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The challenge of changing the media narrative

Earlier this week, IBT hosted a discussion with journalists and INGOs on how best to promote the decolonisation agenda. Henry Roberts, our communications officer, reflects on what was said.

On Wednesday morning, IBT, along with Bond and Peace Direct, hosted a roundtable, bringing together journalists and heads of some of the country’s leading INGOs to discuss language, images and power in international development. The event allowed figures within the media and charity sector to express their views on the decolonisation agenda – how it’s working, how it’s not working, and how we can bridge the gap between NGOs and the media when it comes to reporting global stories ethically, accurately and sensitively.

This conversation was particularly timely. With the horrific natural disasters in Libya and Morocco at the top of the news agenda, how we report about aid is a complex question many of the journalists present had been grappling with in the days and hours prior to the discussion. Whilst the event was held under Chatham House rules, here are some broad takeaways of what was discussed and where we should focus our attention going forward. 

The legacies of colonial thinking still persist

Over the past few years, there has been a seismic cultural shift within the INGO sector. Following the Black Lives Matter movement and a growing confrontation with Britain’s colonial past, international charities are increasingly asking themselves difficult questions and committing to changing practices – in projects, in management structure and in the use of words and images. 

These changes are urgent and welcome, but the legacies of colonial thinking still persist in the INGO sector, not just in its communications but also in its operations. For a long time, some INGOs have behaved as if they consider themselves to be self-appointed experts in certain regions, at the expense of the knowledge and dignity of local communities. This mode of working has been reflected in the sector’s longstanding reliance on outdated tropes, harmful images and unhelpful stereotypes, all of which contribute to the continuation of a power imbalance between ‘developed’ and ‘underdeveloped’ countries. (Indeed, one of the questions raised in the discussion was whether binary terms like developed/underdeveloped are even appropriate when talking about global work.) 

It’s not supposed to be easy

There is still a lot to be done, both within individual charities and as a sector overall, but several participants shared with us their experiences of how they are dealing with issues of bias internally. One example saw a prominent INGO bringing in an external consultant to audit the charity’s communications output through a decolonised/anti-racist lens. The findings were critical and difficult to swallow for a charity committed to helping other people. But this work isn’t supposed to be easy. To think otherwise misunderstands the complexity and importance of decolonisation in practice. More charities should be brave enough to bring in an external, critical eye and make changes based on their recommendations.

But in order to create cultural change, it’s not enough for INGOs to make changes on their own. The media too should be aspirational and journalists should challenge themselves to adopt the principles of decolonisation. How exactly they might start to do that we’ll come onto, but without such a change in thinking, the work of charities will continue to be misrepresented, ultimately fuelling suspicion towards the sector from large swathes of the general public. 

The media needs to resist the temptation of clickbait 

Not so long ago, the news agenda was dominated by what was on the front page of the newspapers and what led the evening news on television. Now, news is digital and 24/7. And with greater digitisation comes greater understanding of audience trends. Indeed, editors and journalists can quite easily see which stories are performing best by the number of clicks they receive. 

What this has led to is a media that is often tempted to report in a sensationalist way, knowing it is competing with other outlets for clicks. 

There is increasing pressure on journalists to post stories frequently and quickly, not wanting to be seen as out of the loop on the latest development. But speed, for all its tremendous advantages in delivering breaking news, often comes at the expense of quality. And the end result is ultimately a lowered standard of journalism and a skewed news agenda.

As was acknowledged by some journalists in the room, the media needs to be braver and take its time to deliver more thoughtful and nuanced stories. Global events need to be put into proper context in order for a general audience to understand them and why they are important. Not every journalist or news outlet is guilty of clickbait, but the pressure to lead with sensationalist language and imagery, often at the expense of the complexity and dignity of the story and those within it, is something to which every journalist working in our digital age can relate. The task now is to find ways to engage readers and viewers in the nuance without resorting to undignified sensationalism. 

Every level of an organisation – whether media or INGO – needs to commit to change

If organisations are to lead the way in change, every level needs to be committed. This applies to both INGOs and media outlets. Not only will this increase legitimacy and transparency, committing to a cross-departmental approach will also minimise the risk of making mistakes in implementation. 

There are countless examples where the media has let itself down because of a lack of coordination between departments. INGOs present at the roundtable recounted stories of sending press packs to journalists – packs that met the charity’s internal guidelines – only to see the story being run with a completely inappropriate image. Accompanying articles on overseas stories with outdated, stereotypical images of suffering (‘poverty porn’ or ‘fly in the eye’ type shots) is not uncommon. Not only does this let the media organisation down, it also makes the charity look bad by association. In this instance, the charity was reluctant to share the story on social media for fear the image would reflect badly on them. Ultimately, this diminishes the work of the journalist and the charity’s press team, as well as the people in the story.

Images and headlines matter – not just words

As any journalist who has handled criticism over an image or headline will tell you, they are not in total control of their story. Headlines are generally written by copy editors, whilst photographs are the domain of the picture desk. This means that a journalist can write a sensitive piece, only to see it skewed at the editorial level. What this tells us is that discussions around anti-racism and decolonisation need to be cross-departmental. Just as it would be no good if a charity’s media team committed itself to a set of principles that were flouted by the fundraising team, so too would it be wrong for the responsibility to fall exclusively on the shoulders of individual journalists. If the media is to change the way it tells stories then every level of the organisation must be informed and committed. 

As one journalist told us, his organisation was committed to maintaining total editorial control over their output, which would make an extended back-and-forth between newspaper and a charity impossible. But even if this is the case, there is still the question of why the picture desk would choose to run an inappropriate image in the first place. If media outlets committed themselves to anti-racist training and external critique as many charities have done then the risk of such a faux pas would be minimised significantly.

Images don’t live in isolation. An offending picture may be inappropriate because of the lack of context given. As a participant in Wednesday’s discussion said, ten years ago their charity may very well have used that same offensive image printed by the newspaper. But charities are increasingly committing to improving their image and language policies to move away from stereotypes that brand people as helpless victims without agency. It’s high time news outlets conducted similar audits of their own lexicons and image libraries.

INGOs and the media should pledge to make mutual commitments

Wednesday’s ninety minute roundtable was just the beginning of a longer conversation about how INGOs and journalists can work together to embed principles of anti-racism and decolonisation into their work. However, a few broad suggestions for ways forward were made. 

INGOs need to give editors proper explanations over their choice of language, detailing why it’s important and why it should not be dismissed in favour of outdated terms. For editors with immense time pressure and a million messages in their inboxes, such guidance would make their lives easier and help them to understand the importance of such choices. 

The media, for its part, should commit to reading such guidance and asking questions when they don’t understand. 

There is still a long way to go, and many public figures wish to dismiss this work as ‘wokeness’ and little more than culture war ammunition. But listening to the participants in the roundtable – and seeing everybody engaging in active listening – showed that there is a desire to do better. We will ensure that these conversations continue. 

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The world must not forget about Afghanistan’s crisis – time is running out

Poverty is widespread, malnutrition is on the rise and basic services are on their last legs. Governments and the media cannot ignore the plight of Afghanistan’s people, says Tufail Hussain, Director of Islamic Relief. 

Two years since the international community pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban took over, the world has fallen silent, ignoring the ongoing crisis that is ravaging communities.

I visited the country nearly two years ago to see the reality for myself – what I saw was harrowing. There were scores of families sitting by the side of the road, selling the few possessions they had, in the hope they might be able to afford to feed their children.

Children as young as five were begging for food, while some parents made the heartbreaking decision to send their children to other relatives who had more resources to care for them.

That little has changed over the last two years, while the international community has overlooked this crisis, is nothing short of shameful.

Media attention must not fade away

The situation in Afghanistan is desperate and people are in the middle of a humanitarian disaster. Poverty is widespread, malnutrition is on the rise as people cannot afford to feed their families, and basic services are on their last legs.

Islamic Relief is still in the country, providing life-saving health and nutrition for mothers and their children, as well as longer-term support for farmers, and cash assistance as the country struggles with hunger.

Unfortunately, funding is drying up as international attention fades. This means food and nutrition aid to millions of vulnerable people has been cut, pushing increasing numbers of people into hunger.

Our in-country team has reported that the situation on the ground is dire. It is estimated that this year 875,000 children will suffer from acute malnutrition, and a further 2.3 million will suffer from moderate acute malnutrition. At least 40 per cent of the population are already experiencing food insecurity in 2023.

A culture of fear and neglect

When I last visited in the winter of 2021, I met a woman whose children would sometimes have to go three to four days without food. Without meaningful action from the international community, Afghanistan’s hunger crisis will only get worse.

Our colleagues report that although food is available in the country, many people cannot afford to buy it as the current sanction regime has crippled the banking sector, leaving little to no money in the system.

Some basic products have doubled in price and unemployment has soared, which is compounded by the fact women are now barred from certain jobs. Many had acted as the main breadwinner for their family; in being unable to work, their families will suffer.

More generally, the restrictions placed on Afghan women are appalling and speak to the brutality of the Taliban administration, which is creating a culture of oppression, fear and persecution for half the nation’s population. The fallout of this will harm an entire generation of women.

Against this backdrop, more and more people are being driven into poverty. Many families have been forced to pull children from school so they can work and contribute to the household income. Some 95 per cent of the population now either live in poverty or are expected to fall into poverty this year – a truly haunting figure.

International help does make a difference

The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan was put together by the UN as a framework to deliver the vital assistance that Afghanistan needs. Despite being over halfway through 2023, the plan is just 24.8 per cent funded, meaning many critical life-saving projects cannot be undertaken as the crisis intensifies.

After decades of conflict, extreme weather events, and strict sanctions, the economy is on its knees. The international community needs to realise its responsibility and ensure that the Humanitarian Response Plan is properly funded as soon as possible.

Despite the enormous current challenges, when aid is funded, it has a significant positive impact. Since the Taliban’s takeover, Islamic Relief’s work with the UN Development Programme has helped bring more Afghan women into employment to afford food for their families, and small-scale farmers have been supported with irrigation systems and flood defences, increasing their productivity by 59 per cent.

The international community needs to re-focus on Afghanistan and take a long-term approach that resumes development assistance and stimulates the economy. Tentative attempts to engage with the Taliban should also be considered – if only to help ensure more aid gets to where it is vitally needed.

From the UK perspective, we invested a significant amount of funds and resources to support the Afghan people prior to 2021 – it would be a shame if our hard work comes to nothing.

After two years, the world may have moved on from Afghanistan, yet the crisis endures. It is crucial we all now remember the plight of the Afghan people and do what must be done to help them in their time of need.

Donkeys are having their moment but they remain in peril  

After years of misconceptions and stereotyping, the public portrayal of donkeys is changing. Two feature films, The Banshees of Inisherin and EO, showed that donkeys are not stubborn or stupid, writes Marianne Steele, CEO of The Donkey Sanctuary.

When Polish film director Jerry Skolomowski won the 2022 Jury Prize at Cannes for EO, a movie showing our imperfect world from the perspective of a donkey, he gave a memorable acceptance speech, dedicating the award to every donkey that appeared in the film.

Another feature film followed. Martin McDonagh’s tragicomedy, The Banshees of Inisherin, featured Jenny the miniature donkey in a central role. It won four BAFTAs in January including Outstanding British Film. Although it didn’t win an Oscar it brought donkeys to a global audience, generating lots of discussion online and in print about Jenny.

Aside from the awards, what was remarkable about EO and Banshees was their accurate and sensitive portrayal of their donkey protagonists. There was no ridicule involved; these donkeys were not stubborn or stupid. On the contrary, in both films donkeys were chosen because of their intelligent and calm demeanour, in contrast with the often cruel and foolish pettiness of the human characters. For once, donkeys were playing themselves and to great effect.

We can all learn from the stoicism of donkeys

There is one trait that donkeys embody more than any other animal – stoicism. The Philosophy of Stoicism is also having a moment, popular amongst those searching for a more meaningful approach to life. Stoic, when associated with donkeys, suggests both acceptance and resilience. Modern Stoics describe the philosophy as about being steadfast, strong and in control of yourself – much like a donkey.

It’s hard to know if there’s a link between the re-emergence of stoicism and a growing appreciation of the traits that make donkeys such dependable and loyal companions. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the politics of the day or our treatment of the planet, but if the ultimate purpose of Stoicism is to live in agreement with nature, that is something that both humans and donkeys can get behind.

An unlikely champion

A Premiership footballer is not the most obvious advocate but in Kai Havertz donkeys have found a champion. Long-used as a term of derision in football, the Arsenal and Germany star has given new meaning to the nickname ‘donkey’.

When Kai revealed that his former team-mates at Chelsea called him ‘donkey’, not for his football but because of his calm and thoughtful demeanour, he was changing the narrative about what it is to be a donkey. Kai was given a toy donkey as a child and subsequently went on to sponsor donkeys at a local sanctuary, where he discovered an affinity with the animals.

Kai told The Guardian: ‘From day one, I felt a special relationship with donkeys. It’s a very calm animal: maybe I personalised myself in them because I’m calm too. They chill all day, don’t do much, just want to live their life. I loved them always. And when I lost, I would go to the sanctuary. You look at the animals, see something human in them. It was a kind of recovery, a place I felt peace.’

Donkeys deserve a better future

Despite their newfound fame, donkeys remain in peril. They need our help. Earlier this year The Donkey Sanctuary launched an ambitious new strategy – a global plan to improve the lives of five million donkeys over the next five years. Continued media support highlighting the plight of donkeys – moving away from their stereotyped image of stupidity – will help us achieve our aims.

This is a revised version of a blog that originally appeared on The Donkey Sanctuary’s website. 

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AI can be a powerful tool for campaigners – if used cautiously and ethically

AI can be an effective tool for advocacy but campaigners need to be aware of the risks involved, warn shirin anlen and Raquel Vazquez Llorente from the human rights group, WITNESS.

WITNESS is driven by a deep belief in the power of audiovisual technologies to protect and defend human rights. We recognise the potential for using AI to support human rights advocacy – but only with appropriate caution and ethical considerations. Here are some practical ways in which AI can be used by campaigners. 

This post is an excerpt from a longer piece, available at WITNESS. 

Key considerations

1) The use of AI to create or edit media should not undermine the credibility, safety and content of other human rights organisations, journalists, fact checkers and documentation groups. When generating or modifying visual content with AI, it is important to think about the role of global human rights organisations in terms of setting standards and using tools in a way that doesn’t have collateral harms to smaller, local groups who face much more extreme pressures.a

2) AI output should be clearly labelled and watermarked, and consider including metadata or invisible fingerprints to track the provenance of media. We strongly advocate for a more innovative and principled approach to content labelling that can express complex ideas and provide audiences with meaningful context on how the media has been created or manipulated.a

3) A careful approach to consent is critical in AI audiovisual content. Human rights organisations can draw from existing guidelines about informed consent in visual content.

Potential use cases 

• AI can anonymise individuals in order to protect their identities

Filters such as blurring, pixelization, or voice alterations applied to individuals or places can help create digital disguises for images and audio. Similarly, creative applications can both protect individuals and engage an audience, like the deepfake methods employed in the documentary Welcome to Chechnya. 

However, the use of AI techniques can produce dehumanising results that should be avoided. Current AI tools often generate results that enhance social, racial, and gender biases, as well as produce visual errors that depict deformed human bodies. Any process that uses AI for identity protection should always have careful human curation and oversight, along with a deep understanding of the community and audience it serves. For questions to help guide the use of AI for identity protection, see here. 

• Artistic approaches can be used to visualise testimonies, as long as certain conditions are met

There is a rich history of animations and alternative documentary storytelling forms, and AI can help advance audiovisual forms that effectively convey stories and engage audiences for advocacy purposes. AI tools such as text-to-image, text-to-video, and frame interpolations can be used to generate visuals for testimonies that are missing images and video content to show the underlying emotions and subtexts of the experience. However, it should be clearly mentioned that these visuals are meant to be an artistic expression rather than a strict word-by-word representation. For questions to help guide the use of AI for visualising testimonies, see here. 

• AI can reconstruct places for advocacy purposes

When physical places are inaccessible for security reasons or have been destroyed, AI techniques can enable audiences to visualise a site of historical importance or the circumstances experienced by a certain community in a given place (such as detention conditions). Similarly, they can help us imagine alternative realities and futures, like environmental devastation. However, in these instances, it should be noted how these visuals were generated, and the use of AI should always match the advocacy objectives and be grounded in verified information. For questions to help guide the use of AI for reconstructing places, see here. 

• The use of AI to “resurrect” deceased people needs special consideration 

Bringing deceased individuals “back to life” raises many ethical challenges around consent, exploitation of the dead, and re-traumatisation of surviving families and communities. Generating lifelike representations using AI, which utilises someone’s likeness, may replicate the harm and abuse that the individual or their community suffered in the first place.  On the other hand, the careful use of AI can help represent alternative realities or bring back someone’s message, and have a powerful advocacy effect. When using AI tools for these purposes, it is critical to consider the legal implications; incorporate strict consent by the next of kin, community, or others depending on the culture, context, and risks; think about respect to the memory of the individual in the curation and creation process, and clearly disclose the use of AI.  

• AI should not be used to generate humans and events where real-life footage can be obtained

Photojournalists, human rights defenders and documentation teams put their safety at risk to cover events and collect valuable information. Their work can expose abuses, gather evidence of crimes, or connect with audiences. In a world where mis- and disinformation are rampant, using AI to generate visual content takes us further away from real evidence and undermines our ability to fight against human rights violations and atrocities. Importantly, in these situations, audiences expect to receive real information about real events.

• AI should not be used on its own to edit the words of personal testimonies

When using written or visual testimonies for advocacy purposes, applying AI to edit the material can produce errors and changes in tone and meaning. Interpreting these testimonies requires a level of sensitivity and comprehension of the subject-matter and the purpose of the material that is not within AI’s capabilities. 

With the anticipation of the significant social impact of generative AI and the lack of regulations that address the risks and harms on a global scale, we must ensure we understand the ethical challenges this technology poses, and our role in addressing them. Otherwise, we are at risk of devaluing and undermining the credibility of visual content and those who have the most to lose. For how some specific uses as the ones outlined above should be approached, and questions that can help guide organisations, read the full piece. 

shirin anlen is the Media Technologist, Technology Threats and Opportunities, WITNESS. 

Raquel Vazquez Llorente is the Head of Law and Policy, Technology Threats and Opportunities, WITNESS.

WITNESS is a global human rights organisation that helps people use video and technology to protect and defend their rights. Their Technology Threats and Opportunities Team engages early on with emerging technologies that have the potential to enhance or undermine trust on audiovisual content. More about WITNESS’s work on deepfakes, synthetic media and generative AI can be found here: https://witnessgenai.global/

Watch in full: Times Radio

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The ‘Israel-Palestine conflict’ is more than just an endless cycle of violence – the media needs to tell the whole story

Media coverage of the ‘Israel-Palestine conflict’ suggests an endless ‘cycle of violence’. This framing is far from the truth, writes Max Slaughter from Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).

One year ago this month, Shireen Abu Akleh, a beloved Palestinian-American journalist and household name in the Middle East, was shot and killed by Israeli forces while reporting on a military raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin for Al Jazeera. 

Suddenly, international media turned its attention to events in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). But as violence against Palestinians reaches yet another alarming level in 2023, much of the UK media continues to portray Palestinians’ struggle for dignity, justice and freedom as a never-ending ‘cycle of violence’, ignoring the issues at the heart of their 75 years of displacement, dispossession and discrimination. 

The violence cannot be understood unless it is reported in context

In his new podcast series, ‘Frontlines of Journalism’, the BBC’s International Editor, Jeremy Bowen, says that when covering Israel and Palestine: “Fair reporters need to put the situation into context.” But while much of the UK media have reported on Israeli military raids in the West Bank and airstrikes on Gaza, their coverage frequently decontextualises the violence. 

Take recent coverage of Israel’s military raids on the cities of Jenin and Nablus by the BBC and the Guardian respectively. While reporting the facts of the incidents themselves, neither article expands on the more than half a century of Israel’s military rule over the West Bank, which has continuously denied Palestinians their basic human rights. The result is that the average reader may be given the impression that these are isolated ‘flare ups’ of violence, rather than one element of the systematic discrimination and fragmentation imposed by an occupying power over decades.

The voices of the civilian population in Gaza need to be heard 

Attention also again turned to Gaza when five days of Israeli airstrikes which began on 9 May killed 33 Palestinians, including six children, and injured 190 more. Rocket fire from Palestinian armed groups also killed two in Israel, including one Palestinian with a work permit, and injured more than 40 others. 

Much of the UK media framed this offensive through the lens of its immediate triggers and Israel’s security justifications, lacking a long-term perspective on the root causes of violence, including Israel’s 16-year blockade, 56 years of occupation, and the ongoing displacement of the more than two thirds of Gaza’s population who are refugees.

The UK media’s focus on the killing of ‘militants’, particularly in headlines, often shifts focus away from the civilian population in Gaza who bear the greatest brunt of such bombardments. These stories deserve to be brought to the fore of coverage, and the voices of those affected given precedence over the official pronouncements of the Israeli government or armed Palestinian factions.

Some reporters have looked more closely at the impact on the daily lives of Palestinians

Some notable exceptions exist, as many journalists appear increasingly sensitised to the need to provide the effective “context” urged by Bowen. When Israel closed the Erez crossing into Gaza during its military operation – the only civilian crossing for Palestinians to exit Israel or the West Bank for very limited permitted reasons such as accessing healthcare – hundreds of patients were prevented from traveling to their appointments. 

Yolande Knell and Rushdi Abualouf, of the BBC, sensitively reported on the impacts of this indirect form of violence that severely threatened the lives of Palestinians, particularly cancer patients. 

In-depth coverage presents a more nuanced picture than daily news 

Another notable example framed their story in the context of international law. The Washington Post’s investigation into the killing of a child during the 16 March raid on Jenin not only provided a valuable “deep dive” into Israel’s military tactics, but interviewed credible experts on international law to assess the lawfulness of the operation. But while investigative journalism on Palestine has improved – often due to strong partnerships with open source intelligence investigators such as Forensic Architecture – these successes in describing the realities on the ground remains largely absent from quick-reaction news coverage. 

More context is urgently needed 

Although sections of the UK’s media coverage of violence against Palestinians have improved over the last few years, the majority of reporting continues to perpetuate distorted, simplified narratives that imply equivalence between occupied and occupier, while overlooking crucial stories. 

By contextualising the situation, shedding light on the root causes, including more Palestinian voices and covering human stories, UK media can provide a more accurate and nuanced portrayal of the plight of the Palestinian people.

Max Slaughter is Campaigns and Communications Officer for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

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Authentic storytelling – a photographer’s perspective

Charities are thinking more carefully about the images that they use to promote their work. One of the key challenges is building relationships with freelance photographers. Here, Jonathan Perugia reflects on his own experience of working with charities.

The ethical context in which photographers and INGOs work is changing and there are now – rightly – stronger norms and expectations when it comes to safeguarding, informed consent and dignity in storytelling. This new landscape creates challenges, but also opportunities for photographers and charities alike.

Here are some thoughts on how charities can mitigate the challenges and leverage the opportunities when commissioning photographs of their overseas work.

Be clear on goals and messages 

Having clear goals is essential because it’s surprisingly common for busy comms teams to try to do too much with one assignment. If press or media coverage is the main aim, then that needs to be explicit from the start, as it will affect many of the decisions that follow.

For example, if the goal is to garner coverage in the press, then the photograph will need a clear news angle, which will determine how the photographer is briefed. A good recent example is a series of photos to mark the 10^th anniversary of the fire in Rana Plaza in Dhaka used by The Guardian Global Development and commissioned by ActionAid Bangladesh. 

Sometimes charities commission a photo story and then think about the media pitch. It can work, but pitching a story before the trip happens allows collaboration with the editor/writer and potentially the picture editor. This means your brief can be more specific and helpful for the photographer.

Choose the right photographer 

A photojournalist or documentary photographer will often be used to working to editorial standards of consent, and you shouldn’t assume that they are fully familiar with the requirements of informed consent. 

