Global Issues
When Information Saves Lives
Engaging Local Media in Humanitarian Crises
INTERNEWS-FRITZ INSTITUTE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP
Exploring the Role of Local Media in Humanitarian Response
To complement international efforts to improve the efficiency of humanitarian operations, Internews and the Fritz Institute have undertaken a research partnership to document the ways that local media can make humanitarian response more effective.
Under this partnership, a three-day roundtable in Nairobi in September 2008 brought together African journalists and humanitarian groups to explore this issue through real-life case studies from four countries. The discussion highlighted local media’s accomplishments but also identified barriers to effective local media engagement with humanitarian agencies and affected local populations. The meeting gave rise to a research agenda on these key themes:
- The News vs. Information Debate: Neither humanitarians nor local media make it a priority to provide information to affected populations for their own survival and recovery.
- Knowledge, Perceptions and Trust: A dysfunctional relationship with the humanitarian community represents the greatest hindrance to local media’s potential to play a lifesaving role in humanitarian emergencies.
- Resource Constraints and Ethical Concerns: Local media’s limited resources reinforce their dependence on humanitarians and may present ethical challenges to journalistic integrity.
- The Need for Institutional Change: The onset of an emergency is too late to introduce institutional change in the humanitarian sector and build capacity in the local media; such efforts must be proactive.
- Leapfrogging the Technology Divide: New technologies are expanding the space in which media, affected populations and humanitarians interact.
In collaboration with the Fritz Institute, Internews plans to disseminate this research widely through international roundtables, seminars and events.
“The right kind of information leads to a deeper understanding of needs and ways to respond. The wrong information can lead to inappropriate, even dangerous interventions.”
— The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2005 World Disasters Report |
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