Access to Information
The ability to seek and receive information is enshrined within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Free flowing information empowers communities to become informed and educated about the world around them, to make balanced decisions, to hold leaders to account and, ultimately, improve their own quality of life. In reality, citizens in many of the world’s poorest and most fragile states are denied this right for reasons ranging from fractured media infrastructure to oppression of freedom of speech and liberalized media. Sometimes at the cost of their own safety, journalists investigate and bring to light stories that would otherwise remain hidden from public scrutiny.
- Institutional support to local media and information flows through small grants, technical upgrades and long-term income generation schemes
- Stabilisation and provision of information flows during natural or manmade disasters
- Specialist support to independent media and information channels in countries with limited or compromised press freedom
- High level engagement and lobbying around enabling media regulation, self regulation and development of national policies
At the core of Internews Europe’s mission is the support of people whose task is to make society more transparent and more accountable to itself. Thousands of media professionals cross our paths each year and each of them reaches thousands to several million people with his or her reports. We support journalists at some of most challenging points in their career and work tirelessly to ensure populations can overcome the many immense barriers to accessing the information they need.
Innovation & Technology
The past few years have seen the digital information revolution take off at great speed; this challenges ‘conventional’ media to embrace new ways of working in order to remain relevant and to ensure the added-value of traditional journalism prevails in the digital space. New Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are revolutionising the reporting of conflict, democratic accountability models, emergency communications during crises and, perhaps most importantly, the opportunities for ordinary citizens to participate and have their voices heard. The digital revolution also brings news challenges in the form hacking and attacks on digital security.
- Train and equip professionals in conventional media with the most appropriate new technologies to improve their work
- Provide specialist support in the development of digital security and resilience of independent online journalism
- Develop innovative communication platforms and systems, appropriate for local contexts and the most pressing communication needs
Internet users are producers as much as consumers of information and, in today’s virtual world, everyone needs to understand the opportunities and the limits associated with online media. Internews Europe supports efforts to improve the interactions between online publications and their audiences, create better public awareness around issues of digital security and give audiences the opportunity to vote through online social networks.
Internews Europe helped hundreds of journalists and media outlets to get up to speed on the use of new technologies in their work. We have supported the launch of online or mobile media outlets and contributed to the development of high impact technologies that are relevant to the current information era. Thanks to Internews’ support micro-entrepreneurs in Kolkata, shepherds in the Mongolian steppes, disaster affected populations in Haiti and citizens in closed countries can all benefit from accessing information that literally speaks to them on the phone, through platforms such as FreedomFone.
Media Production
Sometimes, critical public interest issues in developing countries just don’t make the headlines; often because of a lack of media resources, self-censorship or a national crisis situation. For example, until a few years ago, despite the devastation it caused, there was little to no coverage of HIV/AIDS in South-East Asia; reports that did appear were frequently full of scientific inaccuracies.
Meanwhile NGOs, citizens groups, diasporas, activists, businesses, academics and policy-makers all try engage with the media around key themes, but often with limited impact. Building bridges between different layers of society and the media provides information that is fair and accurate, and increases coverage of vital issues.
- Engagement with local media to improve the quantity and quality of reporting around key themes such as conflict resolution, human rights, the environment, public health and economic development
- Training and partnerships with grassroots Civil Society Organisations to promote their role in informing public debate and knowledge
Internews Europe’s media professionalization programmes are often to tied key thematic issues. Therefore, we routinely use training and capacity building activities to drive up standards of reporting around key issues. Internews also puts expertise in media and new technologies at the service of non-media groups and individuals and trains them in communications and media strategy so that their actions have greater impact. We also set up sustainable communication platforms for NGOs and media that allow them to share information in the long term.
In Haiti, Internews Europe has developed an online liaison platform that allows the humanitarian aid community to coordinate its messaging strategy within itself and with the local media. Elsewhere we have enabled Afghan and Timorese migrants to connect with their home communities’ local media. In India, we enable micro-finance institutions to partner with business news producers to empower micro-entrepreneurs in support of economic development.
Media Professionalisation
Media and information ecosystems are central to citizens’ understanding of the world around them. An independent, diverse, professional and vibrant media landscape guarantees quality information essential for the general public to understand the forces affecting their lives; an empowered media creates an empowered people. However in the world’s poorer countries and fragile states, media institutions are often lacking in resources and access to skilled staff and/or can have their very independence compromised by external influences.
- International standard training, mentoring and fellowships for journalists, editors, broadcasters and other local media professionals
- Intensive support to emerging information stakeholders, such as bloggers and online networks to professionalise the digital information space
Internews Europe is building the skills of thousands of media professionals every year across key disciplines of journalism, radio and television production, online publishing and new communication technologies. Through training programmes and mentoring, we promote the development of both conventional and innovative media platforms and provide citizen journalists as well as professionals with tools to upgrade their skills.
Well-informed populations are more inclined to make prejudice-free, knowledge-based decisions. A professional and independent media sector is key to preventing citizens from being manipulated or misled by ‘disinformation’. Strengthening the capacity of media professionals also stimulates the coverage of topics that are not typically addressed in the mainstream agenda.
Research and Advocacy
To increase its impact, the media development sector has to be at the cutting edge of the global media revolution, anticipating changes, acting as a pioneer in new information technologies, connecting with other international development actors and increasing awareness of the importance of its mission. Only a proficient, innovative and publicly supported sector can adequately address freedom of expression issues and support greater access to quality journalism and information.
Through our network of international media experts, we are continuously mapping and analysing the global media landscape and producing studies on key issues. We strengthen links between practitioners and we advocate, through events and alliances such as the Global Forum of Media Development (GFMD), to the general public and policy-makers.
Through partnerships in key events, journalism competitions, publications or specific platforms such as CDAC (Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities) we ensure that the entire development and humanitarian sector is connected with the key role that media and information dissemination have in supporting their efforts.
Our publications, such as The Promise of Ubiquity and Media Matters, distributed internationally, received enthusiastic reviews from the media development sector and donors. These studies significantly help in making the development of media visible to policy-makers and put media assistance on the international development agenda. In the field Information Communication Technologies, we regularly contribute to translations, documentation and codes to increase the reach of open source projects.
Support to Journalists
During their careers, journalists strive to understand the societies they live in. Sometimes, at the cost of their own safety, journalists investigate and bring to light stories that would otherwise remain hidden from public scrutiny. The challenges they face in pursuing the mission entrusted to them by their societies are numerous, including threats, attacks, insufficient resources, self-censorship, a lack of support from their supervisors and difficulties in finding relevant training or in establishing peer networks.
Internews invests in professional and citizen journalists through training and fellowships or by establishing networks, because we understand that journalists have the power to influence and shape their societies. We stand by them in their best times, when we celebrate and reward their achievements, and in their worst times, when their lives are in danger or their societies collapse.
At the core of Internews Europe’s mission is the support of people whose task is to make society more transparent and more intelligible to itself. Thousands of media professionals cross our paths each year and each of them reaches thousands to several million people with his or her reports. Whether it is by sponsoring their presence at an international event, deepening their understanding of issues, or helping them return to work after a crisis, each step will have a lasting impact and each investment in people will benefit their societies.