I have heard many stories from comms officers frustrated with a photographer not getting or even refusing to get consent, and from photographers bemoaning the lack of freedom and spontaneity that come with getting consent from people in their pictures.

The process of decolonisation has also seen INGOs commission more local photographers, a process that was accelerated by COVID-related travel restrictions, environmental and cost considerations.

But hiring someone local may also mean commissioning a photographer with less experience, which means you should be prepared to build a long-term relationship with them and support them as they grow.

In many regions, there are locals with editorial and INGO experience. They will not only have the photography skills, but may also have a network of picture editors and experience of pitching stories. Finding the right photographer can be a challenge, but the right choice can lead to long-term rewards.

Commissioning a local photographer still comes with potential ethical issues which need to be discussed before the assignment starts. These can include power imbalances related to social status, language barriers, unconscious prejudices and of course, the principles of informed consent. These discussions should also include local staff who will be facilitating the trip.

Get the brief right

Once the goals and angle are clear, a good brief will maximise the chances of getting images that work for the media.

INGOs sometimes compose a list of shots and set ups, which can feel formulaic. For an editorial piece, it’s important to outline the issues, themes, context and potential characters but then to give space for the photographer to address these in their own way.

Photographers can give invaluable insights and ideas when they are involved in the planning process. They will have ideas on how to tell and present the complexities of a story, as well as essential input on the schedule, so that the team doesn’t end up in an orientation meeting during early morning golden hour or being asked to shoot a community at midday when the light is blazing and everyone is inside. Be prepared for early starts though!

Give photographers the time and the support they need

Time constraints and overly-optimistic briefs can lead to compromises on ethical issues and the quality of the images. For example, the process of informed consent needs time for conversation, questioning and building trust.

When I started working as a photojournalist, the norms around ethical consent were different. We worked to principles of editorial consent: if the image was used for editorial (ie non – commercial) use, then consent was not needed. For good reasons, the principles around consent for non-profit organisations have evolved, and most now require informed consent. 

This involves talking with contributors, so that they understand why they are being photographed, what will happen to the images/stories, and assuring them that they will not suffer if they refuse or benefit if they consent. It recognises and seeks to address the inherent power imbalances in many interactions between INGOs and so-called beneficiaries. 

A comms team can’t expect a photographer to shoot a school in the morning and a livelihoods programme in the afternoon, before travelling to a new location to do the same thing the next day, and also have the in-depth conversations needed to get meaningful infomed consent. It is usually preferable to focus on a smaller number of contributors’ stories, and tell them in depth.

Consent forms also need to be simple and in the local language. A wordy consent form in legalese English can give the impression forms are created by lawyers motivated as much by legal back-covering as by a desire to involve and safeguard contributors.

Local programme staff play an essential role in this process. They will often have relationships with contributors, and have language and culture in common, which help to build trust, so it’s important to include them and get their input and ideas during the planning and briefing process, 

Informed consent takes time, but it’s worth it. If somebody doesn’t want their picture taken, that’s okay. Not every picture should be taken. International charities who take the decolonisation agenda seriously should take time to think through their briefs, find the right photographer and ask whether their storytelling is dismantling or perpetuating unequal power dynamics.

Jonathan Perugia is a photographer, visual storyteller, and facilitator dedicated to telling solution-focussed stories for organisations that work for environmental and social change. You can see his work and find out more here: www.gaiavisual.com, and connect with him on Linkedin here. 

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Briefing Notes: BBC News Channel and BBC World Service

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Authentic storytelling is now a priority for us

At a recent meeting in Nairobi of the Pledge for Change signatories, the group agreed that authentic storytelling – putting local people at the centre of the story – would be one of their priorities. Rose Caldwell, Chair of IBT and CEO of Plan International UK, explains why.

The past decade has seen growing awareness in international non-governmental organisations (INGOSs) of the need for reform in international aid. While money, decision-making and power are concentrated in organisations based in the Global North, local actors are effectively blocked from accessing direct funding and leadership opportunities, deprived of the chance to lead on development in their own communities.

This patriarchal approach is problematic for a number of reasons. The model entrenches the ‘othering’ of recipients of aid, and the idea that there are those that ‘help’ and those who ‘need help’ (which, it could be argued, is evidence of the racism embedded in the model). It also undermines the very development we seek to support, by smothering the growth of civil society in the Global South.

This power imbalance and hierarchy can be traced back to colonialism, and the idea that ‘the powers that be’ in the wealthy, developed Global North, are somehow better placed to make decisions about how and where aid should be directed in the ‘under-developed’ Global South. It is a system that reflects neither our common humanity nor the solidarity that we espouse as INGOs.

While concerns around these issues are not new, beyond the increased usage of terms like ‘localisation’ and ‘decolonisation’, we have yet to see meaningful change. 

What is Pledge for Change?

Convened by Degan Ali, Executive Director of Adeso, a small group of INGOs met in 2020 to discuss how to move beyond the rhetoric and take meaningful action to shift power, money and decision making to the places and people receiving aid. 

Our aim is to build a stronger aid ecosystem, based on the principles of humility, self-determination, and equality.

 We agreed three core pledges:

• Equitable Partnerships This will be our default approach by 2030 and we will prioritise and value the leadership of national and local actors and invest in making partners stronger and more sustainable.
• Authentic storytelling We will use our platforms to show people’s strength and amplify their stories by putting local people at the centre of the story. Our communications will reflect our commitments to anti-racism, locally led initiatives, gender equality and equitable partnerships.
• Influencing wider change We will advance our goals by explaining the pledge to our staff, peers, supporters, and donors and urging them to support and join us.

What does authentic storytelling mean to us at Plan International?

We start by acknowledging that sometimes the stories we tell as INGOs can, inadvertently, reinforce harmful stereotypes. We must recognise that even when we want to show the harsh realities of poverty, conflict and hunger, we have a responsibility to do so in a way that does not exploit people or portray them as helpless victims. We also have a duty to ensure that media organisations that carry our content do the same.

Our aim is to move to a model where we co-produce content with local organisations and talent – putting local people at the centre of the story in a way that is respectful and representative. We’ll amplify the stories people want to tell rather than merely speaking on their behalf. We will highlight and credit partners in our communications.

To support us on this journey, we’ve put together resources to ensure that the language and imagery we use is inclusive, free from jargon, anti-racist and ethical. This will be something we will continue to review as language evolves.

We’re also keenly aware of the need for change at an individual level. In the last two years we’ve been building deeper and more honest reflections on the inherent power dynamics within our own organisation and in our partnerships with local and national organisations, through training and reflection on power, privilege, and bias. But we know there is much more to do.

We must also measure the impact of this new approach

The challenge we face, particularly with the authentic storytelling pledge, is around measurement. How can we assess if our communications and media output have become truly ‘authentic’? 

This comes back to power-dynamics. Powerful INGOs cannot decide unilaterally that our storytelling is authentic, respectful and anti-racist. Yes, we can measure our output, counting the number of pieces of media that we co-produce with local organisations, for example. However, it is only those who have historically held less power in the relationship – local and national organisations, and recipients of aid – who can assess if we have achieved the goals set out in our pledge. 

In early April, the Pledge for Change signatories along with our Global South Advisory Group met face-to-face for the first time. We agreed that Global South-based individuals and experts will hold us to account on our progress against a series of milestones on our roadmap to change.

As signatories, we’re not under any illusions about the scale of the challenge we’ve set ourselves. INGOs alone cannot overturn these long-standing imbalances and attitudes. But we can use our influence to challenge beliefs, to shift thinking and to bring donors, media organisations, academic institutions and civil society actors with us on the journey towards a fairer future and a stronger aid ecosystem.  

Rose Caldwell is CEO of Plan International UK and Chair of IBT

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The BBC should rethink its global news coverage

With the BBC about to launch its new 24 hour rolling news channel, former BBC executive Richard Ayre, calls on the broadcaster to seize the opportunity and create a genuinely global news channel.

Forty years ago, I made my first trip to the USA, joining seven reporters from north America on a fellowship in broadcast journalism. As we got to know one another I was discomforted to find that they seemed to regard me as a guru of world affairs even though, at that time, I’d never reported outside the UK. 

As I settled in to life at the University of Chicago and watched the nightly news on NBC, CBS and ABC I realised that American audiences were told almost nothing about the political or social geography of the outside world unless Americans were dying there. Isolationism was bred daily into Americans in their own homes.  I even became friends with a student who asked me to explain what I meant when I kept talking about “pounds” as though they were currency. He was in the Business School.  

The BBC once had more foreign correspondents than any other broadcaster

At that time, the BBC had more foreign correspondents in more countries around the world than any other global broadcaster.  Most of them were Brits. Sometimes they couldn’t speak the local language, but they were there, they were on the spot. They were hungry to broadcast and, thanks to them, audiences back home in Britain were able to form world views of their own, admittedly through an overwhelmingly white, male, ex-pat lens. 

The BBC of today still ranks close to the top of world news organisations in the number of its foreign outposts, despite state broadcasters like China’s CCTV pouring a fortune into propaganda bureaux around the world. 

BBC News now features a more diverse range of voices

Thanks to an initiative a decade and more ago driven largely by the needs of cost-cutting, fewer and fewer of the BBC’s foreign correspondents are now white males, and more and more are home grown, firmly rooted in an understanding of local cultures and politics, though in truth they report largely for the BBC’s World Service radio rather than on TV.  

Brits still dominate BBC reporting from Europe, the US, the Middle East and Russia, and to their credit those correspondents continue to be among the very best in the business.         

Why I turn to Channel 4 News for a global perspective

So why do I find myself turning first to Channel 4 News to see more of the world from Asia, from Africa, and from Latin America? The simple answer is that BBC TV news programmes are great at reporting and analysing the big political, economic and social stories of the day from the UK; at covering with great courage the war in Ukraine, and at making space for big stories in Washington and around the States. 

But there’s only so much you can pack into 25 minutes of airtime, and even the Ten O’Clock News is shorter these days, constrained by the tyranny of a multi-genre schedule that aims (successfully) to maintain BBC1 as the nation’s most popular channel.  

Once there was a time when Newsnight could devote fifteen minutes to a country we may have barely heard of, but no more.  As successive governments have frozen the licence fee, programme budgets have been slashed and a channel like BBC2 that can deliver only hundreds of thousands of viewers late at night can’t expect to splash the cash on a fourteen-day trek through the Amazon rainforests.

The new channel offers a unique opportunity for the BBC to rethink its global coverage

From April 3rd, BBC will reconfigure its television news operation in a way that’s causing both anger and redundancy among its staff. The News Channel (formerly known as News24) and BBC World (carrying advertising breaks and therefore available only outside the UK) will become one.  

In fact, the cohabitation has been happening gradually over the past months, with viewers in the UK overnight and at weekends watching a single and frankly often threadbare service of mostly domestic news that’s also available around the world for anyone obsessed with the minutiae of life in Britain.

The new channel can be the first genuinely global source of global news

But there is a chance at redemption here, if only the BBC has the courage to take it. Forget the purpose once served by News 24. We no longer need a non-stop and inevitably repetitive cycle of the day’s top stories whenever we feel the need to turn on the TV: for a decade and more the internet has been providing that service from a myriad of news sources, including BBC Online. 

Instead, let the BBC turn the new channel into a kaleidoscope of stories, breaking, broken, and merely emerging, from every country and territory where the BBC still has an outpost. Let the BBC offer to the UK and to the world the first genuinely global source of global news from and to every continent on the planet. Let Nation speak unto Nation on one channel with one purpose: to tell us things about the great wide world that we don’t know but maybe should. 

Richard Ayre was the BBC’s Controller of Editorial Policy and Deputy Chief Executive of BBC News. He is currently Chair of Impress, the UK’s Independent press regulator.     

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Oxfam’s job is to end poverty – we refuse to be distracted by the toxic culture wars

Oxfam faced a barrage of criticism in some parts of the media when it published its updated inclusivity guide. Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, gives his response.

Last week, we updated Oxfam’s inclusive language guide, an internal document intended to help our staff speak about our work. The guide explores the role of language in tackling poverty and the words we choose to use when talking about, for example, gender, migration, race and disability. Like many other progressive organisations taking this approach, we faced an onslaught of criticism.

Perhaps not surprisingly, we were quickly accused of “wokery” of the worst kind, of wasting money, banning words and being ashamed of Britain’s heritage. The Daily Mail splashed “Beyond Parody” across its front page (its anti-wokery almost beyond parody in itself); Piers Morgan weighed in with a sarcastic tweet that “very poor people” really wanted “to be addressed by the right preferred pronoun”; and, before we knew it, our own tweet had been viewed more than 5m times.

Over the past few days, I’ve taken time to consider the responses and, amid the heady mix of transphobia, offensive language, racism, thoughtful criticism and supportive comments, to see if I could understand why people are worried about our approach and what we can do to respond to their concerns.

We have to be honest about how money is spent

The first complaint seemed to be that producing the guide shows Oxfam is wasting money, and instead we should just get on with fighting poverty. These concerns are built on the assumption that fighting poverty simply involves delivering things, such as food or money, directly to beneficiaries with few or no overheads. Any bureaucracy to manage or improve the work of the charity (such as this guide, or indeed any paid staff) is then considered wasteful.

Development charities cannot pretend to use donor money solely for feeding people and building loos, while surreptitiously using some funds to cover core costs and campaigns. We need to be upfront about the fact that good quality programming needs overheads, that systemic change needs campaigning, that treating people with dignity is a critical part of ending poverty.

This is not just the right choice to make, it’s also the best way to inspire the next generation of supporters. Talking about the importance of decolonising aid or about trans-inclusion may not feel popular, for now at least, but it will help us to transform the development sector into something more fit-for-purpose in the 21st century.

Words are powerful. In recent weeks, I’ve visited Oxfam teams in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Ukraine. In both places, we’re taking practical action to improve the lives of people in need, but I was also reminded by individuals I met that dignity and solidarity are just as important. When I asked what more we could do, the answer was use our voice: to champion peace and justice, to express solidarity, to ensure people living in challenging circumstances know they are not forgotten.

Pronouns aren’t just a western creation

The second criticism seemed driven by headlines claiming Oxfam has banned mothers and abandoned women. The variety of brilliant Mother’s Day displays in our network of shops over the weekend suggests otherwise. Despite our guide saying we’re not “banning” any words (stating in its introduction that it is “just a guideline” and “not intended as a prescriptive document”), and despite the use of “parent”, “carer” or “guardian” being commonplace in all sorts of contexts, we became a target for those who hate what they see as “woke gone mad”.

Our guide tries to encourage a considered and nuanced approach to how we refer to people, yet it sparked a reductive, divisive response. Clearly, there is still much to be done to win hearts and minds, to allay fears and to show the centrality of our work with women and girls around the world.

I was perhaps most surprised by the strand of criticism that suggested pronouns don’t matter in the global south and that this obsession is a western creation. There are so many communities around the world in which notions of gender are more nuanced than simple binaries. There are also many societies in which sexual minorities are among the most persecuted, and therefore the most poor and vulnerable. Understanding the intersectional nature of the factors that shape poverty, and changing our approach accordingly, has to be an important part of how we operate as an international organisation.

A pragmatic recognition of reality

Last, we faced criticism that Oxfam is ashamed of its heritage. The fact that we said English is the “language of a colonising nation” seems to have hit a particularly raw nerve. To me, it’s difficult to argue against the fact that English (alongside French, Portuguese and Spanish) is spoken by as many people as it is because of colonisation. In many parts of the world where we work, English is seen as the foreign language of the coloniser. Being aware of this isn’t about carrying a sense of shame of Britain’s past; it’s a pragmatic recognition of a reality we need to take into account when we communicate. This kind of progressive internationalism has been at the heart of Oxfam’s approach for all of its 80 years.

Just this month, the chair of the Charity Commission, Orlando Fraser, urged charities to avoid “inflammatory rhetoric” and to model a better kind of public discourse, one that makes our society kinder and more cohesive. It’s a responsibility that Oxfam takes seriously.

In the end, Oxfam only has one agenda: to beat poverty. Our vision is of a kinder and radically better world. The last few days have shown just how challenging that is, but they have also served as a reminder of the importance of the task.

Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah is the chief executive of Oxfam GB. This post originally appeared in The Guardian and has been republished with Oxfam’s permission.

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We need to restore trust in the BBC

The very public row about impartiality matters to the future strength and independence of the BBC. Gareth Benest, our advocacy director, explains why.

The International Broadcasting Trust is a friend to the BBC, albeit a critical one.  We want to see a thriving, confident, and wholly independent BBC.  But the corporation doesn’t always make it easy, even for its most ardent supporters.

The BBC can ill afford another round of ritualised public flogging and self-flagellation, yet here we are again.  The furore surrounding a tweet by Gary Lineker and the BBC management’s bungled response has caused more reputational damage to our most important public service broadcaster.

It has managed to unite much of the country in morbid curiosity, at least.  Whichever side you are on (because you have to choose in this binary world), we have all eagerly watched the latest tortured pronouncements of the Director General and revelled in endless punditry of the non-sporting kind. Some have enjoyed a game of Where’s Wally? in which we hope to spot the BBC Chairman, who should be defending the BBC at times of crisis but whose own impartiality is under intense scrutiny.

Why impartiality matters for the future of the BBC

Tim Davie prioritised impartiality at the BBC when he became Director General in 2020.  He sought to reassure the nation (and the government) that, under his leadership, the BBC would not only be impartial but appear impartial. This was in part a response to constant attacks by the government – and its supporters in the media – on what they saw as its lack of impartiality, especially on the politically charged issue of Brexit .

When freelance sports presenter Gary Lineker directly criticised government policy, BBC management felt (or was) compelled to prove its impartiality by sending him to the broadcasting equivalent of the naughty step.  The decision of his colleagues, from across television and radio, to join him left management looking weaker than ever and disrupted sports broadcasts across the schedules.  

The challenge of demonstrating impartiality in an age of social media

It’s important that the BBC maintains its reputation for impartiality. All public service broadcasters need to demonstrate their impartiality to win public trust. As the BBC’s own editorial guidelines state: ‘The BBC is committed to achieving due impartiality in all its output. The commitment is fundamental to our reputation, our values and the trust of audiences.’

These editorial guidelines govern the BBC’s output, not the views of its presenters. It’s clear that if news broadcasters express views on political matters then this compromises the independence of the BBC’s news output. What is in dispute is whether the views of its non-news presenters like Gary Lineker have a similar effect. Or whether it is even tenable to restrict their right to express their views on social media. 

The BBC is now reviewing this very question. Our hope is that this review resolves the matter once and for all, and the BBC can move on from this damaging row.

Another BBC presenter in the spotlight 

Another high profile BBC presenter has also been in the spotlight – Fiona Bruce, host of Question Time, the BBC’s flagship topical debate programme. In last Thursday’s edition of the programme, the panel was asked to discuss reports of former Prime Minister Johnson’s plans to bestow a knighthood on his father, Stanley.  When the panellist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown described Stanley Johnson as a wife-beater, Bruce intervened to explain that, whilst Johnson hadn’t denied breaking his wife’s nose, his friends said “it was a one-off”.

The Question Time production team had clearly anticipated this accusation against the former Prime Minister’s father. They had evidently prepared this ‘clarification’ which, to some viewers, appeared to minimise domestic violence and go some way towards excusing Johnson’s alleged assault.  

There was a backlash against Fiona Bruce’s comments and she felt compelled to resign as ambassador for the domestic violence charity Refuge. The BBC issued a statement defending the presenter, who it said was “not expressing any personal opinion about the situation”, and needed to ensure that allegations were given “context”. 

Public service broadcasting is built on the trust of audiences

These two very public rows have clearly damaged the BBC. We urgently need the corporation to move beyond these rows and to find its way again. 

It is our view that these two rows illustrate the fragile state of the BBC’s independence. 

We believe that the only way for our cherished public service broadcaster to survive for anywhere close to another one hundred years, is for it to become fully independent of government. That means an end to government control over its funding. The BBC must be free from political interference, or the threat of interference, by the government of the day.

Public service broadcasting is built on the trust of audiences. If audiences lose trust, then the whole system is under threat.

Gareth Benest is IBT’s Director of Advocacy

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Families need urgent help to rebuild their lives

The recent earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria have devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Their main focus in recent weeks has been survival. Now we need to do all we can to help them to rebuild their lives, writes Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK).

One month on from the two catastrophic earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye and Syria, more than 850,000 children remain displaced after being forced from their damaged or destroyed homes.

The number of children killed and injured during the quakes and their aftermath has not yet been confirmed but is likely to be in the many thousands. The combined death toll from the earthquakes and aftershocks has reached more than 50,000 people with thousands of others injured and massive destruction to buildings and other essential infrastructure.

The impact has been catastrophic

The impact of the earthquakes on the region’s children and families has been catastrophic, leaving hundreds of thousands in desperate conditions. Many families have lost their homes and are now living in temporary shelters.

In Türkiye alone, over 1.9 million people are staying in temporary accommodation shelters with limited access to basic services such as water, sanitation and medical services in the affected areas. 2.5 million children in the country require urgent humanitarian assistance.

We need to help families rebuild their lives

Families forced from their homes by the earthquakes have spent the past four weeks focused on survival with their lives on hold. Now, it is now critical that we do all we can to help families begin to rebuild their lives – providing children with psychosocial support, getting them back into learning as soon as possible, and providing some stability amid the chaos.

In Syria, more than 500,000 people are believed to have been forced from their homes by the earthquakes. Many families’ homes have been destroyed and many children are afraid to return to damaged homes as aftershocks continue. Even before the earthquakes, Syria had the largest number of internally displaced people in the world, with 6.8 million people displaced – including nearly three million children. Across Syria, more than 3.7 million children have been affected by the quakes.

Millions of people in Syria are living on the brink of disaster

Even before these catastrophic earthquakes, humanitarian needs among children of Syria were higher than they have ever been. As we approach 12 long years of conflict, millions of families are living on the brink of disaster, feeling as if the world has forgotten them. We must support these families for the long term, helping them pick up the pieces of their lives.

In Türkiye and Syria, UNICEF has played a crucial role in getting services up and running to support the urgent needs of children and families affected by the earthquakes. In Syria, we are working to ensure access to clean water and nutrition, and seeking to secure children’s safety and wellbeing. While in Türkiye, we have provided vital emergency supplies and ensured access to safe spaces for children and families. 

A comprehensive, integrated response to support children and families is critical in preventing these threats from overwhelming an already catastrophic situation. 

Children have seen their whole world crumble before their eyes, but we will help them to start rebuilding. By providing children with psychosocial support, play and education, we can start to give them stability, which is immeasurably important in ensuring their long-term wellbeing.

Jon Sparkes is Chief Executive of the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK).

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Watch in full: Report Launch – TikTok: A Guide for Charities

Should your charity be on TikTok?

Earlier this week we launched our new report, TikTok: A Guide for Charities. Henry Roberts watched the launch event and shares five key takeaways. 

Everyone, whether they’re on the app or not, is talking about TikTok. The video platform has skyrocketed in the past few years. Whilst this may be just the latest phase in the ever-changing social media landscape, with the app projected to reach one billion users by 2025, TikTok isn’t going anywhere soon.

In light of this, many charities are asking themselves whether TikTok is for them. Here are some insights, based on our recent event, on whether your charity should embrace this platform.

• TikTok is the place to reach young audiences 

A billion people will soon be on TikTok. Does this mean every charity should be on TikTok? Not necessarily. In reality, not every charity will benefit from TikTok. For one thing, it’s almost exclusively a young person’s platform: 92.39% of TikTok users are aged between 13 and 34. That’s great if you want to target young people, but if your key target demographics are older, then it’s unlikely you’re going to reach them with a snappy TikTok – no matter how funny it may be. You can’t engage an audience that isn’t there. Don’t feel pressured to get a TikTok account if you know that young people are not your target audience.

