Naomi Goldsmith
Former BBC journalist now a media consultant and trainer who works with media professionals in some of the world’s most challenging environments.
Location London
Activity
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Thank you to all those involved. As a trainer who works face-to-face as well as online - it was interesting for me to see how the course was designed and how the tutors interacted with us, as well as the content. I do feel some of the earlier examples could have been more up-to-date. It's not surprising that a BBC TV report from 1984 had a lot which we would...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
Information, education and culture are all too important to be left to those in power or those with great wealth. We all need it, whether we live in the furthest village or speak a minority language. Young people are adept at producing their own content and interacting online. For PSM to be relevant to them - it needs to be affordable and consider different...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
Media literacy needs to be taught in schools and even for those of us too old for school - there's a need to be informed about how algorithms and bots are designed to influence us. It may go full circle. It's natural that young people want to access media that their parents don't fully understand or use. PSM in the UK is making efforts to encourage a wider...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
When defending public service media it is necessary to demonstrate how it is for the common good. The detractors sound like they're saying, "I have a car so why should I pay for the railways and buses when I never use them?" You may not watch the educational programmes or listen to the local news but surely you want your community to be educated and...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
Media capture is not in the interests of democracy as it constrains the media, whether public or private, to political and corporate interests. It is important though that a public service media does reflect the changing attitudes of its audience and keeps pace with their current needs,. The question is: how can this be accurately measured? One way is for...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
As the PMA and others like Article 19 point out, governments have sought to control independent journalism and restrict information in order to cover up their own corruption, cronyism and incompetence. This pandemic suddenly shone a spotlight on science and scientists and science became politicised. The British Medical Journal has articles on this. Journalists...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
It has been suggested that the BBC concentrates solely on news and education as the commercial companies can provide entertainment and drama. However, because the BBC has fewer commercial pressures it can take a risk on emerging performers and writers and take time to nurture young talent. Of course, these artists may then go on to work elsewhere but many...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
If I were WaterAid I'd have included a photo of Frehiwot, their Voices from the Field Officer in Ethiopia, who is a woman. In the example video, only male officers were shown. It's obviously a good idea (and cheaper) to have national staff producing content but authentication and truth don't just come because a national staffer with experience of the problem...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
If you're wanting to produce a 1'30" video to raise awareness and funds to help children in a conflict which few people understand, then Save The Children found a powerful metaphor with the girl's birthday. However, I wouldn't share on Twitter or Linkedin as my followers would expect more analytical content and I use Facebook mainly for family and social news....
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
The film is a great example of the benefits and pitfalls of using online activism in international development. KONY 2012 was a huge over-simplification of a complex issue and presented a white saviour story but it got 100 million people watching a film about a problem in central and east Africa. Do the means justify the ends? All those bracelets for US...
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I guess it depends what you mean by reflecting the lives of young readers. Many western fairy tales are about universal anxieties: the new stepmother, being lost in a forest/jungle, being poor and having a widowed mother, stranger danger etc. A child from Africa may not have experienced snow but neither have most children experienced unicorns or wardrobes...
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If I were an educated Ugandan with independent resources, I might well feel angry to see my country depicted as helpless in fundraising films from abroad. However, if my child was in need of an urgent operation where delay would only worsen their outcome - I might not care if the money and expertise for that medical intervention came after a European celebrity...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
I was surprised to see the text say: HIV/AIDS rather than HIV and AIDS. It's a bit like saying: cancer/terminal illness. It's not a case of "either or " especially given that the numbers of those receiving free antiretroviral drugs in Uganda is increasing. It also increases stigma towards those who are HIV positive if AIDS is seen to be synonymous with their...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
For a country like South Sudan, which KAS covers from Uganda, it's important not to neglect radio. Social media is increasing in popularity but connectivity problems, the expense of digital devices and low levels of literacy mean that radio is still the best way to reach most people. Phone-in programmes and listening groups can help ensure there is two-way...
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@DavidGirling I think @AndréQuiroz may be commenting on yellow journalism or the yellow press. It refers to sensationalist, badly researched, rumour-spreading journalism. The yellow refers to The Yellow Kid, a character in a comic who was dressed in yellow. Joseph Pulitzer pioneered "yellow journalism" and so it's ironic his legacy launched the journalism...
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Phones may be made in China, or at least a lot of the components but the companies behind the hardware are in the US, Europe, South Korea etc. According to the Afro-Optimistic, Quartz: "data shows besides affordability, human development - particularly education and the resulting income - are the primary determinants of access, intensity of use and the use of...
