Mapping community media impact: iterative cycles, continuous review

Abstract

ABSTRACTFraming community media evaluation that can trace social impact relevant to organisational objectives requires extensive planning that could be facilitated by impact mapping. This article examines ways to understand social impact from a practice-based perspective informed by a 2014 media production project. Based on the assumption that a broad frame of reference is required to position community media outcomes within a range of evidence unique to each context, an evaluation mapping schema is proposed that draws on existing frameworks such as a Social Impact Creation Cycle, Social Return on Investment, and Communication for Social Change, approaches that have continuous review in common. The case for a ‘meta’ approach arises from pragmatic realities manifested as a variety of issues known to occur in community media practice. Resourcing arrangements can shape the relative importance attached to measurement, according to different stakeholder objectives. Capturing the outcomes of community media, created from the shared efforts of diverse teams of stakeholders with multiple objectives, can’t be a one size fits all. Research of short-term media effects may be one component of longer-term effectiveness. The distinction in terminology here signals a need to loop short- and long-term outcomes together in a cyclical process.