• TikTok users are hungry to learn

For those who do want to reach younger audiences, TikTok is an invaluable tool, not least because users are actively seeking out informative content. Many people use TikTok as a search engine, typing in questions or phrases in the search bar rather than using Google. Millions of people enjoy learning from TikTok’s short-form video content, as the abundance of accounts dedicated to educational videos suggests.

Charities therefore have an audience on TikTok hungry to learn. Many NGOs, such as British Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, use the platform to post informative videos: from the issues behind their work to insights on how their fundraising works. Sharing insights can help charities be transparent and informative, which are in and of themselves goals for many organisations. These videos may not generate income, but they can provide charities an audience to share their message.

These need not be international stories. Citizens Advice post tips on their TikTok channel on how to deal with landlords, rent disputes and other domestic issues. They’re a great example of an organisation using TikTok to create punchy content that remains informative without diluting their key message. 

• Jumping on trends is the key to success on TikTok

Creators can choose to spend weeks preparing a video. But the best videos tend to be reactive, responding to trends of the day. Reacting to trends is the best way charities can work with TikTok to get the algorithms on their side, allowing more users to see their content without necessarily searching for it. Charities can keep up with what’s trending by spending time on the app each day, following the #trendalert hashtag on TikTok, or by following @tiktok_uk on Twitter, which posts weekly ‘what’s trending’ round-ups. 

Trends can help charities shape their content, but they also pose problems. One is that trends can get oversaturated. If everyone is jumping on the same trend, then your video will have less chance of being seen. It simply becomes one of many – and your message will become diluted. All the more reason to be as reactive as possible; getting on a trend first is a good way to stay ahead of the curve before your video becomes just another in a sea of similar content.

Charities therefore need to dedicate time and energy to manage a successful TikTok account. Ideally, an organisation will hire somebody who is on the channel daily, someone who understands the platform and can jump on trends as soon as they arise. But this is not always realistic, especially for smaller charities who are already under-resourced. 

• Be careful to get the tone right

The rush to jump on the latest trends may also lead to short-sighted decisions. Speed is rewarded on TikTok, but charities should be careful not to sacrifice the tone of their messages for the sake of jumping on the latest trend. 

This is particularly the case when dealing with sensitive and important topics, such as content from a war zone or natural disaster area. 

That’s not to say that charities who deal with serious overseas issues should not be on the platform, but social media officers need to be careful that they are not trivialising the issues they are trying to promote with some of TikTok’s more wacky features. 

• Understand why you are on TikTok

So, does every charity have to be on TikTok? No. It’s almost exclusively a young audience, takes time and dedication to get it right, and may not provide monetary returns. However, if you want to educate people about your cause and have the time to dedicate to honing your channel, then creating a TikTok can be a brilliant way to boost your charity’s brand. 

It’s important to have a mission statement, to understand why exactly you are on TikTok and what you want to get out of it. If you are simply recycling content from other platforms like Facebook and Instagram, then your channel isn’t going to perform well. 

TikTok has its own language and culture. This is where time and skill comes in. But if you can dedicate that time, then you can create content that will attract people and amplify your charity’s message. There is a world of young people who care about global issues. If you reach them in formats that speak to them, you may inspire the next generation of charity supporters.

Henry Roberts is IBT’s Communications and Membership Officer.

How to pitch to the Today programme

We hold regular briefings with journalists and editors to help our members pitch to news outlets and keep up to date with the changing media landscape. IBT Director Mark Galloway chaired our recent briefing with Tom Feilden and shares tips on how to pitch to the Today programme.

The Today programme is probably the most important news outlet in the UK. If you’re a charity and you want to achieve a high profile for an issue you’re campaigning on then Today will undoubtedly be one of your key media targets. Although the programme has had a slight dip in its audience recently, it still reaches 6 million people every day. 

It was a pleasure for us to host a briefing this week with Tom Feilden, Assistant Editor on Today. Tom is a veteran of the programme, joining initially as a general reporter (when Today had general reporters), then taking on the science and environment brief and more recently becoming assistant editor.

Tom has seen the programme change through numerous editors. Its USP remains the same, he told us: to set the news agenda for the day ahead. It is relentless in its focus on developing and breaking stories. The programme has become more topical in recent years, with fewer packages and more two-ways with correspondents and experts. 

What’s the best way to pitch to Today?

In some ways, pitching to Today is no different from pitching to any other news outlet. You need to be very clear on what your story is, what your angle is, why it is important, why it should be covered now and what special access you can offer. 

The best way to pitch is to build relationships. And to persevere. If your story is rejected, don’t give up. Try with a different story on another occasion. If your email goes unanswered, try emailing someone else on the team. Today is a three-hour daily show, Monday to Friday and a two-hour show on Saturday. It is hungry for stories and for articulate contributors. But the team is overwhelmed with pitches and yours may get missed. If you’re emailing someone you know, it is much more likely that the email will get proper attention. 

Listen to the programme and have a clear idea of where the opportunities lie. Today does very few packages of its own as BBC budget cuts have meant that the programme has lost its team of dedicated reporters. It now has to rely on BBC correspondents. So, if Lyse Doucet is in Afghanistan, as she is this week, then she will file stories for Today and for several other BBC News outlets. But Today does not have the resources to send its own correspondent to Afghanistan.

What are the opportunities for international coverage?

Today’s main focus is domestic news but each day it will run one or two international stories. On the day we held our briefing with Tom these included Lyse Doucet’s latest report from Afghanistan and a two-way with Lyse. It also included a report from the BBC’s Africa correspondent, Andrew Harding, who has been deployed to Ukraine. Ukraine remains an important focus for Today and it will be covering the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

It’s disappointing that there are not more opportunities for foreign coverage on Today. However, Tom reassured us that each story will be judged on a case by case basis. 

Where it is feasible to pitch to Today is if you have a suggestion for a studio guest with expertise about a story in the news or on the ground experience. It’s important that Today features a wide range of voices from all walks of life not just the usual suspects. International stories that require an on the ground reporter should be pitched to the BBC News Foreign Desk.

Pitching Science and Environment stories

Tom still holds the science and environment brief and this remains an important area of coverage for Today. Tom himself is a former presenter of the radio show, Costing the Earth, and has won awards for his coverage of nature and environmental issues.

On climate change, Tom would like to see Today do more to monitor commitments made by Government and other institutions to achieve net zero. And he’d like to see more coverage of biodiversity, an issue that has not received the attention that it deserves. 

More positive stories

Finally, Tom urged us to pitch more positive stories. The news is often bleak and the programme is always looking for solutions to problems or examples of success stories. Recently, they have been running a series on industries where Britain excels, which has gone down well with audiences.

Mark Galloway is IBT Director mark@ibt.org.uk

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Briefing Notes: BBC Today

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My top five TikTok tips

TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform. For those new to the platform, starting a TikTok account might seem daunting. However, charities should not ignore this opportunity to reach new audiences.

Katie Tiffin, author of IBT’s new report, A Guide to TikTok for Charities, shares her top five TikTok tips. 

The algorithm sets TikTok apart from other platforms 

One of the key differences between TikTok and other social media is how users find new content and creators. 

On other social media platforms, users mostly only see content from people they follow when it appears in their news feed. They are less likely to see content from people they don’t follow, unless an organisation has paid for advertising. 

On TikTok, users find and watch videos which appear in their For You page on the app.The content in a person’s For You page consists of videos that the algorithm thinks they will like, based on previous behaviour patterns and regardless of whether they follow the creator or not. 

This means that TikTok videos can end up being viewed by millions of people, even if the account that posted them doesn’t have many followers. 

As Athar Abidi, Strategic Social Media Manager at Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), says: ‘it’s the only channel where anyone can go viral. Your content has got as good a chance as anyone else’s, it goes out in the same way.’

TikTok’s algorithm and focus on reaching new audiences from the For You page, rather than follower numbers, means you have the chance to make mistakes and try new things without worrying about losing followers.

TikTok is a great place to connect with young people

The majority of TikTok users are under the age of 35 – 92.39% of all TikTok users are aged 13 to 34. Charities can reach this audience on other platforms, particularly Instagram where 59% of users in the UK are aged between 13 and 34. 

But those who are already on TikTok have found that on that platform they can reach bigger audiences. These audiences are also more engaged with the content, thanks to TikTok’s algorithm serving users content they’re really interested in. 

For TikTok, a good engagement rate is anywhere between 4% and 18%, whereas on Instagram this is generally between 1% and 2%. 

Nana Crawford, Social Media Manager at British Red Cross, started the charity’s TikTok account with the aim of finding out if young people knew about the British Red Cross and if they cared about the organisation. 

Three years after creating the account, it became not only an important part of their youth engagement strategy but their biggest social media channel.

Charities belong on TikTok

Some charities might be wondering what they can offer on a platform already full of creators catering to every interest. But charities should remember they’re well-positioned to create the content TikTok’s audience is looking for. 

Sophia Smith Galer, Senior News Reporter at VICE, is a creator who has had more than 130 million views on her personal TikTok account. She believes that ‘charities are in a really excellent place because the kind of content they have s often a call to action. This is the kind of content that TikTok users enjoy consuming.’

Learning is also a huge part of TikTok’s culture that charities can tap into. RNLI’s video demonstrating a lifesaving floating technique for people in trouble at sea has been watched more than two million times. 

Do your research by immersing yourself in the TikTok world

Charity social media teams need to spend time on the platform to understand what content should look like. 

This content should be made specifically for TikTok, rather than recycling content designed for other platforms. 

Alex Johnston, WaterAid’s Social Media Manager, says that when they first started their account they repurposed videos made for Facebook – but this strategy wasn’t successful. Alex explains that TikTok users are ‘expecting things that look like TikToks and if they don’t, they will just scroll past.’

To fit into the TikTok style, content should not look too corporate or professional. Unpolished content that has been created within the app itself performs best. 

Spending time on the platform also makes it clear that creating shorter videos, under two minutes long, that grab someone’s attention quickly is crucial. 

Eleanor Sutherland, at Citizens Advice, explains that this is particularly important for videos tackling serious topics: ‘We might find we need to make the first two seconds really engaging by asking a question because if someone thinks this is just going to be a really depressing video, that’s not going to be very interesting and they will just keep scrolling.’ 

Be reactive 

The last of my top 5 TikTok tips is to be reactive.

TikTok is also about responding to trends and popular topics on the platform. The reactive nature of the platform means charities need to shift their mindset and think about how to make trends work for their message, rather than using their message as the starting point for a content idea. 

Trends can originate from different features on the app, including sounds, dances, transitions or hashtags. One trend uses a colour-changing filter accompanied by the song Happiness by Alexis Jordan. Creators share offensive comments they’ve received using the caption ‘things people have said to me about…’

British Red Cross successfully jumped on this trend by using the caption ‘Things people have said about refugees on our social channels which are NOT true.’

Creating content linked to news stories that are receiving a lot of attention on TikTok – or responding to comments on your TikTok with a video response – are also effective approaches to being reactive on the platform. 

These are my top five TikTok tips – but don’t forget that TikTok is a great place to experiment. There are no hard and fast rules for what works and what doesn’t. 

Good luck!

Katie Tiffin is IBT’s former comms and membership officer

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Small boats crossing the Channel – an avoidable tragedy

When four people died in the English Channel last month, MSF was outspoken in its condemnation of Government policy. Heba Yousef urges the media to do more to hold the Government to account.

The horrific loss of life of people crossing the Channel in small boats in December showed all too clearly the human cost of an approach built on ‘deterrence.’ This approach fails to understand that increasingly punitive measures will not stop people trying to seek safety but will simply push them into more dangerous and desperate journeys.

Just the day before this tragedy, the Prime Minister had announced plans to criminalise and punish people seeking safety, pledging to “introduce new legislation to make unambiguously clear that if you enter the United Kingdom illegally you should not be able to remain here.”

A deterrent approach will not stop small boats crossing the Channel

The Prime Minister seemed ignorant of the evidence – including the analysis of his own Home Office –  that a deterrent approach, combined with a lack of safe routes, only puts people in more danger and causes more suffering. 

MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) teams around the world – from the Central Mediterranean and Aegean seas to Nauru island in the Pacific – have seen this borne out in their work.

So, what has led to the UK adopting an approach that is so dehumanising and polarising? How do people fleeing conflict, persecution, hardship, or climate change become so politicised and villainised?

A disturbing lack of empathy for refugees

Clearly, both the current Prime Minister and Home Secretary and their predecessors carry the responsibility for this. The Government has demonstrated a disturbing lack of empathy and compassion by:

• passing legislation to allow for offshoring people to Rwanda 
• dangerous ‘pushbacks’ at sea 
• the creation of two tiers of refugee status
• introducing age assessment methodology that includes X-ray scanning of children 

But the Government’s approach has been characterised not only by cruelty, but also a striking level of dishonesty, obfuscation, and discrimination according to race. There have been many efforts to push back on this, but all too often these are drowned out in a public conversation which has been poisoned by ministers who seem openly hostile to public accountability.

The media must do more to hold the Government to account

In the face of this approach, anyone seeking to hold the government accountable – whether that is media, Parliamentarians or NGOs – needs to be clear that what they say cannot be taken at face value. Their claims therefore must be scrutinised, questioned and where necessary debunked at every opportunity.

On multiple occasions, ministers have been allowed to insist that people arriving in the UK must use “safe and legal routes” without being challenged on the fact that those routes barely exist. 

There is a fundamental right to claim asylum

Many sections of the media have been too willing to follow the government’s emphasis on incriminating certain groups of people, while wilfully misrepresenting the fundamental right, enshrined in law, that every single person must be able to claim asylum and have their case heard.

Meanwhile, the Labour opposition, while being critical of Government failures on the asylum system and the Rwanda scheme, has too often bought into their wider narrative that this is a problem that can be ‘solved’ through a combination of deterrence and enforcement.

Safe and legal routes barely exist

The reality is that a lack of safe routes leaves desperate people with no option other than to risk their life, crossing the Channel, in small boats. The lack of these safe and legal routes also heightens the risk of pushing people into the hands of the very smugglers which the Government purports to be targeting.

MSF teams have seen the harm caused around the world by the very approaches to migration which the Government has said it wants to emulate. 

The withdrawal of state-led search and rescue in the Mediterranean has left thousands to drown – the efforts of NGOs may help, but they cannot plug the gap. The use of dangerous ‘pushbacks’ of people at the borders of Europe – from Greece to Lithuania to the Balkans – has resulted in terrible suffering and death. Yet despite this astonishing cruelty, people still seek safety, as they have no other choice.

How this issue is reported and debated affects people’s lives

Unless these basic realities are acknowledged, and the Government is consistently challenged on them, the public conversation around refugees and migration continues to be, not only meaningless, but harmful. 

The ways in which migration is reported are vital to how valued and safe people are when coming to the UK.

How we tell the story is important. The reality of people’s lived experience and dignity should be placed at the forefront of any narrative where lives and well-being are at risk.

Heba Yousef is a press officer with MSF UK

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Storytelling with a purpose

International media and aid agencies have often taken people’s voices and used them to promote their own agendas. This has to change, writes Misozi Tembo from Oxfam GB.

Stories… I live for them. They are a balm when life is hard; the glue that holds families together; powerful fillers during awkward silences; vessels of our history and catalysts for community action. There are several ways to tell them. Orally, in written copy, in cartoons, in poetry, music, paintings, films, photographs, and, in my line of work, in policy briefs, reports, case studies, and social media posts.

Despite the many formats available to us, we have reduced storytelling to only written articles, film, and photographs. The consequences include exclusion. By this I mean the language barrier, lack of access to the person or institution someone has entrusted their story with; a lack of recognition where the owner of the story doesn’t know when and where their story was published, how it has been told or used. These days, a quote or caption are no longer enough.

There’s magic in letting people tell their own stories

In all this, as a media and communication specialist who has told stories about communities and created platforms for people to tell their own stories, I have found that there’s magic in letting the owner of the experience share in a way they want to. Profound change happens to the storyteller and audiences whenever this is enabled.

International media and aid agencies have often taken people’s voices and used them to promote their agendas. We have used community voices to push disempowering narratives that portray people as helpless, dependent victims waiting to be saved by foreigners. We have used language, resources, and power to push narratives that are acceptable to “international audiences.”

Many of us know that classic picture of a frail-looking African woman carrying firewood or a bucket on her head and a baby on her back. Few of us have ever questioned the joy and bond a mother forms with her child on her back. We just see poverty and suffering.

Once, I took an international journalist on a field trip to cover the impact of climate change. When we got to the community, the visiting media was not impressed. The journalist said, “There’s no story here; people don’t look poor enough and the children are healthy. Take me somewhere else.” Of course, I refused. I was threatened and labelled “territorial.”

How the media wrongly framed monkeypox

Recently, we saw this message bias in international media reports framing monkeypox as a disease only affecting African people. Television stations used pictures of Black people with monkeypox to report outbreaks in the United States. What’s interesting is that senior editors saw nothing wrong with these dehumanising stories. They signed them off and had them broadcast to millions of people around the world.

As communicators, we must recognise our responsibility to the people who entrust us with their stories. Often, when communities share experiences with us, they see us as partners who can contribute to the change they are calling for, not abuse their trust. We are not only the corporate faces of organisations but also the conscious who can influence controlling systems designed to deliver quickly at the expense of human dignity. Increasingly, our work should ensure that visibility is people and community centred not just about banners and logo placement.

The distance between organisations and communities is widening

Reduced funding has left media and communications divisions with little or no budgets to connect communities to the “business” of doing development work. The distance between organisations and communities is widening as more investment is now directed to meetings that influence policy.

This means that communications specialists, must keep finding innovative ways of working with communities. Sometimes, it’ll mean commissioning local storytellers (writers, photographers, or filmmakers) instead of sending international media “experts.”

I’ve also found that training people in storytelling and creating platforms to share these stories is very impactful. This type of content is fresh, rich with insight, and believable. It also means helping team members, “the technocrats,” see themselves as storytellers with a front-row seat in shaping the change communities want. Ours isn’t simply to dejargonize language but to help the deliverer connect with audiences deeply and consistently.

Change lies in co-creating decolonised ways of working

There are also opportunities to collaborate with international media institutions beyond news coverage. Change lies in co-creating decolonised ways of working that enhance dignified, honest, fair, and consistent coverage. The narrative that “bad news” sells has disenfranchised communities and countries in the global south to the extent that people start to see themselves as victims, not active change-makers. It is time to tell the true story that puts people who are reshaping narratives at the centre.

The world is changing. Fast. We’re now more connected. Technology is enabling people to tell their stories and build new narratives without relying on international agencies. Instead of fighting this with bias and tilted reporting, we have an opportunity to catalyse and encourage these stories by providing accessible platforms, influencing media reforms, pushing for open governance and spaces, and most importantly, partnering with storytellers in communities meaningfully.

Misozi Tembo, Brand & Narrative Manager, Oxfam GB

The World Service is at risk – it needs our support

Earlier this month, the House of Lords debated the future of the BBC World Service. Our Advocacy Director, Gareth Benest was watching.

The recent debate on the future of the BBC World Service saw peers from all parties express their deep concern about its future in the light of recently-announced cuts.  We share that concern.  We also share the view of most peers who spoke in the debate that the present funding mechanism is not sustainable in the long term. We all need to do more to support the World Service and ensure that it is properly funded in the future.

Cuts to the World Service were inevitable as a result of BBC-wide cuts necessitated by the Government’s decision to freeze the licence fee for two years. But these cuts won’t just impact global audiences. They will have a negative impact on UK audiences too.

World Service contribution to UK news coverage 

The World Service operates an international network of correspondents, based in 75 news bureaux, producing trusted and reliably-sourced information in 43 languages.  These journalists make a major contribution to the quality and range of international coverage available to UK audiences.

World Service reporters regularly appear on the 10 O’Clock News and on the Today programme.  Their expertise and specialist knowledge help inform and shape how the BBC reports on global issues.  This is particularly valuable when covering issues from countries with limited media freedom, where the World Service can offer specialist insights.  Expert reporting from the ground provides enriched content for national audiences whilst fostering understanding, trust and empathy with people beyond our borders and global issues.

The World Service has been widely praised for its global role but its contribution to UK news services is rarely acknowledged. As the veteran Liberal Democrat peer, Lord McNally, said during the recent debate: “We should also recognise the benefit of the World Service in our whole broadcasting ecology, by providing correspondents with deep empathy and understanding of their home territories.  This feeds into the BBC’s general news coverage and to more general provisions, from documentaries to specialist broadcasts.”

World Service funding needs urgent reform

World Service funding is a complex issue but we share the view of peers – that the present funding arrangement is unsustainable. Before 2010, the World Service was funded entirely by the government. It received an annual grant from the Foreign Office but remained independent and largely free from political interference.  Since the “austerity” years of the Cameron government, funding has come from the licence fee. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides a top up for additional specialist services deemed important for reasons of national security. 

With the BBC facing the prospect of more cuts in the licence fee in the future, regardless of which political party is in government, it’s increasingly clear that the BBC cannot guarantee funding for one of the country’s most important strategic assets (one of Britain’s two key soft power institutions, according to SoftPower30 rankings). This was an issue that we raised in a recent meeting with Liliane Landor, the Director of the World Service.

Let’s make the case for a more sustainable funding model

We believe the World Service should return to being funded entirely by the central government, through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office that currently provides just 25% of the service’s budget.

In the coming years, we will do all we can to support the World Service and make the case for a more sustainable funding model. This will form a key part of our advocacy with parliamentarians and through the #SaveOurBroadcasting campaign with partner organisations.  We hope our members will help to amplify our messages of support for the World Service and join our call for a return to funding by central government.

Gareth Benest is IBT’s Director of Advocacy

Watch in full: TikTok Masterclass

How WaterAid found success on TikTok

Two years ago Jade Worner was given the task of launching WaterAid’s TikTok channel. Although she was a novice on the platform, the channel has been a surprising hit. Here, she shares the lessons that she has learnt.

My goal when I was working on TikTok was to seek the best spaces to champion young voices, design educational youth engagement activities and supercharge digital comms to inspire action.

When the pandemic began, I had to ask where were younger age groups heading as the physical spaces they occupied closed down? The answer was TikTok. 

Confident in my audience knowledge, backed up by evidence through audience focus groups, bolstered by some free ad spend for the platform, and trusted by senior staff to seize a brand-new opportunity (and to lead a period of testing content on the platform) – our TikTok channel was born.

What content styles work well?

It’s now no secret that TikTok’s audience isn’t looking for professionally edited or high production videos, which means creators don’t need a fancy camera or tonnes of experience editing videos in expensive programmes to do well on TikTok. 

Think of your story, film the content on your phone, edit in the app – even a novice like me could produce something that people want to watch. 

@wateraid

we’re tired of waiting, time for #ClimateAction ⏰ #bringtheaction #cop26 #fyp #wateraid #climatejusticenow

♬ original sound – Shannon

From an audience perspective, TikTok’s 2020 slogan “Real People, Real Videos” was a refreshing one – and was an integral factor in its initial success. 

When platforms such as Instagram – the leading platform for younger people prior to TikTok’s take-off – have become spaces dominated by filtering, TikTok offers a space to genuinely connect with others through learning, entertainment and interaction – away from the filters.

We began by testing content formats to see if we could flex trends and styles to fit our work and messaging, and to set benchmarks for future content. 

Performance was measured by follower growth and engagement with the videos.

What makes TikTok different from other social media?

Upon opening the app, you are presented with the “For You” page. Rather than showing you content exclusively from the people you follow, this page will present you with algorithm content personalised especially for you, based on posts you’ve interacted with before.

Whereas other social media channels at the time required you to build up a following in order to get decent reach, on TikTok that doesn’t matter so much. 

Thanks to the algorithm and set up of the “For You” page, someone with few followers can reach thousands or even millions of views. It presents the perfect opportunity to reach people that wouldn’t necessarily see your content or messages.

