Preventing Folklore, Rumors (or Rumours) and Urban Myths
From Interfering with Development and Aid/Relief Efforts

Rumors can come from misinterpretations of what a community is seeing, hearing or experiencing, or willful misrepresentation by people who, for whatever reason, want to derail a development or relief activity. Anyone working in development or relief efforts needs to be aware of the power of rumor, and prepared to counter such, whatever the source.

A good place to start is with the acknowledgement that interpersonal sources of information play a HUGE role in communications delivery all over the world, whether in a low-literacy village in a developing country or a large urban area in an emerging economy. Interpersonal communications can both promote AND counter rumors and myth and, therefore, must be kept in mind when launching any communications strategy -- or counter strategy -- regarding a development or aid activity.

Also, a conclusion that can be reached in looking at the various ways myth and misinformation has interfered with development efforts is that the more a development activity is seen as outsiders-coming-in, the more likely it can be derailed by rumors. By contrast, the more development activities are perceived as owned by the people to be served, the more rumor-proof such activities will be. If messages come from those a community trusts, and via the ways a community communicates naturally, the messages are more likely to be embraced.

The importance of social mobilization as a part of development activities is tremendous in preventing or countering myth as an obstacle to development:

Social Mobilization, as defined by UNICEF, is a broad scale movement to engage people's participation in achieving a specific development goal through self-reliant efforts. It involves all relevant segments of society: decision and policy makers, opinion leaders, bureaucrats and technocrats, professional groups, religious associations, commerce and industry, communities and individuals. It is a planned decentralized process that seeks to facilitate change for development through a range of players engaged in interrelated and complementary efforts. It takes into account the felt needs of the people, embraces the critical principle of community involvement, and seeks to empower individuals and groups for action... Mobilizing the necessary resources, disseminating information tailored to targeted audiences, generating intersectoral support and fostering cross-professional alliances are also part of the process. Social mobilization in total aims at a continuum of activities in a broad strategic framework. The process encompasses dialogue and partnership with a wide spectrum of societal elements.

The ICEC and Global Social Mobilization, October 2000
The International Communication Enhancement Center
Tulane University

• Acknowledge that *everyone* is a potential messenger. Remember this as you design any development activity, campaign or response.

• Never assume that people with senior management titles automatically understand how to communicate effectively, nor that they are ready to communicate regarding a particular development activity. They need to be trained, just like everyone else, regarding message delivery and fundamental facts.

• Provide ongoing training to all those who will take part in delivering the message (international staff, national staff, partners, volunteers, etc.), and ongoing opportunities for two-way discussion with these messengers. The goal is to ensure that:
  • the core messages are fully understood by everyone delivering such,
  • Frequently Asked Questions can be all answered in a unified way,
  • messengers feel confident and remain fact-based in all communications, etc.
  • messengers know how to identify and address hostility/fear,
  • messengers know how to identify possible sources of misinformation,
  • messengers know when to not confront,
  • everyone is committed to continual internal communications regarding their work and what they are hearing in the field.

• Map and utilize formal and informal, official and unofficial, social networks (sports events, river clothes-washing point, etc.). These will be used to deliver the message (whether you plan for such or not). They can also be used to listen to how the message is being received.

• Develop a plan of action with local representatives on how to provide immediate information as quickly and widely as possible in the case of possible panic (which can lead to rioting, looting and fear-driven crime). Such a plan should incorporate radio, TV, community meetings, phone text messaging and the Internet. Even in an area with low Internet access, people have family and friends in areas that DO have Internet access, and they can communicate what they read via such by phone or text message.

• Monitor and supervise, formally and informally, on an ongoing basis, communications activities. All partners and messengers, formal and informal, should feel empowered to be monitors, to gather and report on feedback. Have a crisis tree, where anyone who is a part of the message delivery, including partners, can report communications problems/concerns to a focal point, who then ensures the problem/concern is communicated across the core communications team and appropriate action can be taken immediately.

• Cultivate strong political commitment that is exhibited and constantly reinforced at the local, regional and national level, among various government offices (not just one). Encourage and support the coordination of communications efforts among different government offices. Observe message delivery by government officials to ensure deliverers are remaining fact-based.

