Advocacy in Cambodia: Increasing Democratic ... - Pact Cambodia

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courting the media The media campaign – the development of a media message, its presentation, and the identification and targeting of specific audiences – plays an important role in generating support for and sometimes against a cause. Increasing Democratic Space As mentioned in the introduction of this report, one of the aims of advocacy is to draw the attention of policymakers and the general public to a cause and generate sympathy for it. The media campaign – the development of a media message, its presentation, and the identification and targeting of specific audiences – plays an important role in generating support for and sometimes against a cause. For centuries, “traditional media” referred to the printed word – newspapers, books and magazines. But rapid development of technology in the late-20 th century - radio, television, and the Internet - has greatly expanded the reach of the media and increased the use of images to convey messages. Overview of the Cambodian Media According to a report published by SIDA and Forum Syd in May 2000 entitled Trapped in the Past, Seeking Out a Future: A Study on the Cambodian Media Sector, the Cambodian media is small and suffers from a general lack of resources, including adequate training for journalists, updated technology, institutional policies, and structures promoting diversity and independence. In addition, there is a limited number of media consumers and a limited level of disposable income in the country. As a result, few companies invest in advertising and salaries for journalists are low. This discourages skilled individuals from entering the industry. The television media is linked to the government or the Cambodian People’s Party and focuses mainly on entertainment instead of information. It has little emphasis on public service and does not reach the public in the rural areas. Similarly, radio stations also often lack independence from political parties and offer more entertainment than education. Even so, radio is an important means of reaching the public and some radio stations are beginning to reach the provinces, where coverage has been minimal. Although newspapers can occasionally be shut down or threatened for political reasons, the print media does tend to enjoy relative freedom of expression. There are over 200 licensed newspapers and magazines. Khmer newspapers, such as Koh Santepheap and Rasmey Kampuchea, are increasingly the first to cover a story, which subsequently appears in an English language paper. As with television and radio however, print media in the provinces is still scarce. Strategies Used by Advocates Civil society organizations working in sectors reviewed in this report are currently using a variety of media strategies, an indication that the sectors are becoming more mature. Some of the most common strategies include distribution of press releases, establishment of relations with reporters, and invitation of broadcast and print media representatives at events. A small number of organizations also employ more sophisticated strategies such as training reporters on sectorrelated issues, taking them on field trips, and setting up Internet websites. Press Releases and Press Conferences The most common media strategies being used by NGOs in Cambodia today are press releases and press conferences. Press releases are one-page summaries with a few important pieces of information that organizations distribute to newspapers and broadcast stations to publicize an event or situation. The objective is to get the media to print or broadcast the information so that it can be spread to a wider audience. Press releases are often used as a way to get journalists to attend an event, such as a conference or demonstration. Press conferences are similar to press releases in that journalists are invited to receive similar information about an event or situation. Press conferences have the added benefit of providing journalists with an opportunity to interact with speakers directly. During the lobbying of the Commune Council Election Law, EMOs prepared regular press releases to express their dissatisfaction with the legislative process and to report the findings of their public polls. EMO representatives acknowledge that their media strategy generated 38
considerable public attention, but not quite enough public pressure that the government felt it had to take action. EMOs learned a number of lessons during that campaign and in the future expect to build on the public recognition that was generated. Press releases need to be issued as quickly as possible after an important event has occurred, a fact that sometimes precludes consensus building. During CCEL lobbying for example, EMOs tried to get approval from all of their members before issuing every press release. The approval process sometimes took as long as two weeks however, by which time any window of opportunity to have a major impact on the public was lost. EMOs learned from this experience that responsibility for approving press releases needed to be assigned to a limited number of organizations in order to get them out quickly. Press conferences are useful for generating short-term attention, but they are ineffective when not accompanied by other activities. Urban development organizations learned this during the Tonle Bassac fires. Although they organized a successful press conference to protest the Municipality’s policy of relocating fire victims, the group was not successful in changing that policy. In retrospect, urban development leaders believe that a lack of unity among urban organizations was one of