@wateraid

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN 2020 👊 #fyp #my2020 #2020wrapped #ohno #2020rewind

♬ original sound – WaterAid UK | charity 💧

Top tips for charities

Some of the main learnings from my time TikTokifying our content:

• Be reactive and be quick to jump on trends before they lose relevance. Our best-performing pieces of content continue to be those that we created in response to emerging trends 
• Utilise hashtags linked to trending sounds to leverage your video’s reach
• TikTok content is created audio-first but verified accounts have limited musical libraries. Get creative or get talking to your lawyers about copyright laws now
• TikTok is all about subcultures and communities – find the TikTok communities your stories will resonate with.

Top tips for setting up your own TikTok account:

• Don’t be scared to be silly and try new things – your experiment could end a viral sensation!
• To senior members of staff: trust your team. Staff who use and understand TikTok are best placed to create your content, regardless of seniority
• TikTok isn’t going anywhere – start making a case, setting up your account and making content!
• You can definitely share serious stories on TikTok but try to find fun ways to communicate them.

Jade Worner is Engagement Coordinator at WaterAid. You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn. A version of this blog was originally published on the Charity Comms website.

If you’re interested in learning more about how your charity can reach younger audiences through Tiktok, sign up to IBT’s online TikTok masterclass on 6 December 2022.

It’s just for IBT members, whose membership benefits include events like this one – plus access to journalists and editors, audience insights, bespoke skills training and networking opportunities.

If you’re not a member yet, you can find out more and apply here. 

Watch in full: Reuters

Briefing Notes: Reuters

Speaker

Mark Bendeich, Global Managing Editor, Politics, Economics and World News

Mark.bendeich@thomsonreuters.com

Key contacts

Regional editors

Europe – Rachel Armstrong Rachel.Armstrong@thomsonreuters.com
Middle East & North Africa – Samia Nakhoul samia.nakhoul@thomsonreuters.com
Sub-Saharan Africa – Alex Zavis Alexandra.Zavis@thomsonreuters.com
East Asia – Kim So Young soyoung.kim@thomsonreuters.com
South Asia – Sanjeev Miglani sanjeev.miglani@thomsonreuters.com
USA/Canada – Kieran Murray kieran.murray@thomsonreuters.com
LatAm – Christian Plumb Christian.Plumb@thomsonreuters.com

Others

Global video editor tom.platt@thomsonreuters.com

Data editor janet.roberts@thomsonreuters.com

Investigations editor mike.williams@thomsonreuters.com

Climate change editor katy.daigle@thomsonreuters.com

There are also editors covering transport, energy, markets, greenwashing

Overview

Mark gave us an overview of Reuters. There are three separate arms to the business although much overlap between them:

• Breaking news
• Financial news
• TV/video

Although the organisation is best known for its breaking news, the financial news part of the business generates half the income. It is the biggest news organisation in the world with a staff of 2,200 reporters and many stringers. In some countries there will be a well staffed bureau; in others just a stringer.

They cannot cover every event in the world so they have some priority areas:

• Climate change
• US democracy
• US-China relations
• Russia/Ukraine

Breaking news

Their aim is to be first with the news so speed is very important – and accuracy. They will never sacrifice accuracy for speed. They pride themselves on their reputation for being fast and trustworthy.

Mark is one of the two people running the newsgathering operation. He talks regularly to the regional editors – they should be the first port of call for us when pitching story ideas or responding to events.

Alternatively, if you know a reporter, pitch to him/her. There is no central news desk or forward planning desk. Everything is managed from the regional hubs. They have two major strategic centres in Bangalore and Gdansk where they are following a range of sources – social media, company statements etc to spot breaking stories ahead of anyone else.

They supply breaking news to all their clients – agency media, broadcasters, newspapers, online organisations. Clients can see what Reuters are filing on a story in real time. Because of their commitment to impartiality they do not run opinion pieces nor do they allow their journalists to voice opinions on social media.

Financial news

This is not just business or stock market news – it’s any news that may be relevant to the finance sector. If there is a bomb in Istanbul they want to know about it because it affects the prices of stocks and shares in that country. As soon as they get information from Reuters, they start trading on that, so 100% reliability is essential.

Video/TV

This side of the business is growing. At the moment, it is mainly raw footage of news events. But they will do cut stories too. Mark encouraged us to share exclusive video with Reuters, especially if we are somewhere that there are no journalists on the ground. There is major demand for video content from their clients.

Website

The Reuters.com site is growing and their goal is to build this up as a major news source. It will be behind a paywall so this will give them another revenue stream.

Investigative journalism

This is an important part of the business. They want to break stories that will have a major impact.

Pitching

Mark suggests pitching to the regional or subject editors. If you are planning to comment on an event coming up then let them know in advance and they can send a video team to record your contribution.

Mark values his relationship with NGOs and sees them as a valuable source of information, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.

If you are responding to an event – for example a cut to aid budgets – then they want to know the real world consequences rather than just a piece of rhetoric.

They are not keen on running stories on international days – these have now become devalued. If you pitch to an editor and don’t get a response or want advice then email Mark direct.

MG, 16.11.22

All eyes are on Qatar – and that’s a good thing

The decision to award the World Cup to Qatar has been widely condemned. Even Sepp Blatter, the former President of FIFA, has admitted that it was a mistake. However, it offers a unique opportunity for the world’s media to draw attention to the all-important issue of migrant workers’ rights, says Melanie Hargreaves from the Freedom Fund. 

With the World Cup furore gaining momentum, all eyes are firmly on Qatar – and not necessarily for the right reasons.

Past tournaments have had their fair share of media scrutiny – South Africa, Brazil, Russia to name a few. Yet, Qatar’s record of conservative views and harsh, discriminatory treatment of migrant workers – including those working in construction – had led to numerous global media outlets to publish scathing critiques of FIFA’s involvement with the Gulf state.

Even before the first game has kicked off, this year’s Cup is already facing huge media criticism, alongside support from leaders in world football, in response to Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers – despite the nation’s strict regulations for journalists.

The cover of Time magazine currently reads “The Dangerous Game”, with an investigative feature exposing the experiences of migrant workers who built the country’s new football stadiums, a job that carries a $200 billion bill, according to the article. With accounts from workers from Nepal, India and Bangladesh of working long hours in unbearable heat, having little water to drink, wages often retained and passports confiscated, it is sadly too little too late for many.

The media is refusing to ‘focus on the football’

Despite FIFA demanding that competing nations ‘focus on football’ in Qatar, the media is playing to its strength, and certainly has a different agenda. It seems strict reporting restrictions have not waned journalism’s search for the truth.

Indeed, Time magazine is not the only publication to publish such exposes into the reality in Qatar. “Far from the glitz of Qatar a migrant worker’s family grieves’, reported Sky News last month, in its investigation into the death of an Indian construction worker whose family received no compensation for his death.  French national channel, France 24 has run a series of reports into the issue, its latest documenting Qatar’s rejection of a compensation fund for World Cup migrant workers. Even Qatar-based Aljazeera reported the difficulties for migrant workers – albeit with a particularly reserved tone – detailing workers’ struggles, alongside the action taken by the Qatar authorities to tackle the situation.

The Freedom Fund has been working with allies within the modern slavery sector to find out more about the risks facing migrant workers, their experiences in destination countries, and how to improve protection for them – especially domestic workers employed in private homes.

With our own focus on Ethiopian workers migrating to the Gulf, we know that large numbers continue to make the journey, choices influenced by an uncertain labour market at home, food insecurity and worsening economic conditions compounded by conflict and insecurity.

Migrant workers are unaware of their rights

As highlighted in our recent Meneshachin report, workers from rural areas, often with limited knowledge and misguided information of  the country they are going to or the job they will do, with the wrong visa – through no fault of their own – and unaware of their rights or how to seek help if they need it, find themselves at the mercy of unscrupulous recruiters before and when arriving in foreign countries – like Qatar. This makes them highly vulnerable, at risk of trafficking and without support when abuses occur.

Alongside ally organisations like Migrant-Rights.org, we recommend practical actions that could make a difference to the lives of migrant workers, including establishing accessible shelters for both male and female migrants – especially those who are victims of labour abuse; ensure workers who have experienced wage theft and other labour abuses are compensated in full and for their hardships; and for absconding laws to be abolished.

The Qatari government has urged footballers to stay out of politics and told critics to stop ‘preaching from a distance’ as the World Cup approaches.@RobHarris has the latest.

Read more: https://t.co/beBZ2xHnrl

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/06HYvBkC0g

— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 6, 2022

Media support is crucial to draw attention to the exploitation of migrant workers

Alongside these strong advocacy asks, this is where media support really comes into play.  With the addition of emotive, first-hand experiences from workers who’ve helped to build the stadiums, the media is a sure-fire way to gain the attention of the public on this important cause.

Our ally, Equidem – an international human rights charity, anchored in the global south that works to expose injustice, provide solutions and build movements – has launched a deep-dive, whistle-blowing report into the exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar and failure of the Qatari government to enforce promised reform as the tournament draws closer.  The report documents significant labour and human rights violations at all eight FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums.  A press conference – featuring the voices of two former migrant workers telling first-hand accounts of their employers trying to cover up or evade investigations into worker deaths; wage theft; illegal recruitment; and forced labour – is a great example of the power of the media in getting the message out.

With support from outlets ranging from Rolling Stone, the Associated Press, ITV and the Washington Post to the Daily Mail and Middle East Eye, as well as podcasts with VOX and Football Ramble, Equidem is calling on Qatar to enforce international minimum standards for migrant workers in the years following the World Cup and to establish a Migrant Workers’ Centre to protect the rights of migrant workers. Equidem also calls for a remedy fund to compensate migrant workers and their families who experienced injury, death, unfair recruitment and abusive working conditions in the delivery of the World Cup infrastructure.

The media can amplify the voices of those most affected

Mustafa Quadri, Founder and CEO of Equidem, said: “Bringing the marginalised grassroots voices of those most impacted by policies made in remote, glittering offices directly to international media platforms, allows them to speak the truths of their experiences on some of the world’s largest stages, uprooting the establishment and prompting conversations that can catalyse change. The World Cup will be one of the most covered events of this decade and Equidem has played a role in advancing the essential conversation about human rights and labour that is an intrinsic link to mass sporting events.”

But as the world gets caught up in the tournament, this media support must continue to raise awareness of what is happening behind the scenes.  Coverage so far on human rights abuses is encouraging, backed by voices in football taking a stand against FIFA, but it cannot end here.

We hope that, alongside advocacy and programmatic work to support migrant workers from organisations like the Freedom Fund, Migrant Rights and Equidem, the media will continue long beyond World Cup 2022 to put pressure on Qatar and other Gulf nations to improve the working and living conditions of the millions of migrant workers who flock there every year.

Melanie Hargreaves, Media and PR Manager, The Freedom Fund.

Why we need a new remit for the public service broadcasters

As Parliament debates the future of public service broadcasting, our Director of Advocacy, Gareth Benest, calls for a new remit that emphasises the importance of international content.

Later this week, the House of Lords will debate the future of public service broadcasting in the UK. Whilst IBT has campaigned for changes to the public service media over many years, the challenges facing broadcasters are greater (and more topical) than ever before and the stakes could not be higher.

There is a real danger that post-Brexit Britain will further shorten its gaze, becoming even more insular and parochial in its interests. In this context, the country needs an outward facing media more than ever. We need to see and hear people from all corners of the globe if we are to rebuild a healthy democracy and revive our engagement with the wider world.

Our Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) play a vital role in bringing international stories to mainstream audiences. Their coverage informs us about urgent global issues and connects us with people, places, events and concerns far beyond our borders. We want to see the government move forward with its plans to revise the current public service remit, albeit with one important proviso: we want obligations for PSBs to give greater prominence to global stories and outside perspectives.

Nurturing support for development causes

At IBT, we believe audiences informed about global issues are more likely to engage with, and support the work of, our members. We are concerned that audiences deprived of this exposure – to the issues and experiences of people around the world – are less likely to support the government’s international development spending and objectives. Seeing and hearing from others helps nurture our engagement with international development causes and raises awareness of our transnational interconnection and interdependence.

As Dr Adam Rutherford said on Radio 4 recently, “In these particularly turbulent times, and in an ultra-interconnected world, we need new histories and new voices that tell stories from a global perspective.”

A new remit for a changing media landscape

We welcome the government’s intention to establish a new ‘public service remit’ for PSBs, as part of its planned Media Bill. This is a key opportunity to underline the importance of international content – delivered via linear and on-demand platforms – across a wide range of genres, beyond just news and current affairs.

We are calling on the UK government to enshrine an obligation to international coverage for all PSBs with the inclusion of the following text:

Public Service Media should provide access to news, current affairs, factual and non-factual programmes from across the globe. International coverage should be prominent, high quality, and reach mainstream audiences. It should have a significant impact by helping UK audiences to understand and engage with the wider world.

The latest incarnation of government in Westminster must not waste any more time in making much needed reforms to public service media. It needs to scrap its ludicrous plan to privatise Channel 4 – a policy that mercifully appears to have fallen from favour in recent months – and move ahead quickly to establish a new remit that ensures UK audiences receive the international content we so desperately need.

Gareth Benest is IBT’s Director of Advocacy

Briefing Notes: The Economist

Speaker

Jonathan Rosenthal, Africa editor

jonathanrosenthal@economist.com

Other contacts

natashaloder@economist.com Health policy editor

slaveachankova@economist.com Health care correspondent

olivermorton@economist.com Lead on COP27

catherinebrahic@economisr.com Environment editor

tomgardner@economist.com Horn of Africa correspondent

johnmcdermott@economist.com Chief Africa correspondent

mirandamitra@economist.com Editor, By Invitation (Opeds)

Jonathan explained how The Economist has evolved from a magazine to an online news outlet – each edition of the weekly magazine should encapsulate key events and trends of the week and provide analysis. Most stories will be posted online a few days before they appear in the printed edition – the online piece will usually be slightly longer than the printed one.

The magazine is in a transition phase as it grows its online content and audience. 50% of subscriptions are online only and this is likely to grow in the future. They sell 150-200K copies of the magazine in the UK. They have around 1.2 – 1.5m subscribers. Half are in the US.

When Jonathan is commissioning he is doing so for an international audience. UK-focussed stories will go in the UK section, not in the Africa section. For example, a story about UK aid cuts will belong in the UK section, although if NGOs can document the real impact of these cuts in Africa then he may be interested.

Their articles are often short and concise – maybe 500-600 words. Jonathan commissions and edits the Africa section. The magazine is divided up into geographical sections. Africa/Middle East has 4-5 pages and Jonathan will usually have half of those pages. This equates to 2-3 stories a week. The challenge for him is to narrow down and pick those 2 or 3. He slightly over commissions.

He is interested in stories that have a narrow focus but shed light on a broader issue. They should be telling us something new or a new angle on a familiar story.

In the current edition of the magazine, there are two stories from Africa – one on kidnappings, extortion and crime in South Africa, the other on teenage pregnancies and high school fees in Zimbabwe.

Jonathan has two staff reporters – one in Johannesburg; the other in Dacca. He has four stringers on retainers – in Nairobi, Kampala and Nigeria. Tom Gardner was in Addis but has now been expelled.

Pitching

Pitches can go direct to Jonathan or to a correspondent. You can copy him in as he likes to keep across things. They should be short and concise and grab his attention. If it is an embargoed report he needs at least 7-10 days advance notice so that, if he’s interested, he can get one of his team to look at it. He’s not worried about whether he is offered an exclusive or not.

He has a longstanding interest in the war in Tigray and is on the lookout for new angles. Similarly, with the Horn of Africa hunger crisis which he covered extensively in June/July.

Girls’ education is another topic of interest where he is always looking for a new angle.

He’s keen too on positive stories that show African agency – he doesn’t want all his coverage to be negative.

He’s working on two bigger pieces on Africa – one on food security and productivity; the other on poor governance in fragile states.

Jonathan also encouraged us to pitch ideas for the oped section called By Invitation. He is keen to get more African content but the bar is set high – the writer needs to be well known with something interesting to say! Pitches can go to Jonathan or the oped editor Miranda Mitra. They should be around 1,000 words.

MG, 25.10.22

Watch in full: The Economist

Failure to deliver on climate and nature promises will betray future generations

Two summits coming up in quick succession are crucial for the planet’s future and the media has a key role in holding leaders to account, writes Bernadette Fischler Hooper, Head of International Advocacy at WWF. 

WWF’s Living Planet Report, published today, sets out the stark truth that global biodiversity is in devastating decline with global monitored wildlife populations plummeting by 69% on average since 1970. The report details how the continuing destruction of habitats and climate change are altering our lands and seas, threatening the wellbeing of people and survival of wildlife, while leaving us all less able to cope with a warming world.

The speed and intensity of this decline is driven by the failure of leaders around the world to deliver on their various promises for nature and climate made at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow and elsewhere. Yet, before the end of the year they will have not one, but two occasions to safeguard the planet’s future and make good on their pledges. We will be watching them closely and we’re asking for the public and media’s help to hold them to account.

In November, leaders will gather in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, for UNFCCC COP27, the UN climate conference. Then in December, they will head to Montreal, Canada, for CBD COP15, the UN biodiversity conference. The conferences come at the end of another year of extreme weather events, including severe drought in the horn of Africa, devastating floods in Pakistan, and record-breaking temperatures in the UK. Together these summits are an opportunity to address the linked crises of climate change and nature loss – two sides of the same coin.

Putting food on the menu at COP27

The IPCC has confirmed that to have any chance of limiting warming to the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement, emissions must peak in the first half of this decade and be on the way to a 45% reduction by 2030 from 2010 levels.

It is a tough ask and will require energy systems that are efficient, fair, and powered by renewables like wind and solar. Ahead of COP27, it is essential that the media continue to scrutinise progress on transitioning to renewables and investing in energy efficiency, but journalists should also look beyond the energy sector to other areas too. We cannot tackle the climate crisis without fixing food systems. The global food system contributes around one third of greenhouse gas emissions and is also the number one cause of biodiversity loss, deforestation, freshwater pollution, and the collapse of marine wildlife.

Farmers around the world are suffering the effects of a warming world but the most vulnerable countries bear the greatest consequences of climate change and food insecurity despite their limited contribution to their causes. This is particularly relevant with COP27 being held in Africa, where extreme heat and water scarcity are leading to failed harvests, livestock losses and widespread hunger.

Vast swathes of rainforest are still being set on fire in the Amazon to clear land especially for cattle ranching and soybean plantations, harming people, wildlife and the planet’s ability to regulate the climate. COP27 must produce a clear mandate for governments to focus their climate action not just on agricultural production but all parts of food systems, including food loss and waste, as well as diets.

At COP27, leaders must also deliver on finance, especially for adaptation and loss and damage, crucial for the most vulnerable countries of the world to be able to increase their resilience to climate events and to contribute to achieving the Paris Agreement goals.

Illegal deforestation found in the indigenous Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau territory, Brazil. © Marizilda Cruppe / WWF-UK 

Securing a nature-positive future at COP15

Just over a fortnight later, COP15 in Montreal will offer the last best chance to secure an ambitious global deal for nature, the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The conference is already two years later than originally planned and has been moved to Montreal from Kunming, China, due to the pandemic.

Along with other organisations, WWF is calling on all countries to secure a game-changing nature-positive deal that reverses the loss of nature by 2030. Ending the decade with more nature than we had at the start is essential to securing a sustainable future for both people and the planet. It also helps ensure that the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change remains within reach.

In fact, if leaders pull together this could be nature’s equivalent of the Paris Agreement. But there is a lack of ambition in the current draft text to tackle the drivers of biodiversity loss, including our broken food systems, and, as with climate COPs, finance remains a key sticking point in the negotiations. An increase in financial resources for biodiversity will be essential to implement the framework.

The media can help us hold politicians to their promises

It would be a tragedy if these two summits fail to deliver the results that the planet needs, yet it is a real risk as leaders turn their attention elsewhere. We are told that the war in Ukraine with the linked food and energy security crises mean that green measures must take a backseat in the drive for growth and securing supplies.

Yet our reliance on fossil fuels is the very reason we are grappling with the worst cost of living crisis in a generation and there is no food security without thriving ecosystems. Nature could be our most powerful ally in the fight against climate change – storing carbon, cooling the planet, and providing a buffer against extreme weather – while at the same time producing healthy, sustainable food.

Our planet needs successful outcomes in Sharm El-Sheikh and Montreal, and the media can help by ensuring that climate, nature and the food system stay on the table this autumn. We can help you to tell the stories of some of the communities, landscapes, and wildlife most affected, and highlight some of the solutions that are readily available. By holding leaders to account on their promises, we can all help bring our world back to life.

Bernadette Fischler Hooper is Head of International Advocacy at WWF.

5 things I’ve learnt in the past year about TikTok

TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform, with many charities launching their own TikTok channels. Back in 2020, Nana Crawford, social media manager at British Red Cross, explained in a blog for IBT how they found their biggest audience on TikTok. Now Nana is sharing some of the more recent lessons she has learnt from running their award-winning TikTok channel.

1. There’s support for advocacy

I never thought we could grow a following promoting our refugee content, but recently it’s taken off. The key is the mix of finding something that’s trending, and using it to our advantage to communicate something that can be complex or tricky to talk about. I don’t mean dumbing it down, but more making it accessible. People do care and you need to find a way to show them something to care about. It doesn’t need to be comedic, and you don’t need to dance, but advocacy requires tapping into passions and beliefs. It can also help if you dispel the incorrect things people say too, because you’ll find that people who don’t believe those things will start to notice you. Below is  an example of one of our most recent posts about refugees. The result was a video people really liked and have commented on, and an increase in followers. 

@britishredcross No matter what the trolls say, we will always believe that #EveryRefugeeMatters #happiness #refugees ♬ original sound – Kyle & Jackie O

2. Look back and post it again

We’ve been on the platform for well over 2 years and sometimes coming up with ideas can start to slow down. When this happens, it’s time to take a pause and look back. Ask yourself ‘what content has been working in the past’ and think of how you can refresh that idea. Was there a particular video that grew your followers, or generated lots of comments. You could try posting the content again but delivered by a different person or even try using a different sound. One thing I’ve noticed about some creator accounts is that if they do something people like, they’ll do it again and again and again till it starts to slow down. I’ve often thought that new ideas are better ideas, but sometimes the same ideas can make an impact.

3. A little inspiration goes a long way

People love transformations on TikTok. They love to feel inspired and motivated. Earlier in the year I posted a samba video on my personal TikTok account that went viral. I saw my video posted on other accounts and all over Instagram. I was surprised. I made the video very quickly and wanted to show people my samba progress, but I didn’t realise how much it would inspire people. What did that teach me? As much as you want to talk about what you do or why you do it, it’s just as important to inspire people with your content. Inspire them to take action, look at their lives differently or even change one thing. Of course you don’t need to samba to do this, but telling a motivating inspirational story can really make a difference to someone’s life. 

4. Your community is your source of creativity

People will often tell me the thing they struggle with the most is knowing what content to put on TikTok, and I’ll ask them, “what have people said in the comments?” which is then met with silence. By the way, I don’t just mean comments on your videos. Try searching for videos that talk about the topics you want to share, and read those comments. There might be questions that have come up a lot, or content suggestions you could try. If your account is small, and you’re not getting many comments, then it’s time to look outside your own channels for inspiration. TikTok does also have a reply with video feature, which makes it much easier to create a video based on a comment and through this, interact directly with your audience. Have you tried it?

@britishredcross Reply to @myghgvelibro #Covid ♬ original sound – Jaydamo

5. Creators and original content for ads are the new way forward

Lastly, I want to talk about advertising. Creators on TikTok know what they are doing, and brands have finally clocked on that to have a successful ad on TikTok it needs to look like it’s been made for TikTok. I don’t just mean portrait, but actually creatively thought about for a TikTok audience. This is a mix of working with creators who understand their audiences, the platform, and can sell what you’re selling, or for yourself creating content that looks and feels in line with the content on your channel. The days of creating super swanky ads on TikTok are moving away, unless you have huge budgets, but even then there are some creators making those types of ads on TikTok with small studios and budgets. Traditional advertising on TikTok only works in a sarcastic way now – you need to create organic content for paid ads. 

