"Through a careful review of the evidence, this briefing offers a spirited case for why donors, practitioners and developing country governments need to pay more attention to the role of communication in tackling global health. The briefing finds that: Communication has been central to public health ... developments from Ebola to polio and from HIV to child survival. While health policy officials recognise the importance of health communication, it often remains poorly funded, under-utilised and badly planned in public health programmes. Even when it does prioritise communication, public health programming often fails to reflect best practice around the role of social and behaviour change communications (SBCC). Progress has been stymied by the complexity of social and behaviour change communication, debates around “what counts” as evidence, and the learning and capacity-strengthening gaps within the health communication field. Donors should ensure that their staff are familiar with the health communication evidence base and lessons learned from past programmes, so that they are equipped to plan and evaluate proposals for new communication interventions effectively." (BBC Media Action website) more

"Argues that media — whether traditional or online — matters a great deal in the lives of girls in the developing world. It matters because it has the ability to be harmful to girls’ interests and selfesteem, and it matters because it can also be so effective in playing a positive role in girl ... s’ lives. Specifically, media can influence girls’ aspirations and behaviours around their health and livelihoods, open the door to greater participation in society and ensure that girls’ issues move higher up the public agenda. If challenges around media access and control are addressed head on and girls come to be valued as an audience, then media can play a vital role in helping to advance the well-being of adolescent girls in regions of the world where their interests have traditionally been most neglected." (Introduction) more