“Often the mainstream media agenda is very narrow,” says Brett Davidson, an independent media consultant, “so a range of stories and issues don’t get attention”.
“Often the mainstream media agenda is very narrow,” says Brett Davidson, an independent media consultant, “so a range of stories and issues don’t get attention”.
This is why Davidson believes that citizen journalism can often be more valuable. “It provides an opportunity for ordinary people to talk for themselves and tell their own stories- to set our own agenda, cover the issues we want to, in the ways we want to.”
Davidson introduced HIVOS Citizen Journalism in Africa Project to attendants at the Digital Citizen Indaba on Sunday.
The project, which has been running in seven countries across the continent since 2007, introduces a large range of people to citizen journalism through training workshops.
While explaining that this training is “a mix of tools and content” Davidson says it involves teaching participants what citizen journalism is, while teaching them how to use the tools of citizen journalism, such as blogging.
However, he believes it is unreasonable to expect people in Africa only to focus on digital mediums. “Certainly in our part of the world we can’t ignore traditional media too”, he admits. “The key is to find ways to integrate them.”
Many participants explained that this integration is already in place. A number of delegates from Uganda spoke about methods that are being used to ensure that the voices of the citizens are heard, and that their concerns are raised.
One woman explained that her company creates discussion groups for members of the community, where they are encouraged to suggest topics of discussion.
Their opinions are then gathered and posted on a blog, listing the contributors at the end. This forum is printed out and distributed to those contributors and other members of the community.
It is these kinds of stories that make Davidson enjoy conferences such as the DCI. “It’s great to bring people together to share ideas and to talk and think about how we can improve things.”
