How We Work
Internews' work improving access to information for people around the
world is based on over 25 years of experience and work
in some 70 countries. Our work is based on the following
principles.
Local focus
What crops would be most profitable to plant this season? Where do
I find health clinics for childhood immunizations? Which political
leaders have increased funding for local schools?
This kind of local information has the biggest impact on people’s
lives on a day-to-day basis. Farm reports, community services,
local leadership—these impact daily life and daily decisions.
Internews
promotes the need for news and information that are created by
and for the local community. We identify local organizations and
leaders as partners and working with local journalists and media managers,
we build capacity at the local level, rather than bringing in foreign
media to produce material, an unsustainable practice that can create
inflated markets for news and advertising.
Example — Local Focus —
Chad
In remote eastern Chad, Internews established Radio Absoun, a station staffed by Chadian and Sudanese journalists to serve refugees from Darfur and their local host communities. This station recently reported that security in the community had gotten so bad that all the doctors and nurses had been evacuated from a nearby hospital, so that listeners knew not to take their sick and wounded there. Only a truly local news source, attuned to the needs and interests of its listeners, is in a position to cover such stories. |
Understanding media as an industry
The media sector needs to be understood as an industry—one that
is subject to a complex array of economic, social and political
forces. To be effective in strengthening the media sector, we need
to recognize the market forces at play.
Example — Media as an Industry —
Russia
In Russia, in addition to training television journalists
in how to produce accurate, high-quality news, Internews
also trains station managers the nuts and bolts of running
a business, including how to set up advertising sales departments
and how to establish a station identity. |
Example — Increasing Competition
— Algeria
In Algeria, when the government created an opening for
reform of its telecommunications sector, Internews was
able to work with the government and private industry leaders
to address policy changes needed to expand access and use
of the Internet there. The program successfully introduced
competition into a sector that had been a government monopoly,
which in turn has expanded cellular services, increased
broadband options, and introduced more cybercafés to Algerian
cities. |
Commitment
to working with partners
When Internews enters a new country, our commitment is to partner
with local organizations whenever we can.
Internews  |
Media Partners |
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- Journalist associations
- Professional training institutes
- Universities
- Media rights groups
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Benefits:
- Work is sustainable over the long-term
- Results in more culturally appropriate and effective
program design
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In many countries, Internews also works with local non-media groups.
Internews |
Non-Media Partners |
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- HIV-positive groups
- Women's groups
- Environmental advocacy groups
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Benefits:
- Help them understand how to work
with media
- Help them communicate more effectively
to the public
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Internews collaborates regularly with international organizations in emergency response situations such as the Indian Ocean tsunami.
Internews |
International Organizations |
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- UNICEF
- United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees
- International Organization for Migration
- UNAIDS
- Others
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Benefits:
- Help restore communication infrastructures
- Help these large organizations connect
with local media, so that information reaches and is received
back from the affected populations in their local language
and context
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Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
The most notable collaboration on an international scale has
been Internews Network’s leadership in forming the Global
Forum for Media Development (GFMD) to:
- Encourage greater
collaboration among media assistance organizations and
- To
create strategies and policies that improve the practice
of media assistance worldwide.
At its inaugural
conference in October 2005 in Amman, Jordan, GFMD brought together more
than 500 participants from 97 countries. GFMD is directed
by a steering committee of regional and international media
development organizations first convened by Internews in
2004. In July 2007, GFMD
hired a director and established a secretariat. |
See a representative
list of Internews local, regional and international partners.
A
broad approach to information access
Impact is greatest when assistance addresses not just the immediate
needs of a journalist or media outlet, but the broader range of
issues affecting people's access to information in a country. These
include:
- The legal and policy framework for media;
- The Internet and
telecommunications;
- The distribution networks for TV and radio
programming and newspapers; and
- The education and training of
journalists and media managers.
Without addressing all these issues, even well-trained
journalists may not legally be able to report, or people may
be restricted from accessing information due to unnecessary or
prohibitive regulation.
To improve information access, Internews works
at multiple levels:
- Trains over 9,000 media professionals
each year.
- Produces close to 5600 hours of TV and radio programming
each year.
- Helped to develop 45 broadcast networks
to enable shared programming and news exchange and allow members
to create joint marketing efforts, strengthening financial viability.
- Formed or supported 112 media associations
to defend the civil rights of journalists, advocate for fair
and open media laws, and promote industry reform.
- Advocated for
fair media laws in 21 countries, providing a stronger legal foundation
for media to play their essential watchdog role.
- Worked for telecommunications and Internet polices
in over three dozen countries that promote a democratic user-controlled
Internet and liberalized telecommunications policies in a competitive,
rather than monopolistic, environment.
Ethical guidelines
In addition to the principles above, Internews' work is guided by
a set of ethical guidelines,
adopted by the Internews Network board of directors.
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