Lok-Samvad Enhancing Participation for better Governance:
The role of Participatory Communication and Community Media

Welcome

Participatory communication is defined -as the involvement of the marginalized, voiceless and the invisible people in a development process leading to change.

Taking forward this definition the Community media movement in India started decades ago, a historic judgment delivered by the Supreme Court of India in February 1995 ruled that, “airwaves constitute public property and must be utilized for advancing public good”. The intense advocacy efforts and passionate debates about community radio broadcasting for the social sector finally resulted in an inclusive community radio policy approved by the Union Cabinet in 2006thereby defining Community radio/media in a nutshell, as media ‘for’, ‘by’ and ‘of’ the community. Community media is any form of media that is created and controlled by a community, either a geographic community or a community of identity or interest.

Community media is separate from commercial media, state run media, or public broadcasting. The fundamental premise is to engage those groups that are categorically excluded and marginalized from the media making process. While community media may not have the reach of mainstream media, it certainly has more depth and interaction and sense of ownership from the community because of its inherent participative character. There are several successful case studies of how community media continues to be a change maker.

To contribute a little towards this endeavor we are organizing LOK-SAMVAD a National level conference for enhancing participation for better governance: the role of participatory communication and community media.