A resource of substantial benefit to any EMB media relations endeavour is a comprehensive and up-to-date “map” of the media layout in the country. Without a clear grasp of this layout, EMB outreach will be stunted at best.
Media mapping is not only a process of charting geographical locations of media outlets or even their coverage footprints (although these are critical elements of it); it is also an in-depth look at aspects such as:
- Media usage, particularly at different levels of society or within different target groups;
- Types of programming;
- Listener trust in media sources;
- Media policies (perhaps different locations have different policies);
- Media contact information.
All of this information will enable any EMB communications body, but specifically for the purposes of this discussion an EMB Media Relations Department, to make informed decisions on the nature and reach of outreach to media. It also provides the department valuable insight into how media ownership and trust might impact EMB messages. An EMB’s media strategy might change, for example, if it becomes clear that only opposition newspapers are attending EMB press conferences, or if only the government broadcaster, which is biased towards the ruling party, is accessible in rural areas.
Media mapping can be a time consuming activity and requires a fair degree of specialized skill and experience. For example, any credible gauge of media usage or trust would involve surveys and sample analysis. Mapping coverage requires special software and knowledge on how to use it. An EMB Media Relations Department may be in a position where they do not have the resources or necessary staff skills to conduct a complete a media mapping exercise on their own. It might also be the case that an EMB does not have the funds to outsource this activity to an external research organization. However, an EMB can often make use of what has come before, combining a collection of research results so as to get the most complete picture as possible.
In many countries, media audience data is now captured for a range of different purposes. Media development organisations, behaviour change communications projects, advertising agencies, opinion polling outfits, government information departments, media peak bodies, international and domestic civil society organisations and others carry out surveys which are quite often available online, or sometimes able to be purchased. Some organisations, such as The Asia Foundation in Afghanistan, carry out broader regular surveys that cover a range of issues, including media usage, from which this information can be extracted and analysed. If this type of data is currently not being collected, an EMB may want to consider encouraging a partner organization to collect it as part of their programming, as this information has multiple uses. EMBs can also carry out their own smaller research projects to get a sense of audience reach of different media, including the extent to which EMB material is reaching its intended public. Here is an example of a 2009 (released in 2010) media mapping exercise in Rwanda, conducted by Search for Common Ground and funded by the European Commission and USAID: www.sfcg.org/programmes/rwanda/pdf/Media_Mapping_Report.pdf
One of the key purposes of this media audience mapping is to understand audiences that may be falling through the gaps of an EMB’s current media work, which will often include women and minority groups, remote and rural areas. Innovative strategies will need to be used to address this, including considering technologies which the EMB may not have used before such as SMS (many rural poor now have mobile phones but not access to mass media), face-to-face processes, and other activities, some of which are explored in the Voter Information and Civic Education section of the Encyclopaedia.
One aspect of media mapping that an EMB Media Relations Department will almost certainly want to compile itself, is a media database. This will be the basis for contacting the media for press conferences, briefings, tours and for delivery of information such as press releases and statements. It is advised that an EMB Media Relations Department compile this database on their own rather than utilizing other list-serves or databases, as it is more than likely that only certain journalists will be tasked with election coverage. A Media Relations Department will want to directly contact relevant journalists in addition to sending information to outlets
in general. While the department might initially use other lists in order to get started, best practices demonstrate that a targeted, organized, and easy to use database of elections-specific media will make media relations a less complicated or haphazard process.
