Media Monitoring Methodology

Introduction to the Project

How the Process Works

What the Monitoring Involves

Getting Started

When You Have Finished

Newspaper Monitoring Guide

Radio Monitoring Guide

Television Monitoring Guide

Qualitative News Analysis

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT

The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) studies the representation of women and men in the news. It began ten years ago, when people in more than 70 countries round the world monitored their news media on 18 January 1995. Five years later, on 1 February 2000, a second global study took place. And the third version was on 16 February 2005. Each study has demonstrated the power of collective effort in a common cause. The results have been used in countless ways - to illustrate global patterns in news content, to highlight the persistent lack of women in national news media, to start dialogue between media advocates and media practitioners, and much more.

This unique project brings together advocates, activists and researchers in an extraordinary global network, dedicated to documenting and changing patterns of portrayal in the news. Welcome to the network!

Even if you have taken part in a previous GMMP, read all the instructions carefully! For each GMMP we make a number of changes. We want the project to be as useful as possible to people in all regions of the world, while still allowing us to make comparisons with results collected in the earlier studies.

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HOW THE PROCESS WORKS

On one day, hundreds of individuals in more than 70 countries study the representation of women and men in their news media - television, radio and newspapers. In some countries several groups are involved in the monitoring. In these countries there are a national coordinator who is responsible for liaison and communication with the individual monitors. In some regions there is also a regional coordinator who works with the national coordinators to streamline the monitoring process across the different countries.

The national and regional coordinators ensure that each individual monitor understands what is expected, that an appropriate range of media is selected for study, and that the results are submitted on time. The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) will inform you about the arrangements for national/regional coordination in your country/region.

All countries use a standardised set of monitoring tools to collect the necessary information. Each country sends its results to the WACC in London, where it is centralised and checked. From here everything is sent to the Media Monitoring Project, a non-governmental organisation in Johannesburg. The MMP analyses the data and compares them with data from the previous studies (1995, 2000, 2005, and so on). The results of each Global Media Monitoring Project are published by the WACC and are available to all participants in the form of a report and on the Internet. National data will be provided to countries that wish to produce reports based on their own particular findings.

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WHAT THE MONITORING INVOLVES

The Quantitative Analysis

There are two main aspects to the monitoring. First and foremost, the study will collect quantitative (i.e. numerical) data. This part of the project will provide a detailed picture of the numbers of women and men in the world's news, the types of story in which they are found, the roles they play in the news etc. You will need to compile this information for every news story you monitor. For each of the three news media - television, radio and newspapers - we have developed a monitoring guide which sets out the areas in which information is needed and the range of answers you can give. You will be asked to choose a number (or 'code') that corresponds to your answer, and to enter this code on a coding sheet. Each Monitoring Guide will take you through two step-by-step examples, showing you exactly how to select your codes for two news stories.

Remember! Each of the three Monitoring Guides - and each of the three Coding Sheets - is slightly different, because slightly different information is needed for television, for radio and for newspapers. To avoid confusion, be sure to read each Monitoring Guide carefully!

The Qualitative Analysis

The numbers, or quantitative data, that are generated by the project tell only part of the story. For instance, we might find that women appear in 10 percent of stories about politics. But how do these stories actually portray women? In fact a story about a female politician may fall into as many stereotyped clich�s as a story about a beauty queen. To get a more complete picture of news content, we need to analyse the quality of the coverage. This is the qualitative aspect of the monitoring. We will make a detailed study of some news stories, to illustrate basic patterns in the news reporting. This analysis will be the responsibility of the national and regional co-ordinators, for whom we provide detailed guidelines in the news analysis document. But we need every individual monitor to help identify suitable stories in television, radio and newspapers. The final question in each of the Monitoring Guides gives you guidance on what to bear in mind as you work through each news item. When you find a story that you think would be useful for further analysis, you will need to send a copy of the clipping or the tape to your national/regional coordinator.

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GETTING STARTED

1. Liaise with your national/regional coordinator to ensure that there is no unnecessary duplication of effort, no misunderstandings etc.

2. Read through the Monitoring Guide for the news medium that you are going to monitor. If you are monitoring all three media, read carefully through all three Monitoring Guides. Study the examples and the Coding Sheets.

3. If necessary, translate the Monitoring Guides and Coding Sheets into your own language. Be sure to use the same numbering system that we have used. Be very careful not to change the meaning. On no account should you change the order of the columns in the Coding Sheet!

4. Particularly if you have little experience of monitoring, it is a good idea to work with a partner. Find a reliable person to work with, and agree on a procedure.

5. Decisions about which television and radio newscasts, and which newspapers to monitor must be taken in consultation with your national coordinator. Follow the guidelines given in the Monitoring Guides.

6. Before the monitoring day, practise coding some news stories from the newscasts and newspapers you have decided to monitor. Make sure you do this well in advance of the monitoring day, so that you have time to find answers to any questions or problems that come up during the practice sessions.

7. Make sure you have reliable equipment to record the radio and television newscasts. Try it out before the monitoring day.

8. On the monitoring day itself, try to take photographs of yourself and your group at work. Send an email message to let people around the world know how the monitoring is going. Enjoy the monitoring day!

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WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED

1.Photocopy your coding sheets. Keep the copies in case the originals get lost. Keep the newspapers, television and radio tapes for twelve months, in case there are queries.

2.Collect the following materials, ready for mailing:

The originals of the completed coding sheets.
Newspaper pages: the front page from each newspaper you coded.
Photographs of you and your group at work.
If possible, promotional material from television and radio stations (e.g. station logos).

3.Mail your monitoring materials:

If you received a monitoring pack from your national/regional co-ordinator, return materials to the coordinator who will forward them to the WACC.
If you received a monitoring pack directly from the WACC, return materials to:

Sarah Macharia

Media & Gender Justice Programme Manager

WACC
308 Main Street, Toronto, ON
M4C 4X7 CANADA

4.Queries?