So, to summarise:

• Don’t shy from advocacy
• Look back, and look again.
• Inspire and make a difference
• Use your community for creativity
• Ads aren’t the same anymore, so don’t be traditional

Nana Crawford is a Social Media Manger at British Red Cross. You can follow her on LinkedIn. 

Briefing Notes: Unreported World

Speaker

Andy Lee, series producer andy.lee@itn.co.uk

Unreported World is Channel 4’s prime time international current affairs series, broadcast at 7.30pm on a Friday night. There are two runs of six half hour films a year, one in the spring and the other in the autumn. A couple of years ago ITN/Channel 4 News took over the strand from the indie producer, Quicksilver.

Andy explained that in each run of six he tries to cover a range of stories from different parts of the world, so there will typically be at least one story from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the US.

These are narrative films with a central character. When pitching to him you should (ideally) identify the central character and which sequences could be filmed with them. The filming commitment is quite substantial as each film is shot over a 10-14 day period. A UK based presenter and shooting producer/director shoot the film in a single trip. But before filming takes place Andy will have worked with a local fixer/charity to set up the shoot and recce the main character.

He’s keen to find characters whose stories open up a bigger issues. He spoke about previous films that he had made for UW including a film on fast fashion in Ghana. The central character in that film was a local trader who was selling the used clothes that were coming to Ghana from the UK and other western countries. She was struggling because the quality of clothes being sent was so poor. Another film followed a detective in the US searching for missing indigenous women in North Dakota.

His aim is to feature stories and issues that have not been reported or are under-reported. He is not looking for new angles on running stories – so no pitches on Ukraine or Afghanistan. Occasionally, as with fast fashion, he will do an issue that has been reported but only if he feels he has a genuinely fresh angle.

The films are broadcast live on Channel 4 and then played in full on UW’s YouTube channel. Cut down versions of each film run on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. These shorter versions reach a different, younger audience who would not normally watch Channel 4 on a Friday night. Andy is happy that more people will get to hear about the issue even if they don’t watch the whole film. It’s part of Channel 4’s public service remit.

Andy was asked about pitching. He said IBT members should make contact even if they only had the germ of an idea as it might lead to a film at some point in the future. He’s keen to build relationships. But if you are pitching the key is the character and what they can film with that person. The contributor is the driving force of the film. They will want to film three sequences with that person so think about what they could film and what the narrative journey might be – is there any jeopardy? What will keep viewers watching? The next series starts in October. So if you are pitching ideas now Andy will want to film either in November/December of January/February.

The next series includes the following films:

• People trafficking of very young girls for sex in the US
• Sumo wrestling in Japan, revealing its dark side
• Teenage pregnancy in Guatemala, where the rate has skyrocketed during the pandemic
• Rising use of a drug derived from toads, used to treat depression in Mexico
• Daily life in Gaza, with some cause for optimism
• The hunger crisis in East Africa – the fight for arable land in Kenya

The Kenya film is presented by Seyi Rhodes and will be broadcast at the end of November as the last in the run.

MG, 27.9.22

Watch in full: Unreported World

The battle for the future of Channel 4

The Government has now said that it will review its decision to privatise Channel 4. Gareth Benest, IBT’s Director of Advocacy, welcomes the announcement.

We are greatly encouraged by the new Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan’s decision to re-evaluate the business case for privatising Channel 4, which she announced this morning on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. This is a welcome opportunity to revisit a policy which IBT has long argued against. We believe that privatisation of Channel 4 would lead to a reduction in its commitment to broadcast international news and current affairs.

So why is this important to IBT and its members?

The case for Channel 4

Channel 4 provides a platform for international stories that cannot be seen and heard anywhere else. It highlights stories from and about our members, and brings a wide spectrum of global issues to the attention of UK audiences. It helps people to hear different perspectives and understand the roles and responsibilities we have in a fractured but highly interdependent world.

The plan to privatise the channel – in the face of extraordinary resistance and in spite of its recent financial achievements – is a threat to this role and the support that Channel 4 provides to IBT’s members. Unless plans for privatisation are dropped, its cherished news and current affairs programmes will cease to provide that window on the world and the issues that our members care most passionately about.

Grand public service designs

Channel 4 has a public service remit that requires it to champion unheard voices, inspire change, promote debate, celebrate diversity, and take creative risks. According to the government’s own white paper, it has “done an excellent job in delivering its founding purposes – providing greater choice for audiences, and supporting the British production sector.”

Channel 4 belongs to the British people, just like the BBC. However, unlike the BBC, the channel is not funded by a licence fee. Instead, it generates all of its income from advertising, which doesn’t cost the taxpayer a penny. Not everybody, including the former Secretary of State, Nadine Dorres, seemed to grasp this important difference.

A unique international perspective

Channel 4 broadcasts a wide range of internationally-focussed and derived content, ranging from vast collections of foreign-language drama series (Walter Presents) through to groundbreaking news and current affairs programmes that regularly cover global issues.

Channel 4 News is a rare one-hour news programme, broadcast in a primetime slot. The show has earned its reputation as a trusted and fearless outlet for news that is drawn from across the UK and the globe. Unlike most news programmes, its production company (ITN) has invested significant time and resources into developing a network of freelance correspondents from diverse countries and regions. Its editors have frequently broken the mould of mainstream television news, bringing genuinely unheard voices into the most high-profile and urgent debates.

Unreported World provides a unique window onto the world for UK audiences, broadcast as part of Channel 4’s primetime flagship news programme. It covers diverse international issues ranging from gender-based violence in Pakistan to the threats facing the Baka community in the Republic of Congo; from Thailand’s wild tiger population through to the environmental impacts of fast fashion in Ghana.

IBT members have worked successfully with Unreported World in the past. For example, the programme-makers collaborated closely with IBT member Humanity & Inclusion to produce a powerful report on Syrian refugees suffering from life-changing disabilities sustained during the civil war.

IBT will be lobbying Ministers over the coming weeks and making the case to drop the privatisation of Channel 4. 

Gareth Benest is IBT’s Director of Advocacy

Watch in full: Decolonisation Workshop with Peace Direct

You can access Dylan’s presentation here.

Event Notes: Decolonisation Workshop with Peace Direct

Chair

Maryam Mohsin, Bond

Speakers

Dylan Mathews, Peace Direct

Rachel Erskine, Amref Health Africa

Natalie Fyle, Oxfam

Dylan

The goal of Peace Direct as an organisation since its founding 20 years ago has been to amplify the voice of local peacebuilders and shift power and resources towards locally-led efforts. But even for them implementing the decolonisation agenda has been challenging and very much of a learning journey. Culture change takes time.

Dylan spoke about his Time to Decolonise Aid report which Peace Direct published 15 months ago. He emphasised a number of key points:

• The present system is dysfunctional and in need of radical reform.
• The key is a change in mindset to an understanding that local actors can be trusted rather than the traditional ‘INGOs know best’ attitude.
• Resistance to this mindset is the result of structural racism.

‘Decolonisation’ is a useful term for framing the conversation. There needs to be a deconstruction of neo colonial approaches and letting go of the instinctively-held opinion that western thought is superior.

Aid workers believe that they operate neutrally but when Peace Direct consulted its partners the consensus view was that they operate within a system that is the result of colonial attitudes – even INGO staff in country find themselves mimicking these attitudes. INGOs believe that they are there to fill a skill/resource gap. This deficit thinking approach needs to change as it means that local knowledge is consistently undervalued.

Language is key – it diminishes the agency of local populations. Terms like ‘capacity building’ and ‘beneficiaries’ and even ‘aid’ reinforce colonial attitudes and constant use of this language undermines local actors. Language should be inclusive and engaging and emphasise local agency.

INGOs want to expand and their strategies are predicated on growth which inevitably reduces the flow of resources to civil society. Partnerships are transational rather than genuine.

Comms. Fundraising messaging is deeply problematic. Comms need to be radically overhauled to emphasise local agency. But comms change cannot happen in isolation – you need buy in from SLT. It’s useful to have specific targets.

External audit. Peace Direct commissioned an external audit of their comms and the findings were revealing. They thought they were doing well but discover some problems – consent for use of images was not always properly given, content was usually collected by UK field staff or UK-based freelancers. They realised that they needed to invest in the ability of partners to collect content.

Talking to journalists – another challenging area. The way language is used is hardwired into us so it will take time for journalists to change and we need to work with them and give them time. We should also give them feedback after they publish so that we can share any critique with them and they can learn for the future. We need to nurture supportive journalists as ‘change makers’ within their organisations.

Steps forward – Dylan recommended some concrete steps for NGOs to take.

• Acknowledge structural racism
• Encourage conversations about power
• Be open to critique
• Change language
• Recruit differently
• Invest in indigenous knowledge and skills
• End ‘white gaze’ fundraising
• Adopt a transition mindset
• Avoid localisation spin
• As an individual, think about your own power and spin
• Be open to new ways of thinking

You can access Dylan’s presentation here.

Oxfam

Nadiya spoke to us about Oxfam GB’s experience. She emphasised that the UK public are ready to start hearing new stories and different perspectives in communications about Africa. Nadiya will also be writing a blog for us so look out for that.

Amref Health Africa UK

Rachel said that the change had started with comms as they felt they had a responsibility, as an African NGO, to tell more nuanced stories and go beyond the single story of Africa. They realised that they could not just change their comms in isolation – the whole organisation needed to change. They needed to show more unfiltered stories and give Africans more say in how their stories are told, and their images are used. This meant letting go of what the people in London think the story is and valuing local knowledge and talent. It takes time!

Discussion

There was a wide-ranging discussion. Dylan said that often organisations wanted to change but felt paralysed. The important thing was to start the process of change and you will learn along the way. Mistakes will be made. New approaches can be tried and tested. Share with your colleagues – don’t silo the process of change. Produce practical guides to help colleagues to change. One of the challenges is enabling local organisations to become more adept at content gathering.

MG, 7.9.22

Why the media must see the wood for the trees in its climate coverage

There’s no path to net zero without ending deforestation. Too often the importance of forests and nature is overlooked in media coverage about the climate crisis, writes Darren Mckenzie from IBT member, Global Canopy. 

Tropical forests are under attack. Month after month, records are broken for the number of trees chopped down to free up land for agriculture and mining in the Brazilian Amazon. Over the last 20 years, the world has lost an area of tropical forest equivalent to the size of Egypt. That’s pretty apt considering Egypt will host the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), in November. If we’re truly committed to finding solutions to a warming planet, our destruction of nature must become front and centre of climate coverage.

Much climate journalism understandably focuses on reducing emissions and carbon – on fossil fuels and the industries pumping them into the atmosphere. But that’s far from the whole story. If deforestation were a country it would be the third largest emitter in the world. The emissions from deforestation are equivalent to the emissions from all the cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes on the world’s roads. Halting this destruction would cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 11%.

When deforestation makes it into the news, it is rarely looked at through a climate lens.

So, in media reports, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is rightly criticised for allowing rampant deforestation in his country; but this is often only portrayed as a tragic loss of biodiversity, when in truth it’s also an attack on our efforts to mitigate the climate crisis.

The real story of deforestation is one in which we all play a part. Two thirds of deforestation is driven by agricultural expansion for beef, soy, palm oil and timber. These commodities end up in over 50 per cent of the products in our supermarkets. Furthermore, the money behind this trade comes from our investments and our pensions. Too often this reality remains untold.

Deforestation is just one part of the nature story. Scientists estimate that nature can offer a third of the solution to climate change. That means it can provide more positive news angles, providing avenues for hope and action around the climate crisis. Earlier this year Inger Anderson, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, said “nature can be the saviour, but we’ll have to save it first.”

Consumers don’t have enough information to make informed choices

According to recent ONS data, three quarters of adults in Britain are worried about the climate crisis. 81% reported having made lifestyle changes because of it. But a lack of information can limit these changes. Research we carried out with Make My Money Matter and Systemiq found that £2 of every £10 saved into a UK pension is invested in businesses with high deforestation risk. And yet polling found 77% of pension holders in the UK would be unhappy to discover that their savings were contributing to deforestation. There is a clear disconnect between what consumers want to do, and what they know.

At the beginning of the year Kai Tabacek, from Oxfam, wrote in an IBT blog that COP26 marked ‘a sea change in media reporting of climate change’. That is true. There has never been more global media coverage on this issue. But, ahead of COP27 in Egypt, that coverage needs to tell the full story.

We can help the media tell the full story

This is where organisations like Global Canopy can help. We make sense of the data – connecting our global system of trade and finance with the destruction that it causes. For example, it was good news that $1.7 billion in funding was pledged at COP26 to Indigenous peoples for their role in protecting lands and forests. But that has to be seen in the context of the $6.1 trillion in private finance that our Forest 500 ranking shows is currently invested in companies most exposed to deforestation.

Our Trase mapping tool allows journalists to find out the deforestation footprint of different nations. Egypt, host of COP27, is the third largest importer of Brazilian beef behind China and Russia. UK financiers provided over £40 billion to companies at risk of causing deforestation in Brazil and Indonesia through their trade in beef, soy and palm oil, according to analysis by Trase Finance. Strong verifiable data that journalists can use. In their last report the Independent Panel on Climate Change said “we have a brief and rapidly closing window for action.” We need change and we need it urgently. Halting and reversing our destruction of nature is central to any climate change conversation and it’s a conversation the media and journalists can help drive. Please help us tell the full story before it’s too late.

Darren Mckenzie is Communications Lead at Global Canopy

Talking to the media – what IBT members say

Last week, at IBT’s networking breakfast our members met in-person to share what they have learnt from working with the media during the Ukraine crisis and discuss how this could impact their relationship with the media during other crises. Katie Tiffin reflects on the main takeaways from the discussion.

As the war unfolded in Ukraine, media interest in the conflict was so great that the general consensus during the discussion was that NGO media teams found their main task was meeting the demand for stories, rather than trying to generate media interest in the crisis. 

DEC’s Ukraine appeal generated 18,000 media mentions in its first two weeks compared with 900 mentions in the same time period for its Afghan appeal. This clearly  reflected the media’s appetite for stories about Ukraine. Barney Guiton, Communications and Brand Manager at DEC, explained that the media were particularly interested in stories that connected the conflict to the UK in some way. He also highlighted the media interest in the story of an Afghan family who sought refuge in Ukraine after fleeing Afghanistan last summer only to be forced to flee again as Russian troops advanced. It was picked up by a range of outlets, including Sky, ITV and The i.

Insights from media trips to Moldova and Ukraine

Whilst DEC’s team was working with the media from their UK base, Emily Wight, Global Media Manager at Save the Children, spent two weeks in L’viv as a spokesperson, highlighting the impact of the war on children. She was interviewed live by a number of  TV and radio outlets, including CNN and LBC. Emily was surprised to find that she didn’t get the tough questions she expected. The media wanted first person testimony of how things looked on the ground. 

Being based in Ukraine helped secure media interviews, but it was also a challenge to find new angles to push to media given the limited time in-country and long distances to travel to programmes. Her advice to other charity spokespeople is to make the most of connections with colleagues based in the country, using every opportunity to meet partner organisations and meet others who could verify what was happening on the ground.

Plan International had a similar approach to working with the media but  also chose to emphasise the work of their local partners in Moldova, where tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have fled to. Kathryn Irwin, Head of Global Media and PR flew over to Moldova to deliver media training to local partners and work through some of the challenges of conducting interviews and sharing stories from displaced and potentially vulnerable people.

Will coverage of Ukraine help generate interest in other international stories?

The appetite for stories about Ukraine and generosity shown through the record breaking amount of money donated to the DEC’s appeal indicate that there is a strong public interest in international issues and a willingness to help from people in the UK. Our members felt that NGOs need to do more to capitalise on this public support. Perhaps the media relationships developed during the Ukraine crisis will help to shine the spotlight on other international issues in the future.

There was a consensus that the media has been too slow to respond to reports of famine and drought in the Horn of Africa and the worry is that media interest might not pick up until the death toll is much higher. And then many lives will have been lost unnecessarily.

Katie Tiffin is IBT’s Communication and Membership Officer

East Africa: an urgent call to action

Lack of media coverage of the hunger crisis in East Africa is threatening lives. Older people are especially vulnerable. Chris Roles from Age International calls for the media to do more to report the crisis. 

East Africa is experiencing the worst drought it has seen in over 40 years. Over 20 million people are reported to be on the verge of starvation and in urgent need of food. However, what makes this tragedy even more serious is that not enough people know about it, and those that do are likely to know very little about the devastating impact this drought is having on older people. 

The fact that this is a largely unreported crisis means that not enough support is currently available for the millions that are fighting hard to survive each day. Organisations like ours are doing everything we can to provide urgent relief right now to the people who need it most, but there is no doubt that this crisis needs more awareness and more support from the UK’s media to help us get the message out there. 

Media coverage makes a difference

We know from our previous humanitarian aid appeals how generous the UK public is and we know if more people knew just how dire this situation is for millions of East Africans right now then more could be done. 

Age International is already responding to support older people affected by this hunger crisis. Through our partner, HelpAge International, we are on the ground in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya, distributing emergency food parcels and food vouchers and also giving seeds and livestock to the families of older people so that they can re-establish their farms and crops.

We need to do more of this though, and it needs to be done urgently, so that older people and their families don’t starve and so they can have a chance at saving their entire livelihoods.  This is why, along with other humanitarian organisations, we need the media to help us to raise more awareness of this life-threatening drought so that the global community can act with much greater urgency and at a much greater scale to prevent further loss of life.

Older people say this is the worst drought in living memory

At Age International, we are especially concerned about the older people living through this right now. Although they have experienced many droughts in their lifetimes, they report that this is the worst one yet, with this year’s rainy season the driest on record. For the millions of older cattle farmers, the dry period has devastated their livelihoods. 

Not only that, but the global increases in fuel, food and fertiliser costs caused by the Ukraine conflict and COVID-19 pandemic have compounded the crisis. In Ethiopia 92% of older people do not have access to enough food, whilst in South Sudan and Kenya almost three quarters (73%) of older people are struggling to access enough food. 

Not enough is known about the large number of older people that have been left behind by their adult children who have left to seek other income. Most older people don’t have the strength to migrate with their remaining cattle and now need to feed their grandchildren whilst barely being able to feed themselves. Many were completely dependent on their cattle for their food and livelihoods, but now they have nothing.

Whilst the scale of the drought means this crisis is unprecedented, it has thus far seen little media attention. There is a slowly growing acknowledgement in media coverage about how the conflict in Ukraine is disrupting food supplies and also how global price rises are affecting the response to the hunger crisis in East Africa, but much more urgent action is needed to prevent even greater levels of starvation.

Chris Roles is Managing Director at Age International.

Briefing Notes: The Telegraph

Speaker 

Sarah Newey, Acting Deputy Editor, Global Health and Security team

Sarah.Newey@telegraph.co.uk 

Other contacts

Harriet.Barber@telegraph.co.uk Global Health and Security – video/social media

Anne.Gulland@telegraph.co.uk Global Health and Security – leaving soon

Paul.Nuki@telegraph.co.uk Global Health and Security – editor

Ben.Farmer@telegraph.co.uk Pakistan/Afghanistan correspondent – moving to South Africa

Joe.Wallen@telegraph.co.uk India and will cover Pakistan/Afghanistan when Ben moves

Will.Brown@telegraph.co.uk Kenya based

Nicola.Smith@telegraph.co.uk Asia correspondent based in Taipei

Kerry.McQueeney@telegraph.co.uk Global Health and Security – social media, newsletter and opinion pieces.

globalhealth@telegraph.co.uk General email for the team

Overview

Sarah explained the role of the Global Health and Security team. It was set up in 2018 with funding from the Gates Foundation which has no editorial control. Four key areas of reporting were identified:

• Women and girls
• Science and disease
• Terror and security
• Climate and people

When pitching to them or thinking of stories for them, Sarah says it’s useful to think about these headings. Most stories will fit into one or more of these. She has a particular interest in neglected tropical diseases, women’s health and the impacts of climate change. 

Gates are funding the Global Health and Security section because it reaches a different audience from Guardian Development which they also fund. The Telegraph is a Conservative newspaper and most of its readers have a Conservative view of the world. Sarah says that this doesn’t really affect her team’s editorial decisions. They tend to makes sure that a story has a strong news line if it is dealing with a controversial political issue such as cuts to UK aid. 

They work closely with the Foreign Desk and have editorial control of their own content. They are not influenced by whether or not stories run in the newspaper. Some of their most popular stories were online only – such as a report by Ben on rickshaw drivers in Pakistan and one on a new school in Uganda designed by the same architect who did the Shard. 

Sarah joined the Telegraph in 2018 and the team comprises three reporters based in London (Paul, Harriet, Anne and Sarah) and four reporters based abroad (Ben, Joe, Will and Nicola). Kerry McQueeney in London manages the newsletter, social media and the opinion pieces. They can call on other Telegraph correspondents in other parts of the world and are also keen to use freelancers to broaden the range of perspectives. They do not do much coverage of Latin America, although during Covid they did report extensively from Brazil, Peru and Ecuador.

Pitching

Ideas can be pitched to Sarah, Anne, Paul or Harriet or to all four. They discuss all the ideas they receive and try to reply to all emails. If Sarah doesn’t reply to your email send her a reminder a couple of days later. Pitches should be brief and say clearly what the crux of the story is, the top line and why the story is important, new or topical. Most of their stories have a news angle but occasionally they will do a feature with no news peg. A UK connection helps but is not essential. They commission a wide range of content some of which is off the news agenda and some of which gives a health/security angle to a running story such as Ukraine or Covid. 

Audiences

Global Health and Security has several different audiences who come to its content in different way – via the newspaper, website, social media and the newsletter. Most of its stories make it into the newspaper although space has been tight during the Ukraine war, as there are only three pages of foreign news (50-65% at the moment but was 80% before the Ukraine war). The main Telegraph website is accessible to subscribers only but the Global Health and Security content is free to access so it has a slightly different, more international audience. On the Global Health and Security site, its audience is 70% in the UK, 20% in the US and 10% elsewhere. Sarah will try and find out more about this audience. The newsletter goes out twice a week to 60,000 subscribers. And many people come to its content via search – 50% of the online audience comes in this way. Ben’s rickshaw piece had 35,000 page views and the Uganda hospital story had 29,000. They want to do more video content which can run on YouTube, be embedded into an article or run as short clips on social media.

Trips

Sarah and her London-based colleagues will do foreign trips when appropriate. Sarah is just back from Somaliland. 

Opinion pieces

They don’t run many but Sarah is open to pitches. Try to avoid jargon, keep the piece to a maximum of 800 words and remember that you are speaking to a general not a specialist audience.

Picture galleries

They have stopped doing these for the moment as they effort was not worth it as they did not do well.

MG, 21.6.22

Why language matters when covering disability

Liz Ombati, a disability rights advocate who works with IBT member Sightsavers, believes it’s time for the media to do more to accurately reflect the lived experience of people with disabilities.

What is written about disability – and often what is not written – is important. There are over one billion people with disabilities in the world, and many experience stigma and discrimination, or are completely left out of media coverage. Language and media representation play an important role in influencing public opinion and challenging stereotypes around disability. Disability campaigners have agitated for years for our recognition as rights holders, not as objects of pity or care. We want to see this reflected in media portrayals. I know that journalists also want to cover disability and represent people with disabilities in an empowering and respectful way.

This is by no means a definitive guide to writing about disability. It’s simply a starting point from my experience as a woman with a disability who has worked in campaigning and written for the media, combined with the learnings from work by Sightsavers, an organisation I’ve worked with,  on disability rights.

What is disability?

Considering the difference between impairment and disability is a useful starting point. Impairment is the injury, illness or condition that causes a loss or difference of function to an individual. Disability refers to the limitation or loss of opportunities to participate equally in society because of social and environmental barriers as the result of an impairment.

Disability inclusion is not about who ‘deserves’ things in life – it’s about rights, and barriers to those rights. Journalism needs to reflect this.

For example, instead of a story that assumes that a child with disabilities would never be able to learn in a mainstream school, the angle could be: ‘Why is that school inaccessible to that child? And what should change for the school to be accessible (or inclusive) for that child?’

