Press Releases

Radio Content Analysis Shows Improved Radio News Coverage of HIV in Kenya

Elizabeth Ann Gold, Senior Health Journalism and HIV Advisor, Internews Network, USA

Mia Malan, Senior Resident Advisor, Internews Network, Kenya

Oral presentation session
December 8, 10:30 am – 12:30

The importance of the mass media as major sources of information about HIV/AIDS – whether it be accurate or distorted – has emerged in many studies across the world. The public health community is often frustrated by the poor quality of media coverage of HIV/AIDS issues in many countries, given the critical role that media plays in setting the social context for each country’s response to the epidemic.

Today I’m going to tell you about one example where news media coverage of HIV issues has actually improved, how that change came about, and some of the outcomes of that change.

In Kenya, Internews conducted a needs assessment in 2001 to look at the challenges and obstacles the Kenyan broadcast media were facing in reporting on AIDS as well as opportunities for improvement. It became clear that a number of obstacles stood in the way of better quality media coverage of AIDS, and these would all have to be addressed if real change was to take place.

Following the needs assessment, Internews launched its Local Voices project in Kenya in early 2003 (with funding from USAID) to train, support and mentor radio professionals to improve their reporting on HIV related issues.  We made the decision to initially focus efforts on radio since it has by far the widest reach in Kenya.

The project was designed to address all of the obstacles identified in the needs assessment in a comprehensive way, offering a range of support and resources to media professionals. We realized that training alone was not enough.
By addressing the reality of their media context we felt that would enable them to improve their HIV reporting and play a more meaningful role in helping Kenyan society to cope with AIDS.

Key Components of Local Voices Project include:

Before project activities got started, we conducted some baseline research as part of the project’s three-pronged evaluation strategy. The radio content analysis is an important  part of that strategy, allowing us to measure any changes in frequency and quality of HIV/AIDS reporting and programming resulting from the intervention.
A local research firm in Kenya was contracted to conduct this analysis. The first wave or baseline was conducted in June 2003, prior to us starting with activities. The 2nd wave was conducted a year later in June-July 2004.  Eleven radio stations were recorded. A typical week of radio programming was monitored and recorded daily, 6am – 11:30 pm. Selected programs from the monitored week were played for listening groups.  The analysis points to a significant change in radio’s coverage of HIV issues from Wave 1 to Wave 2.

Key Findings from Comparison of Wave 1 and Wave 2:

Now how did this change come about?

We believe what has made all the difference is the intensive follow-up resources and support we provide after trainings. Radio professionals who have been trained by us have free access to our media resource center, computers, phones, radio studio and staff who assist them with scriptwriting, research and editing of their programs. I would like to point out that we do not produce the programs for journalists, they are produced by the radio professionals themselves, and the copyright belongs to them. We strongly support the development of local capacity and therefore believe in expanding these local journalists’ skills rather than substituting it.

During our trainings, we focus as much on journalism skills as we do on HIV/AIDS, if not more. There is no sense in giving a journalist or talk show host knowledge on HIV without also providing them with the skills to tell good stories with their newly acquired knowledge.

At no time did we sponsor air time. We have found that sponsorships are not sustainable. Radio stations begin to rely on funds from international agencies which come and go and are reluctant to do AIDS programs without these funds.We rather help journalists to broadcast programs of a high enough standard to attract listeners and advertisers. In other words, first have a good program that eventually attracts money, as opposed to only doing a story if there is money available.

I am going to give you an example of a radio show that has significantly improved since the start of the Local Voices program:

A STITCH IN TIME ON THE KENYA BROADCASTING CORPORATION

A Stitch in Time is a weekly AIDS program that is broadcast on the English Service of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation or the KBC. Three years ago it was a 15 minute prerecorded program broadcast on Sunday evenings at 7:30 pm. It had a very low listenership and there was no audience participation. Presenters were not well versed with HIV/AIDS issues and their interviewing skills were lacking.

We have since trained the show’s producer Ann Mikia as well as a new presenter Sammy Muraya. We also assisted Ms Mikia with proposal writing skills in order to negotiate with her editor for more air time and a better time of broadcast and provided her with a cell phone card to receive call-ins and text messages for her program.  

The program is now an hour long live program on Thursday mornings at 11am. We have trained Ms Mikia on how to give her program a human face that attracts listeners and assisted her in building a production team. A Stitch in Time receives on average 50 text messages and call-ins per program from all over Kenya. The program has become one of the most popular programs on the KBC.  In fact,  it’s often booked out with subjects and guests two to three weeks ahead of time.  

The investment we’ve made in talk show team Mikia and Muraya has multiple impact.  Ms Mikia and her presenter, Sammy Muraya, have assisted with Internews workshops as co-trainers. And Ms Mikia has also used her skills to train an entire production team at the KBC station.

I am going to give you two examples of the impact that this same radio program, A Stitch in Time, has had on care and support issues at the policy level:

CONCLUSION