AudiencScapes

A group of journalists is banding together to tackle corruption at all levels of Zimbabwean society. They are employing social media both to discourage Zimbabweans from engaging in corrupt behavior and to report it when they see it.

By Hannah Bowen, Africa project manager, InterMedia (Washington, D.C.)--I recently met with a group of developing-country journalists who were brought here by the Population Reference Bureau to report on the Women Deliver conference and share ideas about how to improve coverage of health issues in their countries. We talked about how they could identify audiences for such issues and reach out to them. I also asked them about their relationship with the development community, prompting a lively discussion about how development groups can do a better job communicating with them. The bottom line: journalists are equally as concerned about being "used" by development organizations as they are by other interest groups, be they politicians or businesses or otherwise.