Citizens, Media, and Good Governance: Guidelines for Journalists

Published by Inter Press Service Africa in 2011, this booklet is a resource guide for journalists working for newspapers and radio, and will be of interest to civil society actors with an interest in development journalism. Produced as part of the Mwananchi Programme, which seeks to strengthen ordinary citizens voices, and improve state accountability and responsiveness to citizens' interests in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia (see related summaries below), the guide places special emphasis on how journalists report on the role played by citizens in enhancing good governance in Africa.

The booklet has five chapters, each including a governance related story that was published by Inter Press Service Africa in 2009. These news features serve as illustrations on how a governance story can be structured. According to the publishers, the main thread running through this booklet is that journalists play a crucial role in governance. They do this by being actors in the building of citizen agendas and by amplifying demands for good governance within country contexts. Journalists also highlight reliable reports, portrayals, analyses, discussions and debates on social issues, promote rule of law, civic culture, participation, and accountability.

The booklet also highlights the role of the media in a democracy and how it is a key player in informing citizens, supporting group identities, and providing public spaces for discussions and dialogue. It is also an attempt to explain capability, accountability, and responsiveness in relation to good governance and aims to share ideas on how the ground-breaking work or actions of ordinary citizens to change policy can be a source of comprehensive and original stories.
The booklet includes of the following chapters:

• Chapter 1: Good governance and development journalism
• Chapter 2: How to cover good governance
• Chapter 3: Some debates on media and democracy
• Chapter 4: Thinking through story ideas
• Chapter 5: Ways of analysing the media