Words matter

Word use is important, particularly when there are so many terms that are outdated and offensive. Sightsavers has come up with a useful guide to language to use. This includes a list of terms to avoid, such as “wheelchair-bound”, “mentally defective”, “differently-abled”. Alternatives could be “wheelchair user”, “a person with mental illness” or “intellectually disabled”, “person with a cognitive or physical impairment/disability”.

Language is subjective and ever-changing, so there are not always hard and fast rules. But one constant is to talk about people as they describe themselves.

‘People with disabilities’ or ‘disabled people’ – which one?

I personally base my communications on the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This uses person-first language, such as ‘people with disabilities’. However, many people prefer identity-first language, such as ‘disabled person’, which focuses on the disabling nature of society as affecting their identity. Choice of language is personal, and preferences should be respected. It’s always best to ask people which they choose.

“Nothing about us without us”

The most authentic media stories about disability are those that interview people with lived experience, not only their family, caregivers, experts, or doctors. For example, media stories about graduates or students with disabilities often focus on the sacrifices of family and caregivers, rather than the students themselves and the barriers they faced getting an education.

And the more voices the better, as one person’s experience of disability is not representative of everyone with a similar impairment.

Focus on the barriers

Quite often, media stories focus on disability as inherently negative and portray people as ‘victims’ of their disability. For example, someone may be presented as an object of pity or charity, or be described as being ‘afflicted by’ or ‘suffering with’ a disability, which is something tragic they need to ‘overcome’.

For most people, their impairment or disability is something they just live with, and the challenges they face are the barriers put up by society, not by their condition. So rather than using negative language about the disability itself, focus on barriers and solutions.

A good example is this article, where a deaf woman shares her own story of the ableist barriers she has faced in trying to find work she is highly qualified for.

Would your story be remarkable if the person featured didn’t have a disability?

Disability is sometimes covered as if it is remarkable that someone with a disability has been able to do regular things like get an education or a job, or get married. This reinforces stereotypes that these things are not typical for someone with disabilities to do.

Describing someone as inspiring solely because they have a disability, or ‘despite’ their disability, can appear patronising or pitying. It doesn’t recognise what their genuine achievements have been. There is also a danger of reinforcing disabilities as something inherently negative – rather than something some people just have – or failing to focus on the disabling nature of society.

Once again, “Nothing about us without us”

Ultimately, people with disabilities deserve the same respect and inclusion as anyone else in the media. To do this properly our voices and viewpoints need to be central to any story about us.

Liz Ombati is a disability rights advocate based in Kenya who identifies as having a psychosocial disability. She is an OPD (organisations of persons with disabilities) engagement officer with the African Disability Forum. She also works on programmes with Inclusive Futures, a disability and development consortium made up of 23 organisations and led by Sightsavers. Liz regularly contributes articles on disability and women’s rights in the Kenyan media.

You can find Liz on Twitter @ElizabethOmbati

A checklist for interviews

•   Are you speaking to the person your story is about?
•   Have you asked them how they like to communicate? For example, they might require information in plain language, or need to have written communication, or prefer a call
•   Have you made allowances for extra time that may be needed for things like chronic illness?
•   Have you made sure any locations are physically accessible?
•   Is the person you are interviewing representative of a whole community/topic, or do you need to find more voices or representative organisations?
•   Would their story be newsworthy if they weren’t disabled?
•   Are you interviewing disabled people about a range of issues, not just disability focused ones?

Useful links

•   Sightsavers: Disability and inclusion language guide
•   United Nations: Disability and the Media
• United Nations: Disability-Inclusive Communications Guidelines
•   International Disability Alliance: Language as a barrier to the participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities
•   National Centre on Disability Journalism – Writing and editing
•   CharityComms: Accessible communication
•   Rooted in Rights: If You’re Writing About Disability, You Need to Read These Guidelines
•   Amanda Morris: How to Report with Care on Disability
•   Stella Young: I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much
•   Women in Journalism: Language Matters: Disability
•   Bond: Talking Disability: The new animation for those who dare to do it differently

Briefing Notes: Channel 4 News

Speaker: Esme Wren, Editor, Channel 4 News

Key contacts

Federico.Escher@itn.co.uk Head of Foreign News

Rob.Hodge@itn.co.uk Deputy Head of Foreign News

Ed.Fraser@itn.co.uk Managing editor, in charge of Unreported World

Andy.Lee@itn.co.uk Series producer, Unreported World

Louise.Turner@itn.co.uk Indie fund and women’s rights

Oliver.King@itn.co.uk Head of Output/guest editor

Mike.DeriSmith@itn.co.uk Head of Digital

Reporters/presenters

Kiran.Moodley@itn.co.uk Fourcast/podcast host

Alex.Thomson@itn.co.uk Chief correspondent/climate change coverage

Krishnan.Guru-Murthy@itn.co.uk Presenter and host/reporter Unreported World

Matt.Frei@itn.co.uk Presenter and Europe editor

Lindsey.Hilsum@itn.co.uk International editor

Guillermo.Galdos@itn.co.uk Freelance/Latin America correspondent based in Latin America

Jamal.Osman@itn.co.uk Freelance/Africa correspondent based in the UK

Jonathan.Miller@itn.co.uk Freelance/Asia correspondent based in Bangkok

Paraic.OBrien@itn.co.uk Reporter

Fatima.Maji@itn.co.uk Reporter and presenter

Ayshah.Tull@itn.co.uk Reporter and presenter

Symeon.Brown@itn.co.uk Reporter

Esme joined Channel 4 News in January after a three year stint as Editor of Newsnight and before that she had senior roles at Sky News. The programme’s international coverage was one of the attractions for her. At Newsnight, she relied on BBC correspondents. At Channel 4, she has her own dedicated team of reporters.

She faced an early challenge – covering the war in Ukraine. That has taken up a lot of the budget for foreign news and not left much for other stories. However, she emphasised how importance foreign coverage was and encouraged us to work with her and her colleagues on getting stories on air.

She advised us to pitch to the Foreign Desk (for example regarding the upcoming CHOGM in Rwanda) and to specialists on specific topics (Alex Thomson on climate change and Louise Turner on women’s rights). There is a climate change strand called Emergency on Planet Earth. There’s also a divided America strand. We can also try to build relationships with individual reporters who can pitch stories to her. She wants to broaden the range of guest and advised us to pitch names of experts to Ollie King. She may appoint a guest editor in the future. Guests do not need access to a studio – they can be interviewed via Zoom.

Esme was asked about the famine in east Africa and said that this was very much on her horizon. Jamal would be the person to contact. He is a freelance but works mainly with C4News. Likewise, with Guillermo in Latin America and Jonathan in Asia.

Esme spoke about audiences. Around 1m people are currently watching the 7pm news live or on catch up. These are mainly in their 30s and 40s but there has been a growth in numbers of younger viewers (16-25) during the Ukraine crisis. Their reach is much bigger on digital especially amongst young audiences.

Channel 4 News is not yet digital first but that is the direction of travel. The digital team is repurposing content from the main news bulletins and also creating new content. They are on Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat. The Facebook Uncovered strand will be back soon.

Unreported News is now made by the Channel 4 News Team (it was previously made by Quickslilver). This means that Channel 4 reporters will often present the show – for example Fatima was in Pakistan looking at women’s rights and Guillermo was looking at drug gangs in El Salvador. Unreported World is a good strand to target when pitching ideas as it reports on stories that do not normally make the main news bulletins. Pitches can go to Andy Lee.

Esme said that the USP of Channel 4 News was the depth of its coverage and this was where she wanted to focus her energy. Viewers wanted a better understanding of stories in the news, more context, more data – and IBT members could help with this.

MG, 26.5.22

Watch in full: Channel 4 News

Speaking up on behalf of the children of Ukraine

Emily Wight, Save the Children’s Global Media Manager, is just back from L’viv, where she was tasked with speaking up on behalf of the children of Ukraine. Here, she reflects on her experience. 

One image from my recent trip to Ukraine will be etched in my mind for a while: during our regular nightly stints in the hotel basement when the air-raid sirens went off, a little boy, no older than five, laughing and running around and playing with his toy car. He would be there every night, a bundle of intense human life and energy in a sea of people weary from weeks and months of trudging down to the basement with their duvets, from sleepless nights and from war. If there was hope left in L’viv, it was in him – perhaps because he seemed oblivious to the situation, a situation created entirely by adults who have shirked their responsibility to a generation of children.

Children bear the brunt of every war, and every war is a war against children. Since the escalation of the conflict on 24 February, more than 238 children have been killed, more than 347 injured. Two thirds of the country’s 7.5 million children have fled their homes in the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two.

Children also represent hope

But children also represent hope – that the next generation can give us something better – and I saw this during my two weeks in Ukraine, from the children sheltering in the hotel basement to the resilience of children in reception centres at the Polish border.

I arrived in Ukraine on 9 April after flying from London to Krakow where I was met by colleagues from our Humanitarian Surge team. The next day we crossed the border on foot as refugees on the other side of the fence queued up to leave the country. My remit was to act as spokesperson in Ukraine for media outlets interested in the impact of the war on children and in Save the Children’s work there. I was also helping prepare press releases and reactives on what we are doing in Ukraine.

Save the Children has operated in Ukraine since 2014, so we already had a presence to build on as the war escalated.  Since then, our office shifted the focus of our activities to the centre and west of the country in order to respond to the huge number of people who have been forced from their homes. Our staff has worked tirelessly to establish partnerships with grassroots groups, at the same time as recruiting Save the Children’s world-class experts in various aspects of humanitarian response such as child protection, mental health, and cash assistance.

Save the Children staff prepare bunker kits for children sheltering from conflict in Ukraine. Image: Save the Children

A therapy dog plays a crucial role

Due to my limited time and the sheer size of the country, I was unable to see our programme work outside L’viv, and I relied on contact with colleagues further east to see if they had heard any powerful stories. I was told about a local organisation that we were working with, which was providing emotional support for children traumatised by the war through a therapy dog. It was hard not to feel moved hearing reports about a nine-year-old boy arriving at that centre with shrapnel wounds who had totally shut down to outside contact. He was refusing to talk to or listen to anyone, even his parents, and refusing to let anyone treat his injuries. Only after spending time with the dog, Eusey, did he accept treatment from the on-site doctor.

For our staff working in Ukraine full-time, the stress of operating in a war and seeing the day-in, day-out impact on children was significant. Just before I arrived, Pete Walsh, our Country Director had visited a hospital that had been bombed the previous day, putting two girls who were already in an operating theatre for existing war injuries in critical condition. For days, we didn’t know whether or not they would survive, but luckily they pulled through.

Talking to the media can jeopardise lives

For me every day brought new decisions and a struggle to find out what was going on and to verify the details. Not only did I need to be 100% certain that I had the facts right before talking to any media outlets, and I also had to explore the risks and implications of what we said with colleagues. We were fielding requests from all around the world so staying up until 1am to be available for interviews became the norm rather than the exception.

On my second to last night in L’viv, I was due to be interviewed on CNN. But less than a minute before going on air, an air raid siren went off and I had to pull out of the interview and head to the basement. The producers were understanding, and had me back the following night. I was able to talk about the support provided for children by Save the Children which has set up “child friendly spaces” in Ukraine and neighbouring countries where children can play, draw, and just be children again.

As I left L’viv, our driver pointed out a crater on the bank of a train track where an airstrike had hit just two days before, killing 7 people and injuring 11. A reminder that while I could return to my life in the safety of the UK and talk about my experience, millions of people, including children, are not safe, and won’t be until the war is over.

By Emily Wight, Global Media Manager at Save the Children

An action plan for tackling disinformation

How can we do more to stem the tide of disinformation and promote a thriving and inclusive digital space? Stephanie Diepeveen from the ODI’s Digital Societies Initiative explains why banning content producers is not the answer.

The speed and global spread of disinformation related to Russia-Ukraine war suggests a new and heightened global challenge for those seeking to preserve trust in factual information. A single conspiratorial post by an individual can become a key node in a viral campaign, amplified through multiple accumulating factors – including Russian state media and individual influencers, and even through the act of banning the post’s creator, by drawing attention to the conspiracy and its creator.

Responses designed to quickly shut down the spread of disinformation have added to the problem. The EU’s decision to ban Russian broadcasters Sputnik and RT was followed by ‘reciprocal’ Russian bans on foreign media, including the BBC and Deutsche Welle. Bans can result in more unattributed sources of disinformation and move its proponents onto other platforms.

Even fact checking can become a weapon to spread false information, as demonstrated by the website ‘War on Fakes’ that has been found to disseminate Russian propaganda. Clearly, there is no silver bullet to stem the tide of disinformation.

In this blog, I reflect on what opportunities exist to contribute in positive ways of creating an open, trustworthy and inclusive online information environment. Building on ODI’s research on Politics and Governance, I identify three steps towards helping navigate the global rise of disinformation:

1. Accurately identify the problem
2. Pay attention to global diversity
3. Develop proportionate responses that preserve an open and democratic information environment

Step 1: Identify the problem

Unlike other forms of misinformation, disinformation is unique in that it is intended to deceive for a wider political end. Sometimes, this political end can be to rally support for a particular actor. However, this isn’t always the case. Around the Russia-Ukraine war, disinformation campaigns have generated scepticism about factual accounts of events, in line with longer patterns in Russian disinformation campaigns.

Rather than promote one perspective, disinformation campaigns disseminate a multitude of claims that cloud the information environment. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for individuals to trust any account about events, and can result in greater mistrust and apathy about political events.

There has been a tendency among civil society actors and tech companies to respond to disinformation by correcting or removing content, or suspending its authors. However, this does little to address the confusion that has been generated by the presence of many competing claims.

Addressing this problem requires a different focus: one that looks to not only remove content after it appears but also fight confusion by investing in more persuasive and accurate narratives.

Step 2: Recognize the problem is not the same everywhere

Online disinformation campaigns can have a global reach and are experienced differently across contexts. Uptake of disinformation around the Russia-Ukraine war also varies according to geography, historical context and language.

Russian disinformation campaigns have found more receptive audiences in countries with greater enmity towards western states and sympathies to Russia – for example, those with strong anti-colonial and/or pro-BRICS ties like South Africa and India.

Key influencers within specific contexts can shift a disinformation narrative from marginal to more mainstream. Paying attention to specific political contexts and influential individuals can allow for a more tailored understanding of the uptake of disinformation, and a more targeted response.

Step 3. Devise proportionate interventions

There are clear risks with confronting disinformation campaigns. Arbitrary decisions about content, whether it is Meta allowing some instances of hate speech towards Russian soldiers or the EU banning RT and Sputnik broadcasts – these can generate a backlash and compromise the openness and inclusiveness of the online information environment. This can move us even further away from the vision of a democratic online information environment, already threatened by the presence of disinformation.

We therefore need to develop mitigation efforts which will respond to the short-term harms of disinformation without having a disproportionate impact on an open, inclusive and trusted internet. Consideration of longer-term effects of an intervention can help in making informed decisions, and help to establish a reference point from which to assess positive and negative impacts of interventions.

Moving forward

Disinformation campaigns around the Russia-Ukraine war have become a pandora’s box that escapes any attempt to return the information environment to what it was before. Mistrust and uncertainty in information, once present, are hard to pull back.

There are possibilities for moving forward. Disinformation cannot be effectively addressed through initiatives that only react to content when it appears online. The focus must be on the wider information environment and strengthening its resilience to disinformation and its effects.

This includes a renewed emphasis on the key role that independent journalism can play, providing compelling accounts of events on the ground. This also includes efforts to build local trust in accurate information and improve media literacy so that individuals can better identify disinformation.

Efforts to rebuild public trust in the information environment, and to protect and strengthen information channels that are committed to factual accounts can help to preserve openness, inclusivity and trust online beyond the current ‘information war’.

Stephanie Diepeveen is a Research Fellow at ODI and leads on its Digital Societies Initiative

Charity campaigning – a watershed moment

Earlier this week we published our new report Charity campaigning – where next? IBT Director Mark Galloway chaired the launch event and reflects on a fascinating discussion.

The consensus amongst our panel of experts was that charity campaigning is at a watershed moment. What worked in the past no longer works. We need to find new ways of making our voices heard and build new relationships with the media. Above all, we need to create the space for a wider range of voices.

‘We need to do things differently’ said Dylan Mathews, CEO of Peace Direct. His organisation has been a leading advocate of the decolonisation agenda, which has wide implications for established ways of campaigning. ‘Right now, the most important thing that we need to do is unlearn what we’ve done and challenge our assumptions’ he told us.

‘Be bold, be brave, take risks’

Katie Tiffin, the report’s author, was clear on the way ahead. ‘Be bold, be brave, take risks, be more outspoken’ she said. Her recommendations suggested new ways of campaigning were essential – new partnerships, new faces fronting campaigns, a less top-down approach, embracing the decolonisation agenda.

The panellists concurred. ‘We always should be bolder and braver’ said Tom Baker, Director of Campaigns and Organising at Save the Children. Tom witnessed the successful Make Poverty History campaign but he said it was time to move on. So much has changed. ‘Much of our campaigning success has been built at a time when mobilising through centralised messaging has been the way that we have been able to deliver change.’ That old model of campaigning no longer works. Tom noted that change is now being achieved through organising, investing in relationships, building power and the capacity of others to take action. ‘We need to think about what a decentralised model of campaigning might look like.’

At Save the Children, they are trying to move towards a very different approach to campaigning. ‘We want to place children’s voices much more at the heart of both how we choose what we campaign on and how we shape our campaigns’ he said. But for a large organisation like Save the Children this is challenging, because it means giving away power and diluting the brand. ‘These aren’t things that come easily to our organisations and we should be honest about that.’

Narrowing of the campaigning space

Steph Draper, Chief Executive of Bond, reminded us that the campaigning space has become much narrower as a result of the Lobbying Act, the Police Bill and other restrictions. And the culture wars have become so much more overt. ‘This is difficult to navigate because our traditional response of opposing things is playing right into the strategies of divisiveness.’ Steph observes that Bond’s members are trying to become much more agile, place lived experience at the forefront of their campaigns and work more collaboratively. ‘We need to be able to show that we are making a difference so positive messaging about progress is critically important’ she added.

For Dylan, the decolonising agenda is ‘a watershed moment’ both for his organisation and for the sector as a whole. But he worries that a kind of paralysis has set in. Organisations are afraid of taking the first step because they don’t want to make a misstep. ‘When we’re talking about international issues we need to be brave enough to take ourselves out of the equation’ he told us. ‘And yet I’m not convinced that many INGOs see it that way.’ Many organisations do great work, but his view is that ‘problematic stereotypes’ still abound.

‘Eradicating poverty’ is the wrong message for our times

In answer to a question from Paddy Coulter from Oxford Global Media, Steph said that we had moved on from the ‘eradicate poverty’ message. This no longer worked for a number of reasons. ‘People are a bit tired of the bold ambition that is not necessarily realised’ she told us. It also goes against the decolonisation narrative as it promotes the idea that we in the west – through aid and charity –  can determine events in the global south.

Claire Seaward, Campaigns Director at WaterAid, told us that they wanted to change their top-down approach to campaigning, but finding the way ahead was challenging. Dylan spoke about how his own organisation, Peace Direct, is working with peace campaigners by letting them determine the agenda and craft the messages – and providing them with the resources to do so. His vision is for a future where such campaigns are genuinely locally-led with INGOs being the support rather than the lead act.

In conclusion, Steph reminded us that ‘a lot of the change that we want to see is about system change’ rather than one off campaign wins – and we mustn’t lose sight of the need to build support for fundamental change.

Mark Galloway is Executive Director of IBT

Read the report here.

Watch the panel debate here.

Watch in full: Charity campaigning: where next?

Charity campaigners need to be bolder and braver

For IBT’s new report Charity campaigning – where next? Katie Tiffin talked to campaigners and social media experts about how charity campaigners can build on past successes and be more effective in the future.

Make Poverty History was a high point for charity campaigning. It mobilised thousands of people in the UK, including 225,000 demonstrators who marched in Edinburgh in the run up to the 2005 G8 summit. Although the campaign failed to eradicate poverty, leaders at the G8 made a series of important pledges, including increasing aid to Africa and writing off billions of pounds worth of debts. 

Since then charity campaigners have struggled to capture the public’s attention on the same scale. A recent campaign by international development charities failed to persuade the government to maintain its commitment to spending 0.7% of gross national income on UK aid. Crack the Crises, a campaign by a diverse coalition of organisations calling for G7 leaders to tackle Covid, injustice and climate change, also struggled to make an impact.

Despite these setbacks, other recent campaigns illustrate that campaigning can make a difference and the public is still receptive to charity campaigns. In 2020, a campaign publicly led by footballer Marcus Rashford and backed by a coalition of organisations forced the government to make a U-turn on its decision to stop providing free school meal vouchers to children during the summer holidays. There was an outpouring of public support for the campaign and thanks to the efforts of campaigners 1.3 million school children received free school meal vouchers. More recently, UK charities have responded quickly to the Ukraine crisis and found messages that resonate with the public.

Find the right message

Campaigns that present a clear and tangible goal, like the free school meals campaign, are more likely to succeed. A campaign by Shelter, one of the UK’s biggest housing charities, succeeded with its straightforward goal of pressuring the government to instate a complete ban on eviction proceedings so that renters would not become homeless during the pandemic. 

During the pandemic the public have responded well to messages of unity that highlight the need for a collective solution to a common problem. The People’s Vaccine Alliance’s message that ‘no one is safe until everyone is safe’ has gained traction across a range of media outlets and led to over 13 million signatures on the campaign’s petition. Research by Climate Outreach,  a charity specialising in public engagement on climate change, suggests that this type of messaging during the pandemic has led to a shift in public attitudes and is likely to work well for campaigns on other issues, particularly climate change. 

Be bold

Social and protest movements like Black Lives Matter, Extinction Rebellion and #MeToo have shaken up the campaigning landscape. These bold and impactful movements have dominated the headlines, gained cut-through on social media and captured the public’s attention. Charity campaigners can learn a lot from what they have achieved. To stand out in this new campaigning landscape and achieve cut-through in a world of fast-moving news cycles and quickly changing social media trends charities need to be braver and less transactional in their campaigning. 

Prioritise the decolonisation agenda

International development charities have faced criticism for campaign messaging and imagery that reinforces negative stereotypes of lower income countries. Although many charities have already started discussing the decolonisation agenda internally, there’s still much work to be done on this. 

Going forward, charities should challenge themselves to ensure the principles of the decolonisation agenda are embedded in their campaigns. Time to Decolonise Aid, a report by Peace Direct, is a great resource for organisations and individuals wishing to decolonise their work. 

Social media

On the surface, social media platforms seem like a simple way to potentially influence millions of people in just a few hours. But few campaigns achieve genuine cut-through on crowded social media platforms. To succeed, charity campaigners need to understand what kind of content works best for different platforms, choose the right platform to reach their target audience as well as adopt new platforms and approaches more quickly.

Charities have sometimes been slow to take up new platforms like Tik-Tok and test new strategies for improving reach and engagement on social media, such as working with micro-influencers. Charity campaigners can follow the examples of British Red Cross and Citizen’s Advice, two organisations using TikTok to connect with new audiences. 

Our report Charity Campaigning – where next? will be published on April 26th. If you are not a member of IBT and would like to attend the launch event please email katie@ibt.org.uk.

Briefing Notes: BBC Africa

Speaker

Nick Ericcson, Head of Planning, BBC Africa nick.ericcson@bbc.co.uk

BBC World Service has changed a lot in recent years – now it is ‘digital first’ so online comes first. Usually, an online piece will run with either a TV piece or a radio one. They are now doing more on social media – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Still working out how to get the best out of Tik Tok.

Digital helps them to achieve the goal of reaching a younger, more female audience. In the past, the BBCWS appealed to older men who had an interest in global politics. Now it is aiming to reach a different demographic with some success. 39% of their audience is now female and a similar percentage are aged 18-25. Still a long way to go but heading in the right direction.

There’s a big emphasis on the language services as a way of reaching new audiences who may be less urban and less educated.

