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Media and Message

Media and Message

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2007-02-16 14:14

It is critical to create a strong and consistent message that provides voters with persuasive reasons to choose your candidate or support your issue. In addition to developing an appealing message to convey your platform, it is also important to know how to effectively use the media and other communications channels and tools to publicize this message. For example, professional and social functions present opportunities for positive publicity, and public speaking skills are a key part of successfully delivering any message.


India: "Dalit Queen" Faces Polls

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2012-01-27 01:33

Summary: 

Mayawati is far from a sure bet to win another term as chief minister of the northern state whose population of 200 million would rank as the fifth-most populous in the world if it were a country.

If she doesn't, it would be a blow to her undisguised ambition to one day become prime minister of India, a goal that looked reasonable back in 2007 when she won a huge mandate from the state's voters by appealing to a rainbow of castes, which still define the socio-economic status for many of India's 1.2 billion people.

Electrification and rural welfare projects have undoubtedly contributed to economic growth, which at seven percent annually in her first four years of office, was the state's fastest-ever rate.

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Read the complete story at Reuters, published January 26, 2012.


Japan: Youngest Ever Female Mayor-Elect Wants to Change Women's Lives

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-01-25 20:53

Summary: 

Naomi Koshi, the 36-year-old Harvard-educated lawyer who won the recent mayoral election here has vowed to change the lives of women in Japan.

Her drive to join the political world originates from seeing so many women being forced to choose between family and work.

By working closely with Gov. Kada, Koshi vows to become "the spokeswoman of a generation that cares for their elders and strives to raise children."

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Read the complete story at The Mainichi Daily News, published January 24, 2012.


Middle East: Arab women lag behind men on social media use

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2011-12-28 12:52

Summary: 

The Arab Spring has provided a platform to the unsung heroes of the Arab world. Women have always been behind-the-scene participants in the old order of Middle Eastern politics. With the rise of social media, women are finally coming out of their cocoons and taking centrestage in shaping the new geo-politics of the Middle East.

...Meanwhile, the third edition of the Dubai School of Government's Arab Social Media Report highlights the trend of women's increasing presence in social media. It tackles the issues of a "virtual" gender gap, whether Arab women perceive social media as a useful tool, and if this alternative media can potentially increase women's civic participation.

The report found that women in the Arab world constitute only a third of Facebook users, despite the fact that Arab women have been active on social media sites across the region throughout the Arab Spring.

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Read more on Gulfnews.com, published 27th December


Arab States: How I’ve Been Inspired by the ‘Arab Revolutions'

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2011-10-20 11:35

Summary: 

My interest in political and human rights and social media started recently with the revolution in Egypt. Before January 2011, politics and human rights never interested me. But like many other Arab youth, the changes in the Arab world opened my eyes and mind to a new world. And there is no turning back.

The social media world has become a place to make new friends and meet like-minded people. Even my mother, who was once computer illiterate, became more involved and learned new ways of interacting with others and extracting the latest news. Now, whenever she meets a person with an iPad or a Blackberry, she asks: “Do you have Twitter? What’s new?”

It felt as though the women of my country had finally acquired a voice. And I’m not talking about female activists or journalists, but the average women – younger, older, of different educational backgrounds – who have joined their peers to demand rights, their rights.

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Read the whole story at Mid East Post


Entering Politics: Peace-building and Conflict Resolution

A Discussion Circle on how to enter politics with a focus on peace-building and conflict resolution in Somalia

Russia: Do we need women in politics ?

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Mon, 2011-08-01 04:33

Summary: 

Until recently, Russian legislators completely ignored the respective rights of women. Only in 1996, the Russian government approved a regulation "concept for the advancement of women in the Russian Federation." One of the strategic goals, according to this concept is to facilitate the participation of women in decision-making at all levels.

In addition, the same year was issued Presidential Decree "On strengthening the role of women in the federal government and state authorities of the Russian Federation". This document is interesting in the sense that decides to "consider the possibility of introducing a minimum quota of women to fill public positions of the federal public service."  The aim sought by the masterminds of this project is also quite easy to define - the implementation of the policy of equal rights and opportunities for women and men.Following the example of developed countries, especially Scandinavian.  However, Russia, like all has long been understood in all its way. Russian women in the fight for their rights are behaving very inconsistently. That is, of course, they want to achieve respect and recognition, but when it comes to specific steps of the former heat escapes. They prefer to remain invisible in the public domain, either because of congestion or because of lack of interest in politics, either because of fear of becoming a public figure.

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To read the complete article in Russian please visit www.democracy.ru


Nepal: Women have a voice in politics but no one is listening

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2011-06-03 10:25

Summary: 

After two years of intense wrangling and political deadlock, the extended deadline for passing Nepal's new constitution is looming, with a decision expected on 28 May. In the 2008 election to choose a constituent assembly (CA) tasked with drafting a new constitution, women's political participation soared to new heights, with one of the highest representations at the level of national parliament worldwide.

However, despite women occupying 33% of the seats in the CA, their progress in contributing to the constitution-building progress has been hindered by a culture of patriarchy in which female politicians continue to be marginalised.

This inherent patriarchy is reflected in the organisational structure of the various political parties and government bodies. The present government led by Jhalanath Khanal, leader of the Communist Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML), has just five women ministers out of a total of 43.

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To read the complete news story please visit the Guardian.


NDI: Armenian women outline priorities to increase their political role

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2011-05-26 13:05

Summary: 

More than 300 Armenian women leaders called for increased support for women’s political and economic  participation in the country following a two-day conference here on women in politics. At a news conference, the women released a document outlining the top priorities identified at a nationwide conference, “Women in Politics,” hosted by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) with support from the United States Agency for International Development

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To read the complete article please visit www.ndi.org 


South-Africa: Women’s Issues Missing from Election Manifestos

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2011-05-24 00:51

Summary: 

South Africans will take to the polls on May 18 to vote in the country’s fourth local government elections but women’s issues are glaringly absent from many of the party manifestos, observers say. 

This is despite the fact that 45 percent of female-headed households live below the poverty line, according to Statistics South Africa. 

Janine Hicks from the Commission on Gender Equality says that none of the five major parties have mainstreamed the issue of gender. "We have looked at a sample of party manifestos and we did a scan and analysis and in the main parties have not mainstreamed gender in their manifestos. Their main focus seems to be on service delivery," she says. 

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For more information, please visit IPS.