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Communicating research

Our work around communicating research bridges the gaps that prevent important policy-related research findings from reaching wider audiences and influencing policy decisions.

We develop skills among journalists and strengthen alliances among the different stakeholders who can influence policy outcomes, working in Eastern and Southern Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean.

  • We create spaces for dialogue between researchers and journalists
  • Support journalists in using research to produce incisive journalism that can bring about debate between civil society activists, decision-makers and those who are affected by policy decisions.

For more specific details relating to our work on communicating research you can visit the RELAY (communicating research) project page at www.panos.org.uk/projects/relay

We bridge gaps between journalists and researchers to ensure the best development decisions are made

Selected Communicating research project

Relay: Communicating research

School

Academic research makes a crucial contribution to development but too often findings are kept within the research community. The media can play a part in communicating this knowledge.

Communicating research publications

Hungry in the City

Inside a Kampala Slum

Hungry in the City is a collection of stories from people in developing countries around the world who explain how they are surviving in an era of higher food prices, inflation and hunger.

A journalist’s guide to reporting research findings

This guide provides practical tips and guidance for journalists and editors interested in publishing stories based on development research findings.

Forced migration

Overview Key issues Resources Links Sri Lanka | Kawsiha, a displaced 12 year old Tamil whose mother was summarily executed by unknown forces / Robin Hammond – Panos pictures Since the end of the Cold War, forced migration has been a phenomenon largely affecting developing countries. By the end of 2008, the United Nations High…

Reporting research: using evidence for effective journalism

Overview Key issues Resources Links Researcher conducting a health survey in Bangladesh / Jenny Matthews – Panos pictures Researchers working for universities, governments or private companies are doing vital investigation into issues – such as clean water, food security and sexual health – that directly affect the everyday life of people around the world. However…

Feeling the pinch: impacts of the financial crisis on developing countries

Overview Key issues Resources Links New research highlights some of the impacts that the global financial crisis is having on developing countries. Here unemployed people queue for their unemployed insurance fund (UIF) in Elizabeth, South Africa / James Oatway – Panos pics According to recent studies it is the world’s poorest who will be hit…

Research makes the news

Research into development issues is not an end in itself. If knowledge created by researchers is shared and debated publicly, it is more likely to be adopted by policymakers and practitioners. Too many research reports sit on library shelves gathering dust. Today there is growing recognition of the importance of research uptake.

Tax matters

In many developing countries there is little public information or debate about taxation – even at election time. Wealthy and influential people evade tax, and public attitudes to taxation are often overwhelmingly negative. This media briefing offers journalists insights into the topic with facts, figures and story ideas.

Sorting fact from fiction: Improving media reporting on TB

Nearly 10 years after the launch of an international effort to tackle the global health  emergency, TB remains one of the world’s major causes of death.

Better connected – empowering people through communications technology

New communications technologies have the potential to improve millions of lives. But issues around access, ownership and cost may mean that relatively few individuals benefit. 

At the heart of change

Belonging to a cooperative group gives these women in Cameroon the chance to communicate their views more widely. Sustainable development demands that people participate in the debates and decisions that affect their lives / Giacomo Pirozzi - Panos Pictures

In this landmark publication Panos London sets out our vision for the role of communication in long-term, sustainable development.

Common ground? Investigating the importance of managing land

Research shows that people’s capacity to access and use land is important for economic growth, for poverty reduction, and for promoting both private investment and transparent, accountable government. Governments have a responsibility to establish systems which ensure access to land and housing for

Communicating research blog posts & features

Tax matters: is tax the key to development?

Would a tax on mobile phones boost or hamper development? Are governments spending the tax that they do raise wisely? What can ordinary citizens do to hold their governments to account? Read on to find out.

Meet Relay’s journalist fellows from Northeast India

This is Tingri village; which will be badly affected once the dam has been constructed. It is home to a Mising Community. The Mising are a Scheduled Tribe; which means that their rights as indigenous people are protected to a degree under the Indian Constitution (http://bit.ly/e5kioj). This village is typical of Mising communities: houses are on stilts because the area is prone to seasonal flooding.

We’re proud to be able to show you a documentary video made by Panos Relay journalist fellow Sandeep Patil, as well as other work from the concluding project.

ARV treatment can work miracles

Aliness Munyanta and her 20-month-old daughter in Lusaka - Zarina Geloo | Panos London

Aliness Munyanta speaks to us about how Anti RetroViral treatment helped her to conceive a beautiful baby girl after losing two children to AIDS.

