How to communicate research for policy influence
2013
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Abstract
Five how to guides addressing different aspects and tools on research communication for policy influence: the relationship with the media, the making of policy briefs, the online tools and data visualization.
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Journalists today across media have access to tremendous information from which to select depending on the nature of the story being filed. Information sources vary from primary and secondary modes to the additional digital dimension. This paper aims to understand the relationship between journalists and their use of social media in India and Malaysia directly while filing their reports. It also explores if the public relations agency/corporate communication professionals on behalf of clients use the social media to interact with journalists. In this digital age, when information has become power and time is critical for journalists, is the use of social media helping them to churn out better stories in terms of sourcing information? Is social media becoming another avenue for information sourcing – be it Google, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, Linkedin, or YouTube - beyond published information in the public domain and direct sourcing hitherto used by journalists? The paper also briefly examines whether journalists and publication houses are trying to leverage on social media to extend their reach to readers and viewers. According to a recent presentation at brand conference in Bangalore by BBC Global Marketing Head, social media is allowing a broadcast news organisation to extend its reach by leveraging content through different platforms to reach audiences based on specific requirements. Newspapers and TV channels are using social media to reach consumers on the go who need constant updates. Data was collected through informal interviews as well as a survey with communication and media practitioners in India and Malaysia to gain a better understanding on this subject. The perspectives obtained from the two countries would help communication practitioners understand the role of social media as a tool to reach journalists and help develop it as an effective medium to share messages, updates, trends, and developments besides being a useful information source.
Through data captured in a digital content analysis (DCA) lab, we examine coverage of Twitter across three 24-hour U.S. cable news channels: CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC. This investigation tracked Twitter coverage from its initial stage, followed by its rise to a massively used tool and its subsequent diffusion into society, evident through its plateauing coverage. News stories covering Twitter, as it penetrated into society, were more likely to use benefit/gain frames when discussing the technology, highlighting its positive social, communicative, political, and participatory impact. Benefit frames were also likely to associate Twitter with journalism. Patterns emerging through the indicator graphs plotted by the DCA lab showed that the most intense coverage occurred during crisis situations, as Twitter coverage reached saturation, followed by increased personal daily usage of Twitter.
Despite the proliferation of research on social media and journalism, only a few studies have analyzed how journalists in Latin America integrate social media platforms into journalistic practice. Based on a survey of 877 Latin American reporters, this article examines the social media platforms journalists use and how they use them. This research reveals that despite the popularity of Facebook in the region, Twitter is the most important platform for daily news-gathering and journalistic work. Journalists turn to Twitter to find sources and stories, showing an important openness to participatory journalism. Yet, there is also mistrust of information provided from political sources. Our findings show that different regions in Latin America work with social media in different ways, and local journalistic cultures have an impact on these adoptions. Brazil in particular deviates significantly from other Latin American countries in how journalists use social media platforms. Further research and implications for the field are discussed.
The policy brief is an innovative and underutilised form of teaching, learning and assessment which provides undergraduate students with practical skills that translate directly into the workplace. This alternative to standard essays also challenges students to expand their research, writing and presentation skills. Further pedagogical advantages include assisting students in building personal development portfolios, improving internship programmes and making it difficult to plagiarise. International relations and political science curricula in the UK would benefit from the wider use of this tool.

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