The web community can finally be heard
During the first democratic legislative and presidential elections in Tunisia, it was critical for Tunisian National Television (TTV) to engage with a fast-growing online audience in a country where more than a third of its 11 million citizens own a Facebook account. Online content also helped reach a sizeable Tunisian diaspora.
±«Óătv Media Action has provided a range of technical, editorial and managerial training for TTV’s newsroom and correspondents in 22 locations, in line with a wider initiative of supporting public service broadcasting in Arab countries since 2011.
In the lead-up to the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections, ±«Óătv Media Action embedded a trainer within TTV’s channel 1 and 2 to coordinate efforts in creating more independent and multiplatform public-service oriented newsrooms. Training activities included live studio interview practice, on-location reporting and elections coverage planning.
Feedback indicates audience appreciation: “It is nothing like during the 2011 elections. We have to recognise that there have been tangible changes, in a good sense”, said a young man from a rural area in the Tunisia Sahel. “[TTV] succeeded in its coverage of the elections,” said a Tunisian media expert, continuing to say: “There were some mistakes but there were efforts to guarantee neutrality, independence and the principle of equity”.
Election maps
Significant support was also provided to the TTV communications department in creating new election-related website pages. With ±«Óătv Media Action’s help, TTV launched a dedicated election mini-website with interactive election maps and revamped its social media accounts.
±«Óătv Media Action conducted quantitative and qualitative research to measure the impact of the online and social media innovations – garnering positive feedback. One young participant described the website as: “Presenting informative information in a neutral way”. Another commented: “This is the sort of up-to-date and comprehensive information that we expect”.
The online, interactive election-based content helped Tunisians understand both the electoral process and the results. This included a map presenting polling stations information, and an infographic displaying candidates’ profiles and policies.
Using digital tools creatively also boosted interactivity between the newsroom and the online world. The 8pm news bulletin, the most watched programme in the country, included a segment where questions were submitted to officials by followers on Facebook.
For the first time, the Facebook community in Tunisia could engage directly with the decision makers and officials on TV. As one Facebook user said: “The web community can finally be heard.”