Panos London coverage on World AIDS Day

Purple Romero features in SvD on 2-12-2011

To mark World AIDS Day, Panos London produced a set of features on the issue of HIV and AIDS. They offered readers insights into the experiences of people living with, fighting against and being educated about the global epidemic.

Sharing research communication skills in Portugal

Clube de Journalistas - Annie Hoban | Panos London

“I shared insights, from the experience of the Relay programme, about working with researchers and the media to build relationships and communication skills to reach the wider public through media coverage.”

We can be proud of what we’ve achieved

An educational programme in Soshanguve township in Pretoria, South Africa which teaches vulnerable young people about HIV while improving their footballing skills. Panos London's HIV interventions are based on understanding who is vulnerable to HIV and why. Robin Hammond | Panos Pictures

As part of our 25th anniversary series, Martin Foreman tells us about Panos’ work on HIV and AIDS – how he became involved and the work that helped shape the global approach to the epidemic.

Diamonds on the soles of our shoes

Panos is vaguely translatable as torch or beacon. Children send a fire lantern into the sky at the beginning of the water festival in Yunnan | Panos Pictures

Celebrating 25 years of Panos’ work in international development, Geoff Barnard reflects on setting up the organisation in 1986.

Tax research on primetime Ugandan radio

Tax and governance issues hit primetime airways in Uganda as a result of a workshop bringing journalists and researchers together.

Practical tips for communicating research

Tania Ghosh from the Relay programme introduces the first in a series of blogs on communicating research findings.

Protestors, power and mega-dams

Mega-dams have caused controversy around the world. The Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric project, being constructed in Arunachal Pradesh, North-east India is no exception.

Female migrants’ isolation heightens HIV risk in Cambodia

Female garment workers in Cambodia who have migrated to the capital are more exposed to a risk of HIV infection because of the changes in their social and economic circumstances, a new report claims.

Moralising fails to curb teen pregnancies

Researchers have criticised the attitude of health service providers in Ecuador, saying their judgmental approach is compromising adolescent girls' rights to sexual healthcare.

Ethiopian inequality will widen says climate report

A new study predicts the effects of climate change will reduce Ethiopia's economic growth and widen the gap between the country's poorest and richest people by 20 per cent.

Nepali women’s groups help cut infant deaths

A new report claims that women's groups in Nepal have helped to cut deaths among mothers and newborn babies by up to 30 per cent. The study suggests this was achieved by developing women's confidence and encouraging them to share their experiences of childbirth.

Street children start out as school truants, says South African study

School truancy could act as an early warning sign helping authorities to identify children at risk of becoming homeless, according to a report on street children in South Africa.

Lesotho’s farmers miss out on agricultural information

According to researchers an agricultural information service in Lesotho is failing to reach the majority of farmers in the country. The study, from the university of Botswana, says that many poorly educated farmers do not see information as relevant to them.

Aid fails to alleviate poverty in Mozambique

Despite receiving US$12 billion in aid since peace was established 17 years ago, a new report says there has been no real poverty reduction in Mozambique. And the high levels of aid has also left the government accountable to donors, rather than the people.

Culture versus climate change in Burkina Faso

Researchers believe cultural values are preventing certain ethnic groups in northern Burkina Faso from adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Labour camps increase HIV risk amongst sex workers in China

Chinese sex workers who are sent to labour camps have a higher risk of contracting HIV than those who are not, a report has found. It also indicates that HIV prevelence is much higher in cities, which have camps, compared to those without.

Nursing exodus could benefit Caribbean in long term

The migration of nurses to wealthier countries could potentially benefit Caribbean healthcare systems if managed properly, a report claims. The report suggests that when a nurse returns – as most eventually do – they can bring important experiences with them.

Climate change policy needs indigenous knowledge

Researchers have published a compendium of case studies revealing how indigenous people have been affected by and are adapting to climate change. The report recommends that Western scientists draw on their knowledge and experience.

Research interrogates Colombia’s counter-narcotics gains

Officials from Colombia's counter-narcotics strategy have overstated the extent of security improvements in regions affected by drug-related conflict, according to researchers.

Micro-credit adds to women’s double burden in South Asia

A new report has argued that micro-credits are of limited help in moving women out of poverty, and may worsen their status in the long term in South Asia.

Unhappiness of Chinese rural-urban migrants

Rising aspirations and high expectations of city life make Chinese migrants who move from the countryside to the city less happy than people who stay in rural areas, a report claims.

Poor failed by corruption in fertiliser programme

A research article on Malawi's fertiliser subsidy programme claims organised crime and corruption linked to the scheme has undermined its potential benefits for the poor.