Faso Media

Goals

Help the media to offer the public general-interest programmes which reflect their concerns more accurately, in particular in the coverage of political affairs
Allow the citizens of Burkina Faso to reclaim the political arena, by encouraging them to get involved and promoting the participation of civil society organisations
Contribute to the consolidation of democracy in Burkina Faso by greater involvement of the media in civil society
1,45M
24months
60Interventions

A project

Supported by

In partnership with

Presentation

The role of civil society in the hasty departure of President Blaise Compaoré marked both a crisis of confidence and a weariness on the part of the Burkinabe people vis-à-vis their leaders and institutions.
If faith in politics is to be restored, there must be new bases for dialogue between candidates and citizens to offer programmes in line with the concerns of the people.

Aware of their impact on democratic life, the media must also however consolidate their role alongside the new decision-makers and citizens. A legacy of the previous political regime, a degree of self-censorship and moderation in the coverage of political news limit the media's contribution to the debate. Their influence and credibility are further weakened by their precarious economic state, management problems and high staff turnover.

This project therefore aims to help the media to consolidate their role and place the public interest and the concept of accountability of governments to voters at the heart of the debate once again. Strengthening editorial and managerial skills, making the most of local information, relaying citizen expectations and involving Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are the areas of primary focus.

The project is carried out in partnership with:

Verbatim
“For me, this training is innovative as it approaches political journalism from the viewpoint of the needs and expectations of the people and not the mere coverage of candidates’ campaigns.”
Soumaila Rabo from Burkina Faso, editor in chief of Radio Savane FM

Project beneficiaries

17 local radio stations (public and private, regional), national television and private television channels, the written press, online media, as well as several Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Burkina Faso.

Project manager
Myriam CHEVIN

Files to download

Faso Media

Actions

Reflecting on the role of the media in democratic life through the organisation of a seminar involving the media, researchers, politicians and civil society organisations

A first seminar based on participation and collaboration, focusing on the role of the media in democratic life, bringing researchers, CSOs, academics and other experts together with the media.
The media are encouraged to not only deliver information but also to present a comparison of the political choices on offer so as to make them accessible to all citizens.

After this first stage, several training sessions are held on the various techniques for covering an election: topical debates, interviews, polls, awareness programmes, interactivity, etc.

Related news
December 22, 2014

Citizen-journalist training course held in Burkina Faso

Between 1 and 22 December 2014, CFI ran a training course in Ouagadougou, which was given by experts in political journalism to a class of ten...
April 12, 2015

Large media gathering in Burkina Faso

From 18 to 21 February 2015, CFI and its Burkina-Faso partner UNALFA (Union Nationale de l'Audiovisuel Libre du Faso) gathered together, in...
March 23, 2016

One year on from its launch, the first Faso Media review

In early March 2016 a Faso Media project review and outlook seminar entitled 'Journalists and media in support of Burkinian democracy: new goals'...

Involving CSOs in training programmes to consolidate the media-CSO collaboration

In addition to the active participation of CSOs in each of the journalistic training sessions and project initiatives, recommendations for media-CSO relations have been made by the management of partner radio stations and of CSOs. They represent commitments undertaken by both parties and should enhance relations between them, helping them consider one another as working for development and striving for common goals.

Related news
April 11, 2015

Two Smockey Concerts Broadcast on Burkina Faso’s Airwaves

As part of the Faso Media initiative, CFI and UNALFA (Burkina Faso's national union of free audiovisual media outlets) organised live radio...

Strengthening, through practical training, the editorial and journalistic skills of the media in the treatment of political information and preparing the media and their editorial staff for coverage of the elections

Media selected for their desire and determination to cover the elections independently and professionally benefit from support in situ.

The support provided focuses on establishing the method of election coverage and strengthening the skills of editorial staff.

Related news
June 24, 2015

Burkina Faso newspapers join the Faso Media project

Five editors-in-chief, five sub-editors and nine reporters recently received training under the Faso Media project, in editorial management and...
June 25, 2015

Witness broadcast over Burkina Faso’s airwaves

The "Witness" series of broadcasts, under the FasoMédias umbrella, was launched on 23 May 2015 via more than 30 radio stations in Burkina Faso...
June 25, 2015

Political and citizen debate in the Faso Médias schedule

Two training sessions in the production and staging of political and citizen debate, involving eighteen radio journalists and two members of CSOs...
June 26, 2015

In-depth training for Burkina Faso’s radio stations

Mid-June saw the start of the in situ coaching sessions for five Burkinabé radio stations under the FasoMédias partnership. Over the course of...
September 30, 2015

Giving people their say on interactive programmes on Burkinan radio

From 17 August to 12 September 2015, eighteen radio journalists and two members of civil-society organisations from Burkina Faso took part in one...
October 16, 2015

Shedding light on televised debate programmes in Burkina Faso

After an editorial workshop with regard to the political debate programmes of 3 private television companies in Burkina Faso (BF1, Burkina Info...
November 18, 2015

FasoMedia FM is launched, providing coverage of the upcoming elections across 60 radio stations!

On 6 November 2015, 60 radio stations from all four corners of Burkina Faso came together to launch FasoMedia FM – a joint venture through which...
November 19, 2015

FasoMedia FM – Bring on the election!

As part of the joint venture entered into by 60 radio stations at the beginning of November, 60 reporters are to receive training so that they...
June 29, 2016

Municipal elections in Burkina Faso: mobilisation of private television channels

Following on from the training carried out for the presidential elections in November 2015, CFI continued its work with the television channels...

The dissemination of political and general interest information is encouraged in the media before, during and after the election period

Through different formats such as magazines or the survey, journalists put more emphasis on the concerns of citizens in their subjects.

Related news
August 1, 2016

Burkinian Radio Stations Promoting Citizenship

Two training courses for producing magazine shows aimed at making people more aware of citizenship were held in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in mid...
August 6, 2016

Faso Medias starts investigating!

In July 2016, twelve journalists and editors-in-chief, from radio, written press, online and web TV media in Burkina Faso took part in a three...

Strengthening managerial skills at the radio stations

A selection of radio stations will benefit from a development plan, mini-training sessions and follow-up for implementation of the recommendations made during the in situ needs analysis missions.

Training sessions on team management, marketing and social mobilisation in local radio are offered to station managers.

Related news
October 23, 2015

Faso Media strengthens the management teams of its radio partners

Among the initiatives forming part of the Faso Media project, around ten or so have involved providing support and guidance to the management...

Appraisal

Feedback on project actions.

Related news
October 20, 2016

Faso Media – A Resounding Success!

On 20 and 21 September 2016, all the partners involved in the Faso Media project came together in Ouagadougou to give an initial appraisal of all...