BBC Africa still has the goal of telling African stories in a different way – the main way they achieve this is by having African reporter. So you will now see an African reporter on the Ten O’Clock News, Newsnight and Today. This would not have been the case a decade ago. Having this profile on linear output is still important but digital is now more important.

A digital first approach brings them closer to their audience – they use audience data much more extensively to find out what their audience is interested in, so journalism is much less top down. There is a shift in power, Nick says, so the audience has more control.

They are also using digital to try new ways of storytelling. Africa Eye with its open access investigations is a good example of this, sharing content with the audience as the investigation moves forward. Content is repackaged and repurposed for different audiences so a 30 minute Africa Eye documentary will be shown on YouTube and then a shorter version on TV news, radio and online – and a Twitter thread.

Nick’s team is in charge of planning and they will keep in touch with the genre teams who are the main content commissioners. They will cream off the best stories and share these more widely. English language versions will be produced and then shared with the different language services.

Their main programmes are Focus on Africa Radio and TV, Swahili TV, and then Somali, Hausa and Afrique.

There has been a big effort in BBC News to modernise the commissioning process so that several reporters are not sent to cover the same story for different programmes. These changes are taking place in domestic news, not in the World Service, as they were already doing that. It’s true that the range of stories covered has fallen as a result of these changes but it does mean that when a story runs it is likely to be shown in more places and reach a bigger audience.

BBCWS has set itself the target of reaching 500m people by the end of 2022. It is currently hitting 488m. Their biggest audiences are in India, US, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania.

Pitching

Nick advises to pitch to him and he will respond and/or pass on to the relevant team. Please send proposals well in advance and if you are suggesting studio guest they are more likely to say yes to women as they are aiming for a 50-50 gender split of experts. Let him know if you have B roll. They are keen to collaborate on any report where you are gathering new evidence – they did this successfully with Human Rights Watch.

MG 22.3.22

Watch in full: briefing with BBC Africa

The media has a huge responsibility as it reports the war in Ukraine and the likely movement of millions of refugees

Media coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has played a crucial role in helping us to understand a rapidly changing situation. Now, with millions of Ukrainians on the move, we need to ensure that the media does not feed into negative, racist or stereotypical rhetoric with regard to refugees, writes Kim Nelson.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked us all. It could risk human suffering on a scale that Europe has not seen this century. It has been deeply alarming to hear reports of the mounting civilian death toll, the targeting of hospitals, residential areas and schools, and the massive displacement within Ukraine and beyond.

People are now fleeing for their lives. The UN estimates that more than half a million people have fled to neighbouring countries, with more than 140,000 people displaced within the country. As the conflict escalates, these numbers will inevitably increase.

We, at the International Rescue Committee, are already preparing for the worst.

As I write this, my colleagues in Poland are working quickly to mobilise resources and connect with partners to establish a response to support civilians forced to flee their homes.

Bearing witness has been heart wrenching – at times, terrifying. The media coverage has been powerful in telling the stories of people whose lives have been shattered by conflict. We have all seen those desperate scenes of people sleeping in subways, families leaving their homes with next to nothing, walking for days and scrambling onto trains to find a path to safety. It has been difficult to watch sometimes.

I have a huge admiration for the journalists who are currently in Ukraine, and neighbouring countries, at times risking their lives to report on an increasingly volatile crisis. As an emergency unfolds, we must remember the crucial role that the media can play. In an age of disinformation, coverage has helped to cut through the noise and has aided our understanding of a rapidly changing situation.

The media hold a huge responsibility, of fair and factual coverage, but also of influencing hearts and minds.

It is imperative that media coverage of this crisis does not feed into negative, racist or stereotypical rhetoric with regard to refugees. At IRC, we believe everyone, regardless of race, nationality, gender or sexuality should be able to seek safety and through our work in over 40 countries around the world, we have seen the amazing, positive impact refugees have had on economies and societies in which they live.

Although the scale of the crisis can be overwhelming, it is important to remember that you can take action. Here are some steps you can take:

Speak out

Whilst we have already seen some commitments from this Government to welcome refugees from Ukraine, there is more that can be done. Last week the IRC joined others in calling for the UK to take more action. Raise your voice with us. Write to your local MP, calling on the UK government to welcome refugees from Ukraine.

Donate

As the humanitarian response ramps up, donations are sorely needed. The IRC has launched an emergency appeal to help support displaced families with critical aid. Donating to NGOs on the ground remains one of the best ways that people can support those that need it most.

Get informed

Since the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, even before the latest escalation of violence, the conflict has left 3,000 people dead, displaced 850,000 Ukrainians from their homes, and placed 3 million people in need of humanitarian aid. The current conflict has the potential to be the worst humanitarian crisis Europe has seen in decades. Get up to speed on the situation here.

Raise your voice

Whether it is on social media or on the streets, raise your voice and stand with the Ukrainian people. Share our message of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, or keep an eye out for community vigils which are being organised across the country.

Kim Nelson is Communications officer with the International Rescue Committee. You can follow Kim on Twitter @K_A_Nelson

Briefing Notes: Reporting international development – where next?

Speakers

Sarah Johnson Guardian Development reporter sarah.johnson@theguardian.com

Yasir Khan Editor in Chief Thomson Reuters Foundation yasir.khan@thomsonreuters.com

Will Worley Devex UK correspondent william.worley@devex.com

Thomson Reuters

Yasir took over as Editor in Chief last year, before that he was with Euronews. He charted the change in journalism during Covid from being entirely office and telephone based to returning to travelling. Things were almost back to normal. Journalists were coming in to the office for 2 days a week. He said there was now an appetite for non Covid stories, as Covid fatigue had set in.

Since his arrival much has changed at TRF. Its close relationship with Reuters meant that its stories always went out on the wires and this was their main focus. Now they are digital first, focusing on web as this is where they think the growth will be. Their stories still go out via Reuters so you will see them in newspapers around the world. Yasir has moved TRF away from following the daily news agenda and for the most part it will steer clear of this.

There are 3 main areas of focus: climate change, inclusive economies and technology and society. He is publishing a lot less and going for depth instead. New insights into key policy debates. New evidence. Stories that haven’t been touched on by other media. There are no hard and fast lines between these topics. Their audience is ‘purpose-driven professionals.’ They have lots of places where they can catch up the news – TRF are giving them depth and fresh insights. Their audience research indicates that this is what their audience wants. They are also keep on establishing a thought leadership role for themselves.

However, they did find that they gained an audience for stories on Afghanistan that no one else was covering – such as what was happening to beauty salons.

Guardian Development

Sarah joined the GD team last year and her brief covers human rights and global development. She has a particular interest in health and writing about non-communicable diseases. Travel is not yet back to normal. Sarah did make on trip since joining, to Kenya, where she worked with the Global Fund on a series of stories on TB, malaria and HIV.

The GD team consists of 3 full time reporters and one part timer with Tracy McVeigh as editor. The brief has changed under Tracy’s editorship – they are no longer mainly aiming at the GD community; instead they want to run stories that work for a mainstream audience. This means more human interest and human angles, more for example on the impacts of climate change on communities.

They are covering mainly low and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. She’d like to do more on Latin America and more stories focused on one community but which are emblematic of bigger problems. Their agenda includes health, livelihoods, gender, equality, food security, migration and the climate crisis. They want to run stories that no other national newspaper is doing. Some popular stories on the site have been about the impact of Covid on tourism, an interactive story on Israeli bombing of Gaza, her own story on the little-known disease noma.

Devex

Will has spent most of the last two years reporting on the merger of the FCO and DFID and the subsequent cuts to aid. He has sometimes found it hard to get NGOs to go on the record if it involves criticising the government as they are worried about jeopardising future funding. Devex is much smaller that GD or TRF and they have a narrow focus. Their audience is people working in international development, for UN agencies, for charities, in government or think tanks. Global health is a big part of their agenda so they devoted a lot of resources to covering the impact of Covid in developing countries.

Decolonising language

A question was asked about whether these media outlets were talking about decolonising language in the same way as the development sector is. All the speakers said that they thought carefully about the language they used – for example the term refugee or migrant and that there was nothing new to this. It was clear that they had not taken on board some of the more recent debates about language which Bond is leading on. There may be an opportunity for a fruitful dialogue between the media and development sectors – it would be good to know what IBT members think about this.

MG, 22.2.22

Watch in full: Reporting international development – where next?

Five tips on how to make your communications more accessible

One of the key challenges for all charities is making their communications as accessible as possible to a range of audiences. We asked Christine Fleming from CharityComms to share her top tips.

Great communication should be about connecting with people. It has the power to educate, inspire and empower others to go out and forge their own connections. So making comms as accessible as possible for everyone is incredibly important.

CharityComms is lucky enough to be in a position where we get to talk with charity communicators every day. They share insights about the projects they are working on and the challenges they face, and one topic that kept coming up was accessibility. So when the opportunity arose we were delighted to be able to work with our charity network to create a new ‘Accessible Communication’ resource.

Hopefully the resource will act as a starting point for building more accessibility into everyone’s comms – including our own. We also want it to spark conversations about this important topic so that we can all pool our knowledge and learn together. Everyone’s needs, and preferences, for absorbing information are different so ensuring comms are as accessible as possible makes sense if we want to be heard.

The Accessible Communication resource draws on the expertise of those in the charity sector who are already doing great work in this area. Here are their top tips:

1. Use plain English

This came up time and again when speaking to contributors.

Try to use simple sentences that avoid jargon, abbreviations and acronyms. An easy way to check for this is using a free tool like the online hemingwayapp which will flag any areas of improvement for you to look at.

2. Check your contrast

This is something that actually came up for CharityComms itself as part of creating the accessible communications resource. It’s important to check the contrast between a background and the text that it has on it. If the contrast between the two things is not high enough then people may not be able to read it. One recommendation we were given was to use the WebAIM: Contrast Checker to help us check.

3. Think about screen reader users

Lots of people use screen readers not just the visually impaired, so make sure that your content works with them. The best advice we were given was to download one of the free screen readers that are available and experience what someone using one to access our communications experiences for ourselves.

4. Don’t forget about social media

With social platforms being such a core part of communications activities these days its important to make things accessible here too. This means making sure there is alt text on images, subtitles on videos, any gifs used don’t flash more than three times per second, and CamelCase is used in hashtags. And that is just a start, take a look at RNIB’s piece in the guide for more tips and advice.

5. Always remember the importance of representation

The best way to understand the needs of others is to ask those with lived experience what they need and be ready to listen. What we learnt from our contributors was that internal inclusion groups can be invaluable in helping you understand how to make your comms more accessible.

If you have people in your organisation with accessibility needs, have a conversation with them first. And ask your audience to feedback so that you know what you need to improve in order to make things easier. It is not their job to educate you but they can help act as a sounding board.

As we say in the Accessible Communication resource, this is just the start of the conversation. At CharityComms we, like you, are on the journey to more accessible comms and we are excited to rise to the challenge. Making things more accessible benefits everyone and we can’t wait to hear what other people are doing to make this happen and to learn together as a sector.

Christine Fleming is Head of Digital Content at CharityComms

How the fight against Covid has undermined the progress that was being made in tackling malaria

Deaths from malaria have soared as the Covid-19 pandemic has diverted resources away from the battle against one of the world’s deadliest diseases. It’s time for the media to tell the malaria story with renewed vigour, argues Rhona Elliott.

Malaria is one of the world’s oldest, deadliest diseases, stealing young futures and claiming the life of a child every minute – that is 700 children dying every day. Before the Covid-19 pandemic half of the world’s population were already living with the threat of malaria and, despite promising progress since the beginning of the millennium, the parasite had already started fighting back.

Malaria persists in high-burden communities, and years of plateaued funding and under-prioritisation, new threats from the natural world, such as growing drug and insecticide resistance, and other humanitarian emergencies, have slowed progress against the disease and sparked fears of resurgence. The emergence of Covid-19 was only going to make the fight against malaria even harder.

Despite Covid-19, malaria prevention campaigns have continued

Tremendous collective efforts ensured that more than 90 per cent of malaria prevention campaigns moved forward in 2020, but new figures in the latest World Malaria Report reveal that there were an estimated 241 million malaria cases and 627, 000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2020 – the highest number in nearly a decade. This represents around 14 million more cases in 2020 compared to 2019, and 69,000 more lives lost to this easily preventable and cheaply treatable disease, with approximately two-thirds of these additional deaths linked to disruptions in the provision of malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment during the pandemic.

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to carry the heaviest malaria burden, accounting for about 95 per cent of all malaria cases and 96 per cent of all deaths in 2020, with around 80 per cent of deaths in the region among children under five years of age.

How media coverage of Covid has impacted on reporting about malaria

Over the past two years, Covid-19 has dominated global and regional news cycles, raising concerns that reporting on the pandemic would overshadow coverage of malaria, and other high-burden diseases. We cannot deny there have been – and continue to be – additional barriers as we try to  secure media coverage for malaria, especially when new developments such as Covid-19 vaccine milestones or emerging variants take precedent.

However, the impact of Covid-19 has generally had a positive impact on news reporting and public interest in stories about global health security and pandemic preparedness. Covid-19 has proved beyond doubt that our world is more interconnected than ever and reinforced the fact that disease outbreaks and the state of health systems in one country can easily impact another.

Public perceptions of global health have permanently changed

Audience interest has increased and people are now more aware of basic disease epidemiology and vaccine development, for example, scientific jargon such as the ‘R number’, ‘efficacy ratings’, and ‘contact tracing’ are no longer understood only by experts. Global interest in coverage of new malaria vaccines has also been huge. News coverage of Oxford University’s Jenner Institute R21 malaria vaccine showing 77 per cent efficacy in Phase 2 clinical trials, and the GSK-developed RTS, S vaccine becoming the first ever malaria vaccine to be recommended for use by the WHO, hit headlines around the world in ways we have never seen before.

The Draw the Line campaign won awards at both The Drum Awards and the World Media Awards. Image credit: Malaria No More

The ‘Draw The Line Against Malaria’ campaign

In February 2021, Zero Malaria Starts With Me launched a brand new, Africa-first campaign ‘Draw The Line Against Malaria’ to help shine a spotlight on the malaria fight.  Reflecting the energy, talent and culture from across the continent, with references to art, fashion, music, sport and entertainment, this new youth-focussed creative campaign sought to galvanise young people from across the African continent, and around the globe, to call on their leaders to prioritise malaria while continuing to fight Covid-19.

Brought to life through a powerful short film starring some of Africa’s biggest changemakers, including Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge, South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi and Nigerian actress Omotola J Ekeinde, this campaign has inspired young people to be the generation to ‘draw the line against malaria’.

At the heart of the campaign is a beautiful, universal visual language made up of lines, symbols, and patterns called ‘Muundo,’ which was created by Láolú Senbanjo, a Nigerian visual artist and musician, and Art Director for the campaign. The Muundo has become an ever-growing crowd-sourced mural on which people can add their own stamp by visiting zeromalaria.org and drawing their own line against malaria. Later this year, the Muundo will be presented to world leaders as a rallying cry for increased action in the fight against malaria.

Increased media coverage has reflected audience interest in the campaign

Since the campaign launched, thousands of people have drawn the line against malaria, and we’ve seen our key audiences connecting with the Muundo language and using the power of the unique artwork to drive real change in their communities and countries. This award-winning campaign has so far resulted in 1.4 billion impressions around the world to date and achieved more than 24 million digital engagements.

There have been broadcast pieces aired on CNN, Sky News and MTV Base, as well as on local radio stations in rural Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia and Rwanda, and print pieces in global and regional media outlets including Global Citizen, BBC World Service, BBC Africa, The Standard, Kenya, and Al Jazeera, to billboards in Lagos Airport or beside busy roads in Kigali, full-page adverts in GQ and African influencers Instagram pages. Draw The Line has captured the imagination of young people to take a stand against malaria. Now, we need the media to keep telling the story of malaria with renewed vigour.

Rhona Elliott is a Communications Officer at Malaria No More UK.

Five things you need to know about vaccine (in)equity in Africa

Many months ago, the UN chief, Antonio Guterres, warned the world that we needed to accelerate the global rollout of vaccines. ‘In an interconnected world, none of us is safe until all of us are safe’ he said. But the world did not listen. And one continent above all is paying the price for this dereliction of global leadership: Africa. We asked Jackie Kiarie and Steve Murigi from Amref, Africa’s leading health NGO, to tell us what has gone wrong.

If the number of COVID-19 vaccines produced in 2021 had been fairly distributed, every country in the world could have reached the WHO’s target of 40% coverage by the end of September. 

Instead, many wealthy nations are well into the delivery of third doses, with some making plans for a fourth, while lower-income countries remain largely unprotected – putting lives at risk and creating the conditions for the emergence of variants such as Omicron.

The disparity is particularly acute when it comes to Africa. At the time of writing (late January 2022), less than 10% of Africa’s population was fully vaccinated. If we consider that definitions of “fully vaccinated” are being rewritten to include booster shots, that number plummets to around 1%.

There are encouraging signs: shipments to Africa – through COVAX (the mechanism set up to ensure equitable access to vaccines globally), AVATT (Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, an initiative of the African Union), and bilateral deals and agreements – are increasing. Supplies are becoming more reliable: but they remain insufficient. And while supply is critical, it’s not the only challenge standing in the way of improved vaccination rates.

As Africa’s leading health NGO, we’d like to see the UK media take a more nuanced approach when reporting on these complex challenges. Here are five key points we’d like to see highlighted more often.

1. COVID-19 is one of many infectious diseases threatening lives and livelihoods across Africa

At the time of writing, the continent is facing outbreaks of dengue, Lassa fever, cholera, and measles. In many contexts, these outbreaks co-exist with humanitarian emergencies, such as conflict and displacement in the DRC and Cameroon, or flooding in South Sudan, putting unbearable pressure on already over-stretched health systems and the people who staff them.

African countries don’t have the luxury of choosing which public health emergency to prioritise. If anything, this makes increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Africa – including among frontline health workers – all the more urgent.

2. Wealthy nations must go beyond increasing the number of doses they are sharing: they must commit to providing doses that are useable

We have seen a lot of examples of wealthy nations – the UK among them – congratulating themselves on the number of doses they have donated to less affluent countries. And while successes should be celebrated, it’s also important carefully and critically to examine these claims.

In reality, wealthy nations have failed to follow through on their commitments. Of the doses that are being shared, especially through mechanisms such as COVAX, many have extremely short lifespans and are due to expire months or even weeks after they arrive in the recipient country. This makes it challenging for governments and health workers to distribute the doses equitably and mobilise communities to receive the jab, increasing the risk of wastage – and resulting in further negative news coverage condemning African countries that destroy unused doses. (Particularly galling when the UK has recently destroyed thousands of booster vaccines due to lack of demand.)

Donor countries must commit to sharing doses with longer lead times to allow adequate time for deployment. Until they do, they are setting recipient countries – many of whose health systems are already over-stretched – up to fail.

3. Media reports should paint a broader, more holistic picture to improve public understanding of what it takes to roll out a vaccination programme in a country whose health system is already under pressure

Remember, too, that COVAX’s responsibility stops at the port. Challenges related to logistics, infrastructure and capacity stand in the way of vaccines “reaching the last mile” and getting into people’s arms. In many African countries, very few health facilities are equipped to administer the vaccine. Myths and misinformation result in vaccine hesitancy; many health workers have not received the training they need to calm people’s fears and increase uptake. It can be hard to ensure that doses are stored safely and in the correct conditions. It is challenging to get doses from entry points to remote regions, especially when time is of the essence and expiry dates fast approaching.

Covid vaccination rollout in Uganda. Photo credit: Amref Health Africa

4. Vaccine hesitancy is a challenge – but it’s not the only, nor the principal, obstacle to increasing coverage

Too many media reports frame vaccine hesitancy as the leading cause of low coverage in Africa. And while hesitancy is a challenge, as it is in other parts of the world – including wealthy nations – it is not the primary reason that people in Africa are not getting vaccinated.

Amref staff working across the continent consistently find that when vaccines are available, people are lining up to receive them. The challenge lies in securing those doses, and then in bringing them closer to communities: getting them to the places where people are doing business and going about their lives.

The best advocate for a vaccine is someone who has received one: so the lack of access to vaccines only feeds hesitancy. A person who has had a positive experience of vaccination can share that experience and encourage others. In a similar way, if someone living in a remote area walks for several hours to the nearest health facility hours – or spends their last shillings on transport – only to find there are no vaccines available, they will share their disappointment and are unlikely to go back. Tackling myths and misinformation is a key component of any vaccination drive, and frontline health workers are an indispensable resource.

5. COVID-19 vaccine inequity shines a light on global health inequity more broadly

In the words of WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “If we end inequity, we end the pandemic”. COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated inequities in access to health care and services, not just between but within countries. These inequities have had a devastating impact on the rollout of the vaccine. Across the African continent (and indeed around the world), there is inequity not only in access to the vaccine, but in access to reliable information about the vaccine. Case management is being hindered by acute shortages of PPE as well as limited oxygen supplies.

On top of this, African countries are experiencing a decline in the provision of other services as resources are diverted to pandemic response and crisis management. Routine, life-saving services like antenatal care, childhood immunisation programmes, HIV testing, and the testing and treatment of tuberculosis have all been affected. The consequences of this disruption will outlast the pandemic. We need to be thinking beyond COVID-19 and strengthening health systems in anticipation of the next public health emergency.

Meanwhile, if large swathes of the world’s population remain unprotected, booster programmes will not keep wealthy nations safe from emerging variants. The longer it takes for wealthy nations to realise this, the more distant the prospect of a return to “normal”. It serves no-one to point fingers at the Global South when wealthy nations are stockpiling, falling short of their commitments to provide more doses, failing to act on the WHO’s recommendations to prioritise global primary vaccinations over national boosters, and ignoring calls for pharma companies to share the technology that would allow these nations to manufacture their own supplies.

Even as COVID-19 slips down the UK news agenda, we – as consumers of news and global citizens – must keep up pressure on those with the power to change the pandemic’s trajectory. We need to move away from the scarcity mindset that sparks fear and fuels unhelpful practices such as stockpiling. If efforts to vaccinate the world are grounded in the principles of equity and fairness, we will find that there is enough for everyone.

What can you do?

• Sign Amref Health Africa’s petition calling for an end to vaccine injustice
• Support Amref Health Africa’s ‘Vaccine Solidarity with Africa’ campaign

Authors: Jackie Kiarie, Regional Programme Manager, Global Health Security, Amref Health Africa HQ and Steve Murigi, Head of Programmes and Strategic Partnerships, Amref Health Africa UK

Watch in full: COP26 – where next for the media?

You can access Gaby’s presentation on BBC’s post COP26 audience research here. Please not this presentation is for IBT members only and not for mass distribution.

Briefing Notes: COP26 – where next for the media?

Speakers

Sarah Whitehead, deputy head of newsgathering, Sky News sarah.whitehead@sky.uk

Angela Dewan, international climate editor, CNN angela.dewan@warnermedia.com

Matt McGrath, environment correspondent, BBC News matt.mcgrath@bbc.co.uk

Jack Lundie, director of campaigns and engagement, WWF jlundie@wwf.org.uk

Gaby Hornsby, TV lead sustainability, BBC gaby.hornsby@bbc.co.uk

COP26

In the first part of this session we reviewed the media coverage of COP26.

Sky News – Sarah said that Sky had understood that this was a real moment and they had launched their climate change daily news programme in April with a weekly podcast and a beefed-up team of reporters and producers. They wanted to report on daily changes and developments on the issue, bring a climate change angle to mainstream stories and search out some solutions. During COP they launched a dedicated Climate Live channel. And there were reports from around the world including Mark Austin in Brazil and Alex Crawford in Madagascar. There was also a commitment to following the impact on the ground in Bangladesh.

CNN – Angela said that CNN also recognised that climate change had ceased to be a niche issue and had gone mainstream. They too expanded their team of reporters and writers. She found that the CNN audience was less interested in the machinations of COP and more interested in how climate change was impacting on communities around the world. The audience was also keen to see CNN holding companies and governments to account.

