Participatory Program Production, Public Deliberation and Prospects for Practicing Public Journalism in Mekelle FM Radio Stations
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Date
2011-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Prominent public journalism advocates hold that journalism should be done in a way that invites
citizen participation in shaping news coverage. For, they believed, the purpose of journalism is to
“help public life go well.” In similar realm, the aim of this study was to investigate the prospects
of journalism practices in creating effective public sphere at a local context through the
application of public journalism principles; based on the description and critical analysis of
participatory journalism practices in Mekelle FM radio stations. With this end in view,
qualitative research approach was employed. Hence, individual in-depth interviews, focus group
discussions, participant observation and content analysis of broadcasts were employed to gather
the data needed to scrutinize the aim of the study.
The findings of the study demonstrate that there are some promising activities that signify the
‘civic turn’ of journalism practice or the ends-oriented journalism is creeping into the practices
of these media. Some programs are shaped in a way that encourages public engagement; and the
participants, too, participate in discussions with due concern to the community issues. The
editors’/managers’ and program coordinators’ considerable effort and keen attempt to work with
the public by developing new participatory programs are also part of the promising activities to
practice ends-oriented journalism in these stations. Nevertheless, the journalists obscure
interpretation of the essence of participatory journalism in general and effective deliberation in
particular may jeopardize effective application of public journalism principles.
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Public Journalism