Humanitarian – C4D Network

The State of Humanitarian Journalism (UEA, 2018)

November 12, 2018

This report presents some of the findings from a four-year global research project into the state of humanitarian journalism around the world. The authors asked:

Which news organisations regularly report on humanitarian affairs? How are they funded, and what ethical problems or professional dilemmas does this create for journalists covering humanitarian affairs?
When natural disasters and violent conflicts are reported, what kinds of journalistic coverage do they receive? Do news outlets differ from one another, and if so, how?
How interested are news audiences in journalism about humanitarian affairs? How well does existing coverage serve their needs, and the needs of those involved in international aid? Which significant ‘gaps’ are there in news provision?
What effects does news coverage have on public attitudes towards international aid?

Their analysis of news coverage reveals that only a small handful of international news outlets regularly report on humanitarian affairs, and identified a number of important gaps in humanitarian news coverage. Almost no articles looked at the specific problems faced by women and girls in relation to the conflicts in Yemen and South Sudan in 2017, for example.

Click here for the full report.

Humanitarian Journalism Today (15 October, London, UK) – film screening and report launch

September 29, 2018

This event is about the journalists who report on humanitarian crises today. It launches a major new report from Martin Scott, Kate Wright and Mel Bunce, The State of Humanitarian Journalism, based on four years of research. This report shows which news outlets report on humanitarian issues, how they frame their stories, and what audiences think about this news.

A panel of leading journalists and media commentators will discuss the findings and their own experiences reporting on humanitarian crises, including:

Josephine Schmidt, Executive Editor at IRIN, the world’s oldest humanitarian newswire
James Copnall, Newsday presenter, BBC World Service
Tom Law, Director of Campaigns and Communications, The Ethical Journalism Network
Stefanie Glinski, Freelance journalist and photographer, currently based in Afghanistan.

This is followed by a screening of the celebrated documentary, ‘Another News Story’ about the journalists who reported on the 2015 ‘refugee crisis’ in Europe.

How to Establish and Manage a Systematic Community Feedback Mechanism (IFRC, 2018)

August 24, 2018

This step-by-step guide aims at supporting Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers to establish and manage a systematic community feedback mechanism using the Ground Truth Solutions’ Constituent VoiceTM methodology. It focuses on migration programmes but can be adapted and used in other contexts.

The guidance provided here complements the Red Cross Red Crescent Guide to Community Engagement and Accountability and the Monitoring and Evaluation Guide and describes how to use community feedback to improve Red Cross and Red Crescent work.

The guide provides an overview of the approach together with guidance and tools for designing and implementing feedback cycles that bring continuous and real-time data flows into day-to-day decision-making. This contributes to better and more accountable programming and helps establish structures where people’s opinions are listened to and acted on, especially when making decisions that directly affect them.

Click here for guide.

Who Can I Turn To? Mapping social connections, trust and problem-solving among conflict-affected populations (Tearfund Report, 2017)

August 12, 2018

‘Social connections are widely recognised as crucial to resilience and well-being in all populations. Families, friendships, community and business relationships are essential for support and protection both within and between communities. Yet these connections are often catastrophically disrupted when people flee from conflict. In addition to material destruction, families and communities are broken and scattered and identities challenged. Without the usual network of social relations people become insecure in multiple ways.’

This report aims to support the work of Tearfund and other agencies by providing improved baseline knowledge through the identification of social connections and levels of trust among displaced and settled communities in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It reports on research carried out by Tearfund and Queen Margaret University, supported by the University of Duhok and the American University of Kurdistan, in the Duhok Governorate, in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The research aimed to test a methodology which has been developed in other locations to enable the identification of social connections and levels of trust in settings of conflict and displacement (Strang and Quinn, 2014). The methodology was carried out by local researchers trained by the Queen Margaret University team. Participatory activities used three different scenarios: immediate basic needs such as cash for food, clothing or other essential items; resolving disputes; and gender based violence.

Click here for full report.