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Consultant: Study of Chinese Media Coverage of Fisheries Issues

Research Consultant: Study of Chinese Media Coverage of Fisheries Issues

Location: To Be Determined

Description

GENERAL SUMMARY:

Internews’ Earth Journalism Network is carrying out a project which aims to increase the capacity of reporting on marine fisheries issues in China.

The problem we are seeking to address is a lack of quality news coverage of fisheries issues in China. By conducting workshops on specific issues related to biodiversity conservation and having participants write articles on these issues to be published in the local media this problem will be addressed directly and in the short term. By increasing the capacity of local environmental journalists to report effectively upon environmental issues, it is expected that there will be an increase in more thoroughly researched environmental news stories. This increase in the quality and quantity of environmental news will better inform the public, leading to increased dialogue and a positive impact upon environmental policy.

With the aim to set up a foundation for evaluating the impact of the project implementation, and to help identify the training needs for journalists regarding environmental issues, a research project on the current level of fisheries coverage in the Chinese media will be conducted.

OBJECTIVES:

• Assess the current state of media coverage of fisheries, aquaculture and ocean issues in China;

• Identify the key players -- journalists, media organizations, government and private-sector organizations, including businesses, and other stakeholders --involved in media coverage of marine fisheries issues, along with key events generating news on these issues;

• Within the general area of oceans and fisheries, identify which issues are most and least reported on (among, for instance, the following topics: general ocean health, fisheries and fish stocks, business and markets, seafood processing, small-scale fishermen, conservation, aquaculture, seafood for consumers, pollution, shark fins, etc.);

• Report on and assess the strengths and weaknesses of journalists and media undertaking this kind of reporting;

• Assess the capacity-building needs for journalists and media organizations regarding marine fisheries issues;

• Identify the main obstacles faced in covering marine fisheries issues, both in the newsroom and in the field;

• Identify partners and consultants to work with in helping to build the capacity of ocean and fisheries journalism in China;

• Provide a set of recommendations for a project aimed at building the capacity of Chinese media to improve their coverage of marine fisheries and ocean issues, including identifying key individuals, stakeholders, media organizations, universities and events to partner with. In regards to the Journalism Fellowship program carried out by EJN at the Seafood Summit in Hong Kong, the study will assess:

• The quality of the stories that are produced by the Fellows;

• Whether the program has had an impact on the coverage of fisheries by the individual journalists involved and their media organizations, or is likely to have an impact;

• What areas of improvement are needed on future projects to have a greater overall impact on fisheries coverage in China;

• Finally, it will make recommendations as to the structure, content and focus of any future Fellowship programs for Chinese journalists.

Required tasks:

• Develop the study proposal, sample size and data collection tools;

• Carry out the study, both qualitatively and quantitatively;

• Keep a collection of the source material, in particular journalistic stories and other reports, that are used as material for the assessment;

• Write the draft report and deliver it by Dec 15, 2012 ;

• Edit the report based on EJN’s review of the draft, and then present a second version of the report by Feb 28, 2013;

• Include a list of all people and organizations contacted for the study, including their contact information (at least e-mail addresses).

Scope of Work: The consultant(s) is/are expected to:

• Identify media organizations active in the reporting of marine fisheries and ocean issues, and help identify a list of journalists who should be invited to attend capacity-building activities;

• Visit selected key stakeholders in China to carry out interviews and research (a limited amount of travel funds will be made available by Internews)

• Assess the knowledge, attitude, practices and products of the journalists covering marine fisheries;

• Assess editorial policies on ocean and fisheries issues in China’s mass media;

• Investigate the extent, depth and coverage of environmental issues in five selected leading Chinese news agencies through media content analysis of environment-related articles over a 2-month period;

• Investigate the extent, depth and coverage of sustainable seafood issues in the stories produced by journalist Fellows as a result of their participation in the Seafood Summit and field trip.

• The first draft of the first report shall be submitted for EJN’s review on Dec 15, 2012.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• University degree, preferably graduate degree, with expertise in fisheries, oceans and j journalism, communications or media

• A minimum of 5 years relevant working experience in conducting research/studies

• Fluency in oral and written Chinese (Mandarin) language

• Good oral and written English

• Good computer skills (MS Word, statistic data analysis). Previous working experience with the VFEJ would be an advantage

• Good communication skills