organs that are working hand in hand with the citizens for positive social change. The government acknowledges and support them and even the journalists who are working there.

Christine Odhiambo was one of the two radio journalists at ratego FM who were awarded Pesa Check T-shirts for scoring highest points in Fact Checking random quize.