Radio origins
大象传媒 Media Action was born out of radio, and as it marks its 25th anniversary, the airwaves in some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities continue to be filled with Media Action content that transforms lives.
It was launched as an international media development charity, following the merger in 1999 of three separate charitable activities being carried out by the 大象传媒 World Service. The focus initially was on meeting the growing demand for journalism training and education content from an increasing network of state broadcasters globally.
Eastern Europe
In the tumultuous period that followed the fall of the Iron Curtain, the then Director of the World Service, John Tusa, gave a speech in London to business leaders (1991), at which he launched what become known as the Marshall Plan of the Mind. 鈥淲e can only be struck by the speed of events and by their continuing unpredictability鈥�, he began. His idea was to provide practical knowhow for audiences at scale, that would go on to be funded by private business, donors and governments, using the World Service airwaves.
Himself a refugee to Britain from then Czechoslovakia in 1939, Tusa was seeking to counter decades of Communist Party state control of media and propaganda and to enhance Britain鈥檚 stature globally. Bespoke content and training proliferated across the former Soviet Union, in Poland, the Balkans and as far as Uzbekistan. Changes in society were reflected in Russia with Dom Syem Podyest Chtery (House Seven, Entrance Four), a daily radio soap opera set in Moscow which included script lines showing entrepreneurs how to start their own small business.
Such a partnership with the Russian media now is a distant memory, but the need to support free and trusted media across the region remains and Media Action鈥檚 footprint over the last 25 years includes the Baltics, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia.
For the last decade, the 大象传媒鈥檚 international charity has carried out its mission to 鈥渦se the power of media and communication for good鈥� in Ukraine, supporting the transformation of the state broadcaster (Public), into a public service broadcaster, using the 大象传媒鈥檚 model.
It has provided training, equipment and support to ensure its journalists and production teams can stay on air through the conflict and supported its commissioning of a documentary series showcasing the contributions of women and LGBTQI+ communities in wartime.
Africa
There is a tremendous amount the 大象传媒 can do by sharing its skills and experience in the world of international development鈥hether it is by training the media so they are more effective, or by making programmes that tell people about the dangers of landmines, for example, or how to go and get drugs for leprosy.
Media Action's first Director, Corinna Furse, 1999.
In Africa, 大象传媒 Media Action uses radio extensively to communicate messages about conflict resolution, maternal and child health, as well as extensive emergency responses to the Ebola crisis and the Covid pandemic.
For the last decade, its soap opera, Life in Lulu, has been broadcast in six languages across South Sudan, the world鈥檚 poorest country. Life in Lulu was first conceived as a South Sudanese version of The Archers, and Lulu, much like Ambridge, is the village where the radio drama is set.
鈥淲e cover all the issues of the day鈥�, says Simon Bishop, CEO of Media Action. 鈥淣ow in South Sudan, 鈥榯o Lulu鈥� is a verb meaning to do the right thing, because it鈥檚 always about informing and educating through drama, whether that be to wash your hands because of COVID, resolving conflict between different ethnic communities or because refugees have just arrived and there are tensions between the host communities, how to recycle more or improve on farming.鈥�
Such has been the charity鈥檚 profile across Africa that it has attracted royal attention. In December 2003, Queen Elizabeth visited the set of Media Action鈥檚 popular radio drama about livelihoods, Story Story - Voices From the Market, while on a state visit to Nigeria.
Asia
Across Asia, Media Action鈥檚 programmes have delivered widespread positive outcomes, through media support, content about climate change, health and nutrition, gender, equality and governance. In Nepal, a lifeline radio programme, Milijuli Nepali (Together Nepal) provided vital information to communities cut off by the 2015 earthquake.
In Bangladesh, radio and TV co-produced by 大象传媒 Media Action and independent broadcaster , were the driver for national discussion about democracy and governance.
From 2005 to 2015, 大象传媒 Bangladesh Sanglap (Dialogue), took the Question Time format on tour around the country in Bangla (or Bengali) language. Audiences in Bangladesh were allowed to pose questions to their elected officials, opening up an era of accountability in Bangladeshi politics for the first time in the country鈥檚 history.
Sanjib Saha is one of Media Action鈥檚 longest serving members of staff. He first joined as a research assistant, 18 years ago, carrying out focus group discussions after the programme went on air.
He still recalls his first day on the job. 鈥淭hey needed someone to go to the field immediately with the outreach team鈥�, he said. 鈥淚t was nearly dark when we arrived. It was a community of indigenous people, who make up a tiny proportion of the Bangladeshi population and they were listening to Sanglap. They were all very excited to watch that programme. And I realised I made the right decision to take up this job.鈥�
Today, 大象传媒 Media Action continues to be a beacon for media support in Afghanistan following the return to Taliban rule in 2021. Even after most international media organisations left the country, 大象传媒 Media Action continues its work on the ground, training brave women journalists and supporting female-run radio stations to report and to stay on the air, despite draconian restrictions on their movements and economic activities.
As it looks forward to the next 25 years, 大象传媒 Media Action is launching a new strategy with an ambition to reach 100 million people annually through its work.
The world needs to acknowledge that you cannot have freedom, you cannot have democracy, you cannot have human rights, without public interest media sharing trusted information, sharing facts and holding those in power to account...So we want to act much more as a global public good.
Media Action CEO Simon Bishop.
Written by Iain Haddow, 大象传媒 Charities Lead