Grassroots politics and media

1. Grassroots politics and media 21.6.2010 Menethe, Katare and Anna-Kaisa

2. Grassroots politics • People who are doing politics outside the political parties • People are using power to influence decisions that affect society, community and the country at large • It can be ordinary people or other organizations which are not affiliated to political parties.

3. Examples from Namibia • Ekwafo group: ”lets help our selves” • A group of hiv positive people • Non profit making organisation

4. The organisation • Why can one say that they are using grassroot politics? • Management of the group • Division of the labour • The division of the product and what happens to the reminder of the produce

5. Using media • They use the media to communicate with other hiv positive people in other areas of the country • To get their message across to the nation that HIV and AIDS is real • They use Radio, Tv and Newspapers to get the message across

6. Problems • The problems that the group face through the use of media • Faces of the people being shown by the media • Discrimination • Ignorance from the public • Portrayed as helpless people by the media • Use by the media to creat stories instea of helping them

7. Examples from Tanzania • Some of the organizations which have been influencing decisions and consequently shaking the government´s incentive to act includes: • Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) • Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation (MNF) • The Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA)

8. TUCTA • Complaints on low salaries to workers inrement. • On 1st of May 2010 (workers’ day) they resufed to invite any government official and declared to have a contrywide nonstop strike • On 3rd of May the Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete speaking at Diamond Jubilee Hall declared the strike null and void.

9. TUCTA

10. MNF • Organised a symposium to assesKikwete´sperformance • Criticsfrom CCM cadresincludingonememberfrom the opposition party TLP Mr. AugustineMrema • The foundationwanted the president to appearbefore the Tanzanians to answer the allegations for poorperformance • The presidentappeared in the National TV

11. TAMWA

12. Problems • Some people end up being arrested, if something has a great impact on the government • Problems arises due to poor choice on which media outlet to use

13. Examples from Finland • OikeuttaEläimilleis an animal rights organization in Finland • Founded in 1995 • About 400 members • Against factory farming and fur farming • Demonstrations, gives out flyers and shares information in the streets etc. • Threeinvestigationcampaigns: tehotuotanto.net, sikatehtaat.fi and tarhauskielto.fi

14. Oikeutta Eläimille

15. Tehotuotanto-campaign • In 2007 activistphotographed 101 factory farms • The photos and videos were published in website www.tehotuotanto.net and at the same day at A-Studio • The footage gained much media attention in mainstream media • Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Sirkka-Liisa Anttila promisedthattherewillbechanges in howanimalsaretreated in factoryfarming • Aftertehotuotanto.net, Ministeryof Agriculture and Forestryorganizased an imagecampaign for factoryfarmers in 2009

16. Is this what we want to do to animals?

17. Is this what we want to do to animals?

18. Sikatehtaat-campaign • In 2009 activistvisited and photographed 30 pig farms, some of which had been photographed earlier. • Again shocking material were published on the websitewww.sikatehtaat.fi and A-studio. Nextdaypictureswerepublished in Helsingin Sanomat and in Voima, the biggestalternative media in Finland • Againgstarted an intensivediscussionaboutanimalrights and factoryfarming • OE demandedMinisterof Agriculture and Forestry, Sirkka-Liisa Anttila to resignfrom the government

19. Using media • Activist are producing material for media • Visual and shocking pictures and videos • Appealing to feelings • Negativity • Timing: just before Christmas • Personalization: Sirkka-Liisa Anttila, celebrities writing about animal rights, activists are giving interviews and telling personal opinions etc.

20. Using media

21. Using media • Working together with mainstream media:giving information and pictures to mainstream media HS, Yle, Voima • snowball effect: everybody is writing about animal rights • personal relationships with journalist and journalist (Rasimus 2006) • Social media is used (facebook, twitter etc.), but the focus is in the mainstream media • “Through social media you can only reach those who are already interested in animal rights. Through mainstream media you can reach everyone.” •  publicopinion

22. Some problems • Media logic vs. the logic of OE • OE tried to avoid leaders  those who give interviews become “leaders” who decides what is covered in media • Much attention to media coverage  campaigning in the streets, demonstrating • What did OE achieve? • Are the political decision made in media?

23. Some problems • What now?  After sikatehtaat.fi OE did an investigation campaign against fur farming www.tarhauskielto.fi  is pictures newsworthy anymore? • Activists are making media strategies  it is hard to predict how media covers campaigns • All publicity is good publicity (?)