The Civil Society Organization Media Manager as Critical Communicator

Abstract

Substantial improvement in civil society organizations' [CSOs] management of communication and media endeavors requires a shift from business and marketing models to a development communication perspective. Acting beyond the platform driven model of the current conception of the media manager, the critical communicator will be guided by a rights-oriented, civil society-driven social change vision; critique of the corporatization and marketization of CSOs; lateral, holistic management strategies in facilitating the efforts of the communication-media team; use of multiple media including new media technologies, in particular Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, in order to advance audience-user participation in knowledge production and dissemination [participatory informatics]; and media campaigns that seek to maximize the CSO's contributions to the advancement of justice, equality, democratization and civic engagement in governance and public policy debates.