Rethinking Media Development through Evaluation

Noske-Turner provides a granular and much-needed assessment of evaluation in international media assistance and development programs. She deftly shows why evaluation is sorely lacking in many programs, and offers virtuous and innovative interventions that engage affected communities and yield strategic and normative value. With its smart blend of analytical and practical insights, the book should be of interest to development scholars and practitioners alike."Professor Silvio Waisbord, George Washington University, USA Providing original insights and critiques based on research on the ground with media and communication practitioners, Noske-Turner has provided us with an optimistic yet cautionary perspective on how we might view the intersection of media development and evaluation, and how we might revise and improve our approaches to each.Professor Jo Tacchi, Loughborough University in Londo, U.K.
This book is based on comprehensive fieldwork, intensive engagement with the industry and passionate exploration of past and present literature. Noske-Turner offers us a fantastic account of the theory and practice of media development beyond western notions of freedom and independence."Dr Linje Manyozo, RMIT University, Australia

This book argues for an overhaul of the way media assistance is evaluated, and explores how new thinking about evaluation can reinforce the shifts towards better media development. The pursuit of media freedom has been the bedrock of media development since its height in the 1990s. Today, citizen voice, participation, social change, government responsiveness and accountability, and other ‘demand-side’ aspects of governance, are increasingly the rubric within with assistance to media development operates. This volume will appeal to scholars and students of media development and communication for social change whilst simultaneously representing a deep commitment to translating theoretical concepts in action-oriented ways.