the factors that lead to a failed outcome, and that increased media attention would not have rectified the problem. Establishing Working Relations with Journalists The media’s presence at an event has a direct effect on government behavior: when their words are being recorded in print or on videotape, officials know that they must be more restrained The NGO Forum’s environmental working group organized a field trip to Ansachambok, Pursat province for journalists and NGO staff. The purpose of the trip was to visit an example of a healthy forest. in their reactions and more careful about promises they make as they may be asked to account for them in the future. Civil society organizations in Cambodia have clearly understood this relationship and as a result have made efforts to develop good working relationships with journalists and newspaper editors. For example, urban advocacy groups have learned that Municipal authorities do not appreciate front-page pictures of local officials tearing down street vendor shacks in unplanned evacuations. For this reason, staff from some urban groups keep a list of journalists’ telephone numbers so that they can contact them when a situation that requires public attention arises. Interestingly, community leaders and urban community associations that are organized by urban development groups are also learning the importance of keeping in touch with the press. In one example, a local urban community was unsuccessful in its efforts to obtain authorization to build a child care center in a squatter area. In the face of official intransigence, community leaders built the center in one night and invited journalists the following day to attend the opening ceremony. Given the public attention, local authorities were reluctant to tear the structure down. Building Capacity of Journalists As lack of technical skills is cited as one of the reasons for the mediocre status of the Cambodian press, building capacity of journalists should play an important part of any advocacy strategy. More and more organizations are beginning to include training of journalists as part of their media strategy. This strategy is very important because it provides journalists with the technical information and skills they need to write about an issue in an informed manner and helps to stimulate their professional interest in the issue. For example, the NGOCRC organized a workshop for the press on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and is planning a second workshop as well. Similarly, the HACC has organized two workshops for members of the print and broadcast press. One of the EMOs held a workshop on commune elections for journalists, to explain and highlight the non-partisan aspect of their advocacy campaign. Capacity building of journalists does not necessarily have to be in a formal setting however. For example, fisheries advocates took journalists on a field trip to remote areas so that they could gain a Increasing Democratic Space 39
Page 1 and 2: advocacy in cambodia: increasing de
Page 3 and 4: executive summary The Cambodian non
Page 5 and 6: sectors reviewed in this document
Page 7 and 8: livelihood of populations, includin
Page 9 and 10: Pursat Rice Miller’s Association,
Page 11 and 12: Protected Forest and Land Dispute:
Page 13 and 14: implementation. Without policy impl
Page 15 and 16: drafts incorporated into the new La
Page 17 and 18: the relocation site and not at the
Page 19 and 20: Landless Families: O’thkov Villag
Page 21 and 22: Short-term and long-term implicatio
Page 23 and 24: EMOs do not traditionally base thei
Page 25 and 26: or even fearful to solve conflicts,
Page 27 and 28: collection of information on public
Page 29 and 30: each month. Facilitating Engagement
Page 31 and 32: analyzing impact of advocacy activi
Page 33 and 34: communities and NGOs can work with
Page 35 and 36: influencing the legislative process
Page 37 and 38: informal contacts and being able to
Page 39: CHART OF LEGISLATIVE PROCESS (10) K
Page 43 and 44: lessons learned Advocates have lear
Page 45 and 46: ecommendations The following are re
Page 47 and 48: conclusion Outside of human rights
Page 49 and 50: conclusion of the forum, the govern
Page 51 and 52: level can sustainable resource use
Page 53 and 54: literature, interviews, and field v
Page 55 and 56: Future Considerations The following
Page 57 and 58: Timeline of Land Issues Over the Pa
Page 59 and 60: The new Land Law will require betwe
Page 61 and 62: labor The garment factory labor mov
Page 63 and 64: input from AFL-CIO, the largest lab
Page 65 and 66: intervene are by activating the Lab
Page 67 and 68: ights have, in principle if not in
Page 69 and 70: commune council election law The ca
Page 71 and 72: maximize the group’s collective i
Page 73 and 74: communication between EMOs and dono
Page 75 and 76: The CCEL campaign was the first opp
Page 77 and 78: in every four women (25%) aged 15-4
Page 79 and 80: estimates the number of sex workers
Page 81 and 82: elections saw an increase to 14 fem
Page 83 and 84: healthcare. While many women know t
Page 85 and 86: losing influence. For this reason,
Page 87 and 88: plaintiffs at a disadvantage. A sec
Page 89 and 90: level to increase interaction betwe
Page 91 and 92:
courses for members of the media (p
Page 93 and 94:
economic issues NGOs are advocating
Page 95 and 96:
come together to discuss problems a
Page 97 and 98:
the issue on the government’s age
Page 99 and 100:
premier center for rights-based and
Page 101 and 102:
Penh. Watson, Gabrielle, 2000. Advo
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Advocacy in Cambodia: Increasing Democratic ... - Pact Cambodia

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