Dig in. Find what works. Tell that story. Mobilisation Lab, where I led content strategy in recent years, focused on identifying innovations in campaigning, strategy and leadership. The Solutions Journalism Project aims for the same: telling stories that help communities solve problems. They're sharing some of the best stories of 2018. I'd love to see more organizations using their communications resources and teams to help constituents and partners find and share solutions faster.
//
Strong advocacy NEEDS strong local media institutions. Journalist Lyndsey Gilpin writes that she started the newsletter Southerly in late 2016, shortly after moving home to Kentucky, as a way to "shed light on overlooked news and longform stories about the complicated relationship Southerners have with their environment." Gilpin is talking about environmental reporting, which has never been well supported at any level. But as local and state reporting has been hollowed out, the reporting left behind is coming from national outlets that rarely have the time to let reporters build relationships and understand the complexity of local economies and politics. It further distances residents and voters from the media. If you can't consistently report out what's happening on the ground you can't advocate for change.
//
Identity card politics. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are protesting a plan by U.N. High Commission on Refugees to force refugees to use a smart card for identification and aid distribution. They’re worried that centralized identity data could be shared with Myanmar authorities and prevent repatriation or invite government retribution if refugees return home. Much has been written about UNHCR and others using blockchain to support identity cards that can make refugee administration cheaper, faster and more efficient – also making it easier for refugees to manage their educational, employment and personal data. But putting all of a person’s data invites risk, particularly if that person is powerless and persecuted.
//
Read about the company putting refugees to work training AI algorithms. It’s no small coincidence that refugees have little economic or political power.
//
EVENT: Most groups, especially those with large teams and hierarchies, use something of an assembly line to create content - blog posts, press releases, reports, social media posts. It’s a great way to produce lousy writing. This 5 December webinar takes a look at alternatives.
EVENT: PowerLabs is hosting a webinar the next day, 6 December, about turning grassroots activism into lasting power.
//
|