• Organize consultations with religious leaders, to garner their ongoing public involvement/endorsement, both on how to deliver the message and advising on how to counter hostilities/fears.

• Involve/consult with both traditional/officially-recognized community leaders and those who are unofficial (key women members of the community), both on how to deliver the message and advising on how to counter hostilities/fears. Efforts must be ongoing.

• Collaborate with and invite the participation of NGOs in message delivery and informal monitoring of how messages are being received. Coordinate efforts with their own.

  Identify those who might be possible sources of misinformation, intentionally or unintentionally, before undertaking any field-based activity.

• Allow those who are opposed to an activity, or who might be, to voice concerns, both publicly and privately. Remember that one meeting may not be enough for fears to be aired, and feedback may come through unofficial channels. People tend to have hostilities reduced when they believe their concerns are being heard and addressed. Consult intensively with radio and TV for message delivery through public service announcements, dramas, news delivery, talk shows, etc.. Never assume that a reporter understands the facts regarding an activity you are undertaking without someone from your initiative actually briefing that reporter. Also, ask reporters/show hosts what they are hearing from their audiences.

• Cultivate newspaper articles and design and place newspaper ads (if population is literate). Collaborate with grade school and secondary teachers/instructors to reinforce message and provide feedback on community reactions.

• Look for ways for the private sector and trade unions to be involved in delivering or reinforcing messages, particularly if there is any chance such could be a source of misinformation.

• Ensure that those who will be involved in a field activity or will provide any communications about such do not act in a way that is counter to what is being promoted (those who are going to promote polio vaccinations for children, for instance, should have their own children vaccinated).

• Ensure information on the key organizer's web site, as well as online information by partner organizations, is accurate. Seek out misinformation online and be ready to counter it with your own Internet activities, via web sites, online discussion groups/bulletin boards, and email.

• Create billboards and posters that reinforce messages (culturally-appropriate, preferably designed by community members) and place these where people, including specific parts of a community (young men, mothers, elderly women, children, etc.) gather.

• Garner public endorsements by famous entertainment or sports figures (for instance, in Liberia in 2008, a pop star created a pop song to allay fears regarding the upcoming census). Remember that "famous" is relative: someone well-known among adults may not be well-known among teenagers, and vice versa, or someone famous in rural areas may be unknown in cities, and vice-versa.

• Organize high-profile events focused on message delivery (formal campaign launches/press events, theater/live performance, rickshaw parade, etc.).

• Provide opportunities for the public to see the activity, either firsthand or on TV, in a way that allows them to see and understand whatever process or activity is being undertaken.

• Be ready to be flexible and to adjust your strategies and activities suddenly.

1. the vital importance of being in-tune with local people,
2. that those behind a development or aid effort must work to be perceived as coming from a place of honesty, sincerity and respect for local people, and
3. that the message must be owned and delivered primarily by local people themselves.

Sources:

• Presentations at the Technical Advisory Group meeting on Communication for Polio Eradication in Nigeria, Niger and Congo, by UNICEF and ministries of health for different countries, Harare, November 2006

• Presentations at the UNICEF Afghanistan polio communication review meeting in Kabul, September 25 - 27, 2007

• Radio Australia interview with Kym Smithies of the UNDP mission in East Timor

• Essays by Etherton, M. , Ganguly, S. (2004) and Marlin-Curiel, S. in Theatre and Empowerment: Community Drama on the World Stage, Boon, R. and Plastow, J. (eds.), University of Leeds.

• "U.S. Team in Baghdad Fights a Persistent Enemy: Rumors" by Thom Shanker, March 23, 2004, The New York Times

• CNN story, Liberia tries pop song, billboards to calm census fears, from March 0, 2008.

• Informal interviews by the author with various aid workers

• First-hand experience by the author, Jayne Cravens

What I'm also wondering: are their any efforts in Arab-speaking countries, Africa, and elsewhere similar to the myth-busting Straight Dope column by Cecil Adams in the USA? Or truthorfiction.com? If you know of such, please contact me.

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