Haiti Earthquake – first anniversary: Internews opens Press Centre at Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince
(January 7th 2011) Internews is creating an International Press Centre in Port au Prince to support international journalists covering the one year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January the 12th 2010. The press centre equipped with high speed Internet and satellite TV, will help international journalists overcome the considerable logistical challenges of reporting from Haiti one year after the earthquake.
Building on the proven demand for the press facility on the sixth month anniversary in June 2010, which attracted scores of journalists and broadcasters from major TV agencies and network broadcasters such as APTN, NBC and BBC World, the centre will give media agencies access to local journalists, leading humanitarian agencies and government representatives in the symbolic venue of the Montana (former Hotel Montana), from Monday, January the 10th to Friday, January the 14th 2011.
Overlooking the city of Port-au-Prince and built in 1946, the Montana has always been the most prestigious hotel in the country. Personalities from all over the world have enjoyed its facilities and at key moments, international media have reported from its unique site. The site provides an ideal location for pieces-to-camera.
On January the 12th 2010, the 145 rooms hotel collapsed killing 80 people. Only the Horizon Conference Room and the apartments underneath were left untouched. They have been inspected and approved as being safe and secure to work from.
Internews is collaborating with CDAC Haiti (Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities) to host themed early breakfasts every morning, with speakers from leading United Nations, international and local humanitarian agencies.
Internews will also be basing its team from the ENDK (Enfomasyon Nou Dwe Konnen – ‘News You Can Use) newsroom at the Montana for the week, allowing international journalists to source stories from a team of local reporters who have been reaching 70% of the Haitian population with daily humanitarian news for the past 12 months.
”In order to ensure the highest quality coverage around the world regarding the situation in Haiti 12 months after the devastating earthquake, Internews believes it is important to help international reporters work from a secure and technically well-equipped facility where they will be able to have contact not only with humanitarian experts but with our own independent local ENDK journalists,” said Philippe Allouard, Internews’ Haiti Country Director.
“Every day since January the 20th 2010 our ENDK reporters have been providing a lifeline of vital information to Haitians in the camps and to those scattered across the city and countryside, covering everything from the work of the search and rescue teams in the immediate aftermath of the quake to the on-going cholera epidemic.”
Fixers, local journalists, key contacts and updated information will be available every day in the Internews Press Centre.
The Press Centre will be open from 7.30am to 5.00pm, between January the 10th and the 14th 2011 at the Montana Horizon conference room, Bourdon, Port-au-Prince.
Journalists and broadcasters planning to use the press centre or with further questions about the centre, should contact Stephanie Armand, Internews Haiti at stephanie@endk.org or call +509/3442-0841.
Internews in Haiti
Internews provides vital humanitarian information to up to 70% of the Haitian population via its daily radio program, ENDK which is broadcast by over 35 radio stations across the country. Internews’ work in Haiti is supported by USAIDs OTI, UN OCHA, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Arca Foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Centre de Crise of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Commission. www.internews.org and www.internews.eu
Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC)
Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) brings together experts in outreach, communications and humanitarian work in a collective effort to improve a two-way communication flow between the humanitarian community and affected populations. CDAC is a source of expertise and advice, a community of practice and an advocacy platform that aims at ensuring that the humanitarian sector mainstreams CDAC and local media play a vital role to maximise aid effectiveness, accountability and transparency to affected communities. CDAC Global was founded by a group of international relief and development organisations including Save the Children, IFRC and OCHA, and media development agencies including Thomson Reuters Foundation, BBC World Service Trust, International Media Support (IMS) and Internews. CDAC Haiti is led by Internews in collaboration with IMS and supported by UN OCHA. The CDAC network in Haiti includes experts in radio, mass media, SMS, web based and non-mass media communications, public information officers, and journalists, both local and international.