Success Stories: Media

Foundation Charles Leopold Mayer
pour le Progres de L’Homme/Alliance 21
Submitted by: Oriol Alsina

Issue(s) you addressed?

How to accumulate knowledge, manage extremely diverse information and build common proposals from one World Social Forum (WSF) to the other.

What did you do to achieve results?
(If applicable, you may want to mention partners here.)

We promoted, funded and contributed to the Memoria Viva project ("Living Memory Project"): http://www.memoria-viva.org/indexen.htm

Challenges you faced and/or still face?

How to obtain, keep and work with the thousands of proposals which are made every year during the World Social Forum - How to improve the WSF to have deeper and more interrelated debates.

Achievements--current and/or anticipated?

A memory of the World Social Forum, which is also improving its format, is already being built. This will allow global civil society groups to work closer, better, and to avoid starting all over every year.                                        

Issue(s) you addressed?

openDemocracy publishes global perspectives daily. But one thing I am proud to have worked on is a weblog in English about the Iranian elections, written by Iranians in three countries (June-July 2005).

What did you do to achieve results? (If applicable, you may want to mention partners here.)

We got some of the sharpest bloggers and journalists together to monitor events of one month leading up to the presidential election. This was at a time when the international press was watching events carefully, and we felt it was important to give a more nuanced insiders perspective.

Challenges you faced and/or still face?

Keeping interest high after the press pulled back from the story. Communicating the major disappointment of authors as one of their least favorite candidates won the election. Keeping the content fresh and frequent for a non-specialist audience.

Achievements--current and/or anticipated?

Thousands of daily readers, and press inquiries from three different continents. We provided background information that helped humanise Iran and the people who global security strategy may affect.

Issue(s) you addressed?

The long-term decline in growth over the last 25 years, and reduced progress on major social indicators -- life expectancy, infant, child, and adult mortality, education

What did you do to achieve results? (If applicable, you may want to mention partners here.)

Research, media (including work with journalists), outreach to other NGOs, Congress and staff.

Challenges you faced and/or still face?

Most of the media still does not understand and/or report the basic facts on this issue, and does not seem to understand its importance. To talk about the problems of “globalization,” especially in Latin America, and not mention the growth failure, is like writing an essay on Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda and leaving out September 11. They have been involved in other acts of violence, but September 11 is the big one. Similarly, there are other things that have gone wrong in developing countries in the last 25 years, but the growth fall-off is overwhelmingly the main economic failure. Most of the poverty that we see today in Latin America, for example, is the result of this growth failure, rather than any increases in inequality.

Achievements--current and/or anticipated?

There is currently some increased recognition of the issue. During the recent coverage of the Summit of the Americas, dozens of major newspapers and some TV and radio reported on this economic failure. We expect this recognition to grow rapidly in the next few years, especially in this hemisphere as Latin America continues to elect leaders -- including mainstream politicians -- who campaign against the reforms of the last 25 years.

What did you do to achieve results? (If applicable, you may want to mention partners here.)

Produced documentary film NET LOSS: The Storm Over Salmon Farming. Scheduled numerous community screenings/discussions, promoted broadcasts. Partnered with Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform, Fishermen’s organizations, NW Environmental Educators and others to use the film in their educational outreach and consumer campaigns.

Challenges you faced and/or still face?

Financial support for the documentary work.

Achievements--current and/or anticipated?

Results: Decline in consumption of farmed salmon on U.S. west coast, growing awareness nationwide. Hundreds of community screenings/discussions. PBS station broadcasts 2004, Free Speech TV 2006. Academic distribution through Bullfrog Films.