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Should international development NGOs play a major role in media for development?

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John Davison, head of media at Christian Aid, one of the largest international development NGOs, asks in this Polis blog, Media and Development - Where's the Gap? whether major mainstream NGOs should be playing a major role in media for development - or whether taking on such a role risks accusations of neocolonialism. Davison is undertaking more detailed research around this question with Charlie Beckett as a visiting fellow at Polis, the media thinktank based at the London School of Economics. It's interesting stuff.

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 11/23/2009 - 05:39 Permalink

Great blog asking highly pertinent questions offering some preliminary answers. I've been working in the field of media for development for over 6 years sitting here in Bush House London and have wondered more than once, why my path seldom crosses with NGOs based here in the UK. In countries where we operate we are more liklely to come into contact with local and international NGOs but here in the UK it doesn't seem to happen. Well not to me anyway. Are we at the BBC WST being stand-offish and isolationist as media folk or is there little or no interest in our work from the NGOs? I know some of my colleagues have tested the waters over the years with preliminary meetings but these have rarely developed into solid ongoing partnerships. Be good to see what conclusions John Davison comes to from his time with Polis

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/15/2009 - 06:36 Permalink

Thanks! Basically I share your point of view, though still there are some questions to be argued. Regards.