More information
Description
A process can be observed in Bulgaria of having the civil sector and NGOs, in particular, under attack. Statements made by people in power about civil society organizations are a case in point. NGOs have been growingly under attack over the last years carried out via various channels. The legislative initiatives to limit the space of NGOs are also on the rise. These attacks mainly count on several weaknesses of NGOs related to the media image of the sector and aimed at delegitimizing civil society in general. The project proposes an easier access of the active NGO sector to the media, providing the sector with the necessary publicity and opportunity to tell about itself and the results of its work. Thus the project helps boost the capacity and sustainability of the civil sector and improve is public image. The project will directly result in better awareness of citizens about the role of NGOs in society. In the short term, the goal will be achieved by providing a media platform reaching a wide audience to present the work and goals of the NGO sector in Bulgaria, and in the long term by providing a permanent channel giving active organizations publicity. The project aims at filling in the gaps related to insufficient awareness about the specific goals and objectives of the NGO sector, insufficient awareness of the NGO work, practices and success stories, the specific Bulgarian context, the need for response to hot topics for which the media do not provide sufficient space for debate to conflicting viewpoints. Centre for Media Development Foundation as a project partner offers its long-standing expertise to support the NGO sector in Bulgaria to boost its skills for public presentation, media NGO campaigns, training of media representatives to cover topics about disadvantaged people and the work of the NGO sector, as well as its experience as a mediator between the NGO sector and the media to achieve common public goals.
Summary of project results
In Bulgaria we are witnessing a process in which the civil sector and especially the NGOs are under strong attack. Statements by empowered figures about civil society organisations are examples of this. In recent years, NGOs have come under increasingly fierce attacks, and the attacks have been carried out through many channels. Legislative initiatives to restrict the space of NGOs are increasing. These attacks mainly rely on several weaknesses of NGOs, which are linked to their media image and aim to delegitimise civil society. The project offers the active NGO sector easier access to the media, provides it with the necessary publicity and the opportunity to talk about itself and the results of its activities. In this way, the project helps to increase the capacity and sustainability of the civil society sector and to improve its public image. It will directly lead to an improvement of citizens'' awareness of the role of NGOs in society.
The project ensured publicity and improvement of the public image of the NGO sector, increased the capacity and sustainability of the civil sector and the awareness of the public about it by developing a special column "Stories for the Good" in the online media OffNews.bg. A total of 74 materials were published there, including 24 video materials and 25 audio recordings and 25 articles presenting the NGO sector. Through various journalistic genres, 80 civil society organizations and more than 20 citizens - volunteers and activists – were represented.
The journalistic materials reached 485,000 audience/public, with a target audience of 200,000 people, so the target success rate was doubled.
The project helped increase the capacity of the civil sector and improve its public image by acquiring new knowledge and skills for successful media representation. The project ensured publicity and improvement of the public image of the NGO sector, increased the capacity and sustainability of the civil sector and the awareness of the general audience about it by developing a special section "Stories for the Good" in the online media OffNews.bg, in which 74 journalistic materials were published, which reached an audience of 485,000/public.
The wide audience of nearly half a million Bulgarians got acquainted with the work and goals of the NGO sector in Bulgaria, which in turn filled the deficits related to insufficient awareness of the specific goals and tasks of the non-governmental sector, insufficient awareness of the activities of NGOs, of their practices and success stories, about the specifics of the environment in Bulgaria.