Interactivity at the heart of media: three questions for Abdoulaye Tienon and Rasmata Diallo
Since April 2022, 46 media outlets have received one week of on-site support to improve the quality of their interactive programmes in connection with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Abdoulaye Tienon, a journalist for the Ouest Info media outlet and Rasmata Diallo, a journalist at RTB Radio Rurale in Burkina Faso, report on the visit from trainers Annick Kandolo and Aïssata Sankara.
What are the two main contributions that this support has made to your way of working?
Abdoulaye Tienon : Identifying an angle from which to approach an issue and getting to grips with MOJO*.
Rasmata Diallo : Preparing my interactive programme (Commentons l'actualité [Let’s discuss the news]), for which I learned to do research so as to contribute additional information for my listeners on the subject of the day, and choosing the right people.
In terms of interactive programmes, what challenges do you think you are now equipped to overcome?
Abdoulaye Tienon : Knowing how to produce competitions on our Facebook page and video clips.
Rasmata Diallo : Suggesting interesting subjects to the editor-in-chief for interactive programmes, successfully managing programme contributors, and also inspiring women to actively contribute to the programme by opening up other ways of participating (in addition to calls, physical presence in the studio). I will also be focusing on WhatsApp messages and voice calls.
What potential production projects does your media outlet have in line with the SDGs?
Abdoulaye Tienon : Four big stories: on the Kou gazetted forest (a colonial legacy forgotten by public policy), on the threat of human activity on the gazetted forests in the west of the country (data journalism success), on a market infrastructure that divides key players in Bobo-Dioulasso and on women in the village of Koro and their fight against poverty.
Rasmata Diallo : I am planning to produce programmes covering menstruation in the school setting and keeping girls in school. Another prospective project is a big story on the living conditions of internally displaced students in the city of Ouagadougou. This programme will also include contributions from those surrounding the students: their parents, their hosts, their schools and their teachers. This story will aim to highlight the difficulties encountered by these students so as to find potential solutions to ensure the success of their studies.
*MOJO (Mobile Journalism): Mobile Journalism