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@ClareLyons Facebook has begun the process of assigning a legal entity in Turkey to comply with a law governing social media companies. Facebook was certainly active in Turkey when I was working with Syrian media outlets in 2015 and 2016. They would use it as platform for their news. Sometimes they were temporarily suspended. For example: when they wanted to...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
I hadn't heard of Paolo Freire before but the way I was trained to train does echo his philosophy of avoiding the "banking method." It's vital in media development to avoid the banking method because senior project staff are often operating outside their own countries.
I always aim to get my students to think critically. After my training they have wanted to... -
Naomi Goldsmith replied to Naomi Goldsmith
@LuděkStavinoha If you compare the footage of the blood and carnage shown after an IRA bomb attack from 70s and 80s compared with what the British media will show today after an IS inspired attack - today's images are more sanitised. I think this is in part due to the media being digital. The watershed is redundant now with content being available 24/7. There...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
So a quick internet search of Brian Otieno's work in mainstream international media tells me he has now become part of the story. Ironically, his success has taken him further away from the slums he grew up in. Of course, it's essential to have photographers from every part of society but coming from a certain background doesn't necessarily give you an...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
To identify the differences between Slum TV and Pamoja FM - you have to look no further than their funders. Pamoja FM is primarily funded by USAID. Its continued support has to come from the willingness of Congress to support such initiatives. Slum FM's co-founder, Sam Hopkins says he rejects the "NGO aesthetic", which he thinks concentrates too much on...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
I've worked on a number of community radio projects in Africa - like Pamoja FM. They do incredibly important work but they are dependent on USAID, the UN and other international donors. The radio stations are encouraged to take steps to move towards greater financial self-sufficiency while at the same time ensuring the public service aspect of their output...
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Naomi Goldsmith replied to Mohammed Adam
Yes, I loved Khartoum and Omdurman. @MohammedAdam I used to stay the Acropole Hotel.
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
https://qz.com/africa/ Africa Quartz is a good example of Afro Optimism and also a good read!
Do you think the mainstream media's coverage of Asia is more nuanced? It's a challenge for mainstream media in the West to persuade their audiences why Africa matters. The sad fact is: all international news is being not being given sufficient coverage and some of it... -
Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
Michael Buerk's report is iconic as it came to represent a type of reporting of Africa, which led to Band Aid and other fundraising events like Comic Relief. While I was a journalist at the BBC - Buerk's script was held up as a great example of "writing to pictures" i.e. leading with the images. I think it's important to remember this report was produced more...
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@MartinScott Having worked in a number of countries on behalf of BBC World Service Trust, now BBC Media Action - I can say that younger people are not following it so much now. However, they are aware of its reputation and older people still follow it. You are right - its model of funding is unique and the way it operates works for a developed western...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
The media is most effective in development when it's facilitating a dialogue between all stakeholders: government, civil society, communities and individuals. It can help ensure that any intervention is appropriate, targeted and fair. Through investigative journalism it can also identify if the development measures are providing value for money and meeting...
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@JihadSuliman Thank you for sharing with us the important stories which your news agency covers. In my experience of working with journalists in a number of countries at war - they like to categorise and then prioritise their stories. Their lead would invariably be violent clashes of some kind, their second story would be any political movement and then only...
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I agree @MartinScott. I think people are most influenced by what affects them directly, secondly by what affects their community and then thirdly by what they've heard in the media. Occasionally, a story will impact on people to the point where they will change their behaviour even if they or their community is not directly affected. This usually occurs when...
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Sana hi, I worked on a project with Syrian journalists who were based in Turkey but broadcasting to Aleppo and Idlib. One of its aims was to ensure a different narrative to the one presented by Damascus. I'm afraid what counts as news comes down to who is paying for the content. In the case of this project - it was the US State Department and other donors...
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Naomi Goldsmith made a comment
I'm a former journalist, mainly with the BBC, who started training journalists as part of overseas aid many years ago. Over the decades, I've realised my work was more than just passing on broadcasting skills - it's about development in all its facets. I'm interested in this course as UEA School of International Development has an excellent reputation and I am...
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Naomi Goldsmith replied to Mohammed Adam
I did some training with national media in Khartoum many years ago. Big progress and brighter future awaits Sudan. @MohammedAdam
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Naomi Goldsmith replied to Emmeline Henderson
There's always a need for M & E expertise! @EmmelineHenderson
