Media
Maghreb Radio Network 1 & 2
In 2021, as part of the Maghreb Radio Network run by ERIM with UTMA and AIC, Radio Capsa FM co-produced six media and information literacy programmes with other community radios. After a first mentoring period from March to May, the programmes were made between October and December 2021 and released on Facebook, YouTube and capsa.tn. Covering human rights, fake news, critical thinking, school, equality and social peace, they reached about 8,200 people on Facebook.
Context
In the face of disinformation, fake news and hate speech, citizens in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria still have too little access to media and information literacy. The Maghreb Radio Network, ERIM's "Strengthening Community Radios" programme, chose to rely on community radios to produce and share across borders content that helps citizens keep a critical eye. Each co-production followed a common 15–20 minute format, and a production sheet had to be approved by a UTMA expert before every recording.
Objectives
- 01Improve citizens' access to media and information literacy in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.
- 02Strengthen their vigilance against disinformation, fake news and hate speech.
- 03Produce educational, youth-friendly content grounded in rights and facts, giving a voice to invisible people and including young people, women and vulnerable groups.
What we did
- March – May 2021First three-month mentoring period within the Maghreb Radio Network
- 1 October 2021Start of the contract period for six co-productions
- 22 October 2021Signing of the grant contract with ERIM
- October – December 2021Each programme prepared with a production sheet approved by the UTMA expert, then recorded in partnership with other community radios
- October – December 2021Release of the six programmes on Facebook, YouTube and capsa.tn, with statistics collected
- 31 December 2021End of the contract period
Results
Source: project closing report (Facebook statistics for the video posts, collected a few days after release).
What changed
- The programme on bringing media literacy into the school curriculum was the most watched, with 506 views and 2,200 people reached.
- Co-producing in pairs with other community radios broadened the perspectives and audience of each programme.
- The short, structured format (vox pop, explainer, interview) made regular production of educational content easier.
- On Facebook, long formats are rarely watched for long, with average viewing times of 3 to 9 seconds, which makes short extracts worthwhile.
- This experience laid the groundwork for later media literacy projects, notably JAMIL.Net + Emploi with ERIM and ATMA.
