Public awareness programmes are difficult to evaluate cheaply. One way is to monitor the media for mention of the national institution, or (better) coverage of human rights issues. In practice, this is only likely to be possible if the NHRI analyses the media as part of its general human rights monitoring function. If resources permit, it is undoubtedly useful to do so. Since many institutions use complaint rates to assess public awareness, it would be useful to include education questions in their evaluation of ­complaints. Simply asking complainants how they heard about the institution would provide valuable information. Public outreach through the mass media The activity – Suppose an NHRI seeks to improve public awareness of ­ uman rights by increasing media coverage. Activities include training for h journalists and production of pre-recorded information slots on radio and television. Indicators of output – The institution will determine the number of journalists from different branches of the media who attended training events, and the number of relevant radio and television items that will be produced. Better still, national institutions can set, in advance, targets for coverage. Indicators of performance – Training events can be evaluated in the same way whether the participants are journalists, prison officers or judges. Radio and television slots can be evaluated in focus group discussions. These are small gatherings, usually of some 8-12 people, of similar background. They do not aim to have a polarised discussion but explore the views of a similar group of people. A variety of different groups will need to be selected. In this example, participants could discuss whether messages were clear, if new information was imparted, if the information was persuasive and so on. ­Focus groups have no quantitative value and are not equivalent to an ­opinion ­survey. They are a method of deepening qualitative evaluation. Indicators of impact – With respect to journalists’ training, impact can be evaluated by monitoring media coverage. Have references to human rights increased and are reports better informed? Unfortunately, monitoring the media is time-consuming, but many national institutions do it as part of their normal work. It can provide indicators of change in human rights coverage. Focus groups can also reveal the impact of radio and TV slots on public awareness. NHRIs can make use of other contacts they have with the public, via complaint procedures for example, to evaluate the impact of their media campaigns. Assessing the Effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions 37