According to the Red Cross, "Information bestows power. Lack of information can make people victims of disaster . . . People need information as much as water, food, medicine or shelter. Information can save lives, livelihoods and resources."

This issue of Internews Report focuses on Internews' work enabling local media to provide essential information during humanitarian crises, including the Asian tsunami in December 2004, the massive earthquake in Pakistan one year ago, the ongoing Darfuri refugee crisis, and the May earthquake in Western Java, Indonesia.

In a crisis, relief and recovery is most effective when those affected by the disaster and the relief agencies that serve them receive accurate, relevant information. Local media can play a vital role as a two-way channel of communication between these parties, ensuring that people know how to get aid and that humanitarian agencies know how best to deliver that aid. Having lost so much already, disaster survivors deserve no less.

ANNETTE MAKINO
EDITOR (press at internews dot org)