BBC – Matt said it was hard to get across to audiences the importance of COP. One of their successes was explainers on key issues which proved very popular with audiences. Ros Atkins specialised in these and has spoken of what he calls ‘assertive impartiality.’ Matt, like Angela, felt that audiences were interested in accountability.

WWF – Jack reflected on media coverage from the point of view of WWF, saying that the media played a key role in ensuring that climate promises made in the run up to COP were kept. He praised the media’s commitment to covering climate change which made it easier for WWF and other campaigners to get their message across. However, the question remained as to the wider impact of media coverage. WWF is working on the assumption that politicians and governments are more likely to keep their promises on tackling climate change if the media is holding them to account.

The audience

Gaby shared the BBC’s audience research which tracked UK attitudes to climate change at three points in the year – July, October and late November. She will speak to colleagues about whether she is able to share her slides with attendees. But, if you wish to see the slides, just watch the recording of the event. Gaby is the fifth speaker.

Six out of 10 people said that climate change was important or very important to them and this was true across all ages, gender and demographics. In July audiences cared about COP but had very little understanding of the summit – by the time it took place they had a much clearer understanding of its importance and the topics that were covered, especially deforestation, fossil fuels and carbon emissions.

Audiences demonstrated a high level of understanding on some headline issues – renewable energy, deforestation and climate change. There was good understanding of carbon footprint. But there was much less understanding when it came to more technical aspects such as sustainable infrastructure. COP produced higher levels of understanding – for example those who said they understood net zero went up from 49 to 60%.

Once COP had finished there was some drop in public understanding of climate change – from 82 to 75%, perhaps because audience had come to realise how complicated it was. There was no sign of environmental fatigue after COP with 59% of respondents saying they wanted to hear more, compared with 50% in July.

Audiences were asked which aspects interested them the most. They said they wanted to know what they could personally do to make a difference; they wanted to hear more positive stories; and they wanted to see governments held to account.

Overall, audiences felt that they had a broad understanding of climate change but lacked knowledge about the detail. They felt that the media was not doing a good job of holding governments, companies and policy makers to account.

Gaby also shared with us the IPSOS MORI poll in which members of the public identified the issues that were of most concern to them. In November, after COP climate change/the environment/pollution was the top issue on 40%. By December this had fallen by an astonishing 27 percentage points to 13%, its lowest point.

Gaby said that there were two key groups that had a lower understanding – young people and CDEs. This presented an opportunity for the media, although it might be hard to bring specialist content to these audiences.

Climate change pledge

Gaby also told us about the pledge by the Sky, the BBC and other public service broadcasters to beef up their coverage of climate change across a range of genres. In all areas of commissioning, commissioners would have a conversation with producers about how climate change could be included in editorial content. Gaby said there was a need to upskill the creative community so that they had a better understanding of climate change and related issues. The broadcaster group is working together to see how they can best track the changes in content and any increase in audience understanding and engagement.

Where next for the media?

All the broadcasters spoke about their plans for coverage now and in the run up to COP27.

Sky – Sarah wanted more stories about the impact of climate change and how to ensure accountability on a regular basis. Timeliness was key and pitching to the right person. Email her and she will put you in touch with the right person.

CNN – Angela was planning to do less but hoping that this would have more impact. She was open to all good stories with a fresh angle and also keen to do more on accountability. Email her your pitches.

BBC – Matt said the BBC would continue as before and there would be more explainers, more embedding of climate change across the full range of news stories and more investigations and attempts to hold those to the promises made at COP. He advised planning a long time ahead when approaching the BBC. Bring him case studies rather than issues. Bring him stories that illustrate the impact of climate change and look for ways of helping the audience to connect emotionally.

MG, 25.1.21

Why continuing media coverage of climate change is essential

2022 is another hugely important year for tackling the climate emergency, with COP27 taking place in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November. Kai Tabacek attended COP26 and believes that it marked a sea change in media reporting of climate change. But, he argues, we need to ensure that the voices of those worst affected by climate change continue to be heard.

The UK hosting COP26 was always going to be a huge opportunity. Not only was it the largest international summit the UK has ever hosted, but the first true test of the Paris Agreement: would governments live up to their promise to ratchet up emissions cuts? Would it be enough to keep global warming below the 1.5°C doomsday level? As the inevitable news arrived in early 2020 that COP26 was to be postponed by a year, it sometimes felt as though COP26 could never live up to the hype.

Oxfam’s aim was to highlight how climate change is making global poverty worse

Not only to ensure the voices of people already facing the emergency are heard, but to back the policies we know will make a difference: faster and deeper emissions cuts, huge increases in financial support for adaptation and compensation for the losses and damage that have already happened. Our smaller-than-usual delegation brought together colleagues from nine countries and included Margaret Masudio, a small-scale farmer from Uganda. We began and ended the summit with stunts in Glasgow’s beautiful Royal Exchange Square – using our ‘Big Head’ caricatures of world leaders to highlight their lack of action. Among the many excellent reports published around COP26, Oxfam revealed the huge inequality between the emissions of the world’s wealthiest and poorest citizens, and how this is putting 2030 targets at risk.

Despite being hailed as the world’s “last best chance” to avert climate catastrophe, by the time world leaders touched down in Scotland expectations were already dismally low. It was clear that the carbon reduction pledges (so-called NDCs) were not enough, and that the long-held goal for rich countries to provide $100 billion in climate finance per year was still out of reach. By the end of COP26, and despite the Government hailing the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ a success and a flurry of announcements on coal, petrol cars and deforestation, it was clear the summit did not deliver on the most fundamental issues.

There were some glimmers of hope

Setting a specific target for adaptation finance was huge. For years, wealthy governments have been far more willing to fund poorer countries to reduce their meagre emissions instead of helping them take action to adapt to stronger storms, rising seas, scarcer water and less fertile land. Seeing the Scottish Government (after intensive lobbying by Oxfam Scotland) pledge money for Loss and Damage to alleviate the impacts of climate change on some of the world’s most vulnerable communities – the first government to do so – was historic. The commitment by governments to come back with stronger carbon reductions next year – and not in five years – was at least an admission that current targets are completely inadequate. It was also encouraging to see fossil fuels mentioned in the final text, although scarcely believable that this didn’t happen sooner.

A sea change in media reporting of climate change

Putting aside the concrete outcomes, what did COP26 mean for people like us in the business of communicating climate change? Personally, I feel there’s been a sea change in the UK. It wasn’t so long ago that climate change was part of the ‘science correspondent’ beat (often rolled in with health). Today you would struggle to find a national outlet that doesn’t have a climate or environment correspondent, and many outlets (Sky News, the Mirror, the Sun, Independent, Daily Express) have launched dedicated shows or sections of their websites.

COP26 made wall-to-wall headline news – not just at the end but for two weeks. But as well as the usual coverage you would expect (the previews, protests, outrage at leaders flying in and the length of Biden’s motorcade, the diplomatic spats and the race for the finish) it was heartening to see broadcasters reporting what is at stake: David Shukman’s excellent report on the effects of climate change on one Bangladeshi woman over a decade, Lindsey Hilsum on how climate change is fuelling conflict and extremism in Niger and Alex Crawford on the world’s first climate-induced famine in Madagascar.

Climate change is no longer a niche subject for the media

But perhaps most encouraging of all was seeing informed mainstream coverage of subjects that have hitherto been restricted to the pages of the Guardian, Reuters Foundation and Carbon Brief. Articles over the final weekend emphasised the need to “keep 1.5 alive”. The last-minute wrangles over language on coal and fossil fuels cast unwanted attention on the blockers and the fossil fuel lobbies that have been so successful at preventing this in the past. The greater scrutiny of climate finance – and the leadership shown by Scotland on Loss and Damage – may mean that wealthy governments can no longer make vague and misleading pledges without facing scrutiny.

All of this is encouraging, but the real test is yet to come. Have the past two years been an aberration? Will news outlets quietly drop their climate correspondents, recognising the PR opportunity is over? There is plenty to report in year ahead: A looming climate crisis in the Horn of Africa, three landmark reports from the IPCC, updated NDCs and of course the ‘African COP’. All of us have our work cut out to ensure reporting on climate issues is sustained – not only to hold governments and businesses to account for the pledges they have made, but also to report on the real-world impacts. As our colleagues and delegates from far-flung countries head home, we also have the challenge of ensuring they are not forgotten – that journalists continue to report on their experiences and listen to them – not only as ‘colour’ but as experts and analysts.

Kai Tabacek is a Senior Press Officer with Oxfam 

The challenge of making your voice heard

Social media is becoming increasingly competitive and it’s often hard to get the right mix between scheduled and reactive content. We asked Taome Bamford-White from the International Rescue Committee UK (IRC) to give us her top tips.

In the last year our reactive content has outperformed our scheduled content, and we’ve seen some of the best engagement figures and highest performing posts, gaining nearly 10,000 new followers across networks. 6,500 of these were on Instagram. So how do we do it?

Researching and monitoring trends

The first step is making space to track, research and monitor trends. Carving out capacity is essential to find those golden moments where your messaging aligns with a trending topic:

• Block out some time in your calendar during the morning to prioritise looking across your social channels, pick up recurring themes or trending hashtags and check them against messaging and moments in your organisation.
• Start twitter lists with partners, competitors and influential accounts in your main subject areas, have a scroll through to see what conversations are bubbling.
• Set up searches on Google Trendsto monitor trending topics on an expansive level. The tool uses search data, giving you a much broader picture of what is trending than you’d see on a single social network.
• Search keywords in Google news and create Google Alerts for any keyword you want to watch, so you will always know what is happening. Finding and sharing news that has positive stories on refugees has been very rewarding on Facebook for IRC UK.
• Sign up for listening tools to get an overarching picture. These are often paid for but might be available on platforms you already use. Sprout Social has a listening tab where you can set keywords and measure conversation. CrowdTangle is another tool some organisations use.

Reacting to trends and creating content

The second part of my approach is deciding how and when to react. Reacting can be something as small (but effective) as commenting on a post or quote retweeting. For example, all of the brands that used quote RT’s from the red flag trend, including one from Save the children, did really well because they were tapping into a cultural moment. and people are still using the red flags weeks later.

But the biggest bang for your buck would be to create a piece of content. This doesn’t always mean creating something new and fancy; it could be as simple as screenshotting a tweet and sharing it across other channels.

For example, last year, we shared a tweet from Lord Alf Dubs, an ex-MP and prominent leader in conversation around refugees. Likewise, you can share a quote with a stock image.

Another example, of how we tapped into a cultural moment was during the Euros this year. During my morning hour researching trends and conversations, I came across a post by Migration Museum which highlighted the diversity of the England Lions. This inspired us to create our own graphic that celebrated the powerful message of welcoming and celebrating different cultures.

This post went semi-viral and was replicated thousands of times on other platforms and accounts. Gaining the most traction on Instagram but significantly on Twitter and other channels too. We shared it just before England played in the semi-final and in the same week visits to our landing page through combined direct and Google search increased by 130% compared to the previous week.

We also followed this topic of conversation up with a case study style post about a father and son from one of our programmes enjoying watching the Euros.

This reactive tactic has worked time and time again for IRC UK during events including G7, the olympics and national topics of conversion such as women’s rights and the Afghanistan crisis. All of which have enabled us to use our technical expertise as an additional educational element to the content and has seen it perform really well.

Choosing when to react and if it is the right moment for your brand can be difficult. If you can, get a small team together to bounce ideas off, share trending moments between you and see if any part of your organisation is relevant to it. Reacting quickly or first can be really beneficial but it’s not always necessary, for example, we waited a week to post our Euros graphic whilst the tournament was ongoing.

These are just some of the different ways IRC UK have been able to react and tap into trends. Social media is an ever-changing landscape, and while planning and being prepared is important for strong and powerful digital communication, it is vital to have a team – with processes and structures – that allow for agile working and being reactive. And be aware sometimes that will mean being ready and prepared to drop scheduled content in favour of real-time interests and cultural moments.

Taome Bamford-White is a digital and social officer at International Rescue Committee.

A version of this blog originally appeared on the Charity Comms website

Watch in full: podcast peer learning session with Dear Lifesaver

Briefing Notes: podcast masterclass with British Red Cross

Speakers: Jude, Annie and Zaina

Jude explained that the podcast was the result of an existing relationship between the British Red Cross and the We are VOICES network, an independent organisation. The podcast was timed to coincide the BRC ‘every refugee matters’ campaign and to support advocacy around the new Borders Bill.

Jude pitched the idea to her colleagues. She had produced media content with the VOICES network but this was different, as refugees and asylum seekers would be the editorial leads. She got the go ahead with funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery and put together the team of around a dozen refugees who were working as ambassadors for the VOICES network. A freelance audio producer, Bridey, was hired.

They began by running a series of workshops for the refugees, training them in podcast production. They listen to a lot of other podcasts, searched out resources, practised with audio diaries etc and then started to talk about the content. It was agreed that each episode would be themed and constructed around a key moment – the heart of the story. There would be no overarching narrative.

Annie explained that the refugees themselves decided the issues that they wanted to talk about. They had several goals for the podcast. They wanted to change perceptions of asylum seekers – they came to the UK out of necessity, not choice. The theme for the series was ‘joy and happiness.’ They wanted the podcasts to feel celebratory.

Zaina explained how they looked for small details to tell stories – she wants a tennis partner but it’s hard because she keeps being forced to move.

The themes they explored included loneliness, journeys, family life, accommodation, everyday life, borders and mental health.

The producers wanted to create a team spirit where there was mutual trust and everyone felt able to share their stories.

The podcasts were aimed at an audience that wanted to know more about the plight of refugees and what their daily lives were like. Their research indicated that many people were supportive but did not have much idea of the actual experience of refugees arriving in the UK. The series has been successful with more than 4,000 downloads and many listeners have signed the BRC ‘every refuges matters’ pledge. The link to the pledge campaign has been important as it gave the podcast team access to comms support and the ability to share clips from the podcasts across social media. The podcasts were not a separate activity but integrated with a wider campaign.

There were some challenges in getting internal sign off for each episode but overall it was much easier than Jude expected. She had to avoid being party political or naming individual politicians as the BRC has to remain politically neutral but they were allowed to broadcast the views and experience of the refugees themselves, however critical of the system they were.

The three speakers shared some of the key lessons that they had learnt in making the podcasts.

Annie said that she had learnt the importance of listening skills, resilience, trust in the team and the process, to be open minded, mindful of yourself and others.

Zaina said that for here the key was collaboration at every stage and to hold onto her passion. Passion was important than having the right skillset.

Jude said that the key lessons for her were bringing a co-production ethos into every element of the production, creating openness, building trust, be ready to change your plans and to go off piste. Working with other BRC teams was a particular challenge as they did not share the co-production ethos.

Dear Lifesaver podcast

The masterclass was followed by a networking session. We invited the presenters of Islamic Relief’s new podcast, Dear Lifesaver, to share their experience. Sara and Nabilah explained how the podcast came about, and spoke about the format and target audience. The initial aim was to engage their Muslim supporters with key development issues. They wanted to take the audience on a journey of learning and to go on that journey themselves. The aim was to choose a simple format which was comfortable and accessible, with Sara and Nabilah interview one guest in each episode and then reflecting on some of the key themes that arose from the interview. They may experiment with other formats in later episodes.

MG

8.12.21

Watch in full: podcast masterclass with British Red Cross

COP26 – a personal view

Practical Action was given official observer status at the recent COP26 talks in Glasgow. We asked Silvia Maria Gonzales, their global communications officer, who is based in Lima, to write about the experience of attending her first climate change talks.

COP26 had been identified as one of our key moments of the year and our approach to it was discussed in numerous videocalls, emails and chats. Our strict national Covid19 restrictions made this the only way to communicate and engage with colleagues, so I had a real sense of excitement and freedom when I jumped onto a plane, got through 7 days of quarantine (Peru was one of the last countries on the UK Red List) and finally got on a train, and headed for Glasgow

This was my first time at the climate talks and my first time in the UK. So, as the world watched to see if commitments would be agreed upon and paths to action set, I prepared to link up all the experience from around a dozen Practical Action experts who attended COP26 and the transformative work that happens in our country offices, with a sense of uncontrollable excitement that only a Covid pandemic-style isolation can bring.

COP26 was a litmus test for Practical Action

The talks felt like a litmus test – both for me personally and for Practical Action as a whole. I knew we all needed to ace it if we were to get the results that the communities we work with really need, take Practical Action’s approaches and learnings to scale, and ultimately prove to ourselves our strength as global connectors.

Thousands of security staff and police officers lined the Glaswegian streets, climate protests erupted almost every day, UK news was dominated by the major announcements being made, and walking through the hallways was always an opportunity to spot VIPs meeting people from all parts of the world.

Time for a reality check

This excitement, though, needed a reality check. We, as an NGO, were observers of this process, but like most members of civil society and indigenous peoples, we were left outside the negotiating rooms. Although that made sense from a COVID perspective, these restrictions threaten the legitimacy of the summit outcomes.

It was also a reality check for what I could deliver to spark engagement. To follow the complex negotiations on a single topic and be able to keep up with the jargon and the different versions of the agreements, I would have needed to dedicate my entire job to COP throughout the year.

Fortunately, I had the incredible support of my COP-seasoned colleagues, who were part of their national government delegations in Nepal and Zimbabwe, set on contributing to the debate about Loss and Damage, Regenerative Agriculture and a Just Transition.

Another guiding light in this sea of talks was the Climate Action Network – CAN. Their daily meetings, media monitoring and exchange of information allowed me to frame all that was happening more broadly.

In the cloud forests of San Jose de Lourdes in Peru, coffee farmer Neymita and her husband are reversing the deforestation that has plagued the area for decades. Photo credit: Practical Action

What did Practical Action hope to achieve at COP?

For many countries and communities, dealing with the profound impact of climate change is the reality. That’s the case for all of the communities Practical Action works with.

COP allows us to bring our grassroots approach onto a global stage. It was crucial for us to share the fact that there are real people at the heart of all these complex dialogues and negotiations.

On the one hand, people are already facing the deepest impact of extreme climate events, losing their lives and livelihoods. But on the other hand, these same people are already miles ahead of their leaders – adapting, leading change and mobilising their communities and providing a thriving future for themselves and their neighbours.

We attended COP to amplify the voices of these people and our experts provided advice to country delegations to help them emphasise the impact of climate change and some of the adaptations and approaches that are available to help people cope.

Our specialists from Nepal, Zimbabwe, Peru and the UK provided evidence, participated in events and had conversations with donors, both in the publicly-accessible green zone and the delegates-only blue zone.

Was COP a success?

It is fair to say that our expectations weren’t met. Fossil fuel cuts, Loss and Damage funding, keeping the 1.5 degree target alive, and other crucial aspects needed more action and commitment. But all isn’t lost. World leaders did make commitments and showed signs of movement and will now have to meet these, pushing for faster action on fossil fuels, reforestation and adaptation. And the work plan for the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform provides hope that it will have local needs at its heart.

This hope, grounded on the strength and passion of the communities we work with, will fuel our goals. For me, it confirmed that our approach at Practical Action is needed now more than ever. And to achieve change, we will have to work together, making sure these needs and stories of successful adaptation reach as many people as possible.

Silvia Maria Gonzales is Practical Action’s Global Communications Officer.

Why COP26 means that public engagement matters more than ever before

The goal of keeping warming to 1.5C is still alive, but it’s on life support. And going forwards requires hope. So where is hope to be found? It has to be in the rising tide of concern about climate change around the world, and people’s desire to show up and be part of the solution, writes Robin Webster.

The media loves drama, and over the years many of the 26 COPs have delivered. The Glasgow talks fulfilled the brief, encompassing last minute negotiations, deadlines, tears and arguments over the exact textual meaning of ‘requests’ vs ‘urges’.

But Glasgow was different to many previous COPs in one key way: we are now in the era of delivery and not promises. Arguments over targets and negotiation texts can only get us so far. You can hear it in the restlessness of protestors outside the conference fence, you can hear it in the determination of young climate justice campaigners to make their voices heard, you can hear it in the words of delegates from the global south where rising temperatures are already hitting livelihoods and lives. There is an increasing impatience pressing at the gates. The question they are asking: ‘but what are we actually doing?’

1.5C, Glasgow and public engagement 

Research released during the conference shows that the plans countries have laid out so far for reducing emissions (known as Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs) still add up to a terrifying 2.4C of temperature rise by the end of the century.

We are now at 1.1 degrees of warming. Crossing the 2 degrees threshold is enough to put over 1 billion people under extreme heat stress; bleach over 99% of coral reefs; double the extinction of plant species and intensify the melting of sea ice in summer by 10 times, fueling up to 6 metres of sea level rise in vulnerable parts of the world. The Maldives Environment Minister, Aminath Shauna stated it baldly in the final plenary, “The difference between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees, for us, really is a death sentence”.

Theoretically at least, ‘1.5 is still alive’ after the negotiations. An agreement made in Glasgow – known as the Glasgow Climate Pact – requests that countries “revisit and strengthen” their climate pledges by the end of 2022. This may seem like a thin victory, but it wasn’t a given before the conference started, and it puts diplomatic pressure on governments to strengthen their plans over the next year.

As the Secretary-General of the United Nations put it during the negotiations, if 1.5 is still alive, it’s on life support. Changing the political, social and economic priorities of governments around the world to refocus on new, ambitious plans for COP27 to reduce emissions as fast as possible would be – will be – a momentous task.

But going forwards requires hope. So where is hope to be found? It has to be in the rising tide of concern about climate change around the world, and people’s desire to show up and take part. At this point in history, people who are willing to be central to societal transformation are needed around the world, to build a mandate for unstoppable change and hold governments to account.

This doesn’t just mean taking action on the streets – though that really matters, in countries where it is possible. The evidence shows that people are deeply influenced by those around us – what we see them doing, and the conversations we have in our lives. Public consent and public pressure go together in driving politicians to make change. The change we make, the change we ask for in our communities – even down to the conversations over the dinner table – all have to be part of that story.

In short: whole-society, meaningful ongoing engagement is needed to deliver the social change that will stir politicians to deliver better and stronger pledges.  And in 2022, it matters as never before.

Placing people at the heart of climate action

In November 2022, COP will take place in Egypt, which is situated  in one of the most vulnerable regions in the world, particularly impacted by water and food insecurity which is already being exacerbated by climate change. 2 degrees of temperature rise could have devastating consequences for people’s lives and livelihoods, in a country where nearly 30% of people rely on agriculture and desertification is rapidly spreading.

So governments will  return to the table in a country whose citizens face an existential threat to their survival, and answer the question: have you done enough? Are you willing to do enough? COPs aren’t just about the drama of the negotiators inside the halls any more. The answer to that question will only be yes if people around the world participate in making it so.

Robin Webster is Climate Outreach’s Senior Programme Lead in Advocacy Communications. You can follow Robin on Twitter @RobinWebs.

A version of this blog first appeared on the Climate Outreach website.

Briefing Notes: crisis comms

PLEASE NOTE: This is an off the record briefing – do not quote its contents to third parties

Speakers

John Orme, senior counsel, Porter Novelli john.orme@porternovelli.com

Sean Ryan, Director of Media and Corporate Comms, Save the Children s.ryan@savethechildren.org.uk

John’s advice

All crises are complex and difficult and they come when you least expect them, but John emphasised the importance of preparation, having systems in place, so that they could be dealt with quickly and effectively. A crisis is a badly managed issue – if it’s well managed it does not become a crisis. John said it was essential to anticipate what might happen and to ensure that you can respond speedily. He has a ‘one hour ready’ rule. You should be ready to respond within one hour of an issue arising. This may mean that you have to respond without having the full facts and without having sign off from everyone.

You can anticipate a variety of crises that may occur and prepare for them. These could involve safeguarding, behaviour of senior staff, concerns of people who have left the organisation or internal whistleblowers. You need to do a risk assessment but also look at your own vulnerabilities as an organisation. What are the roadblocks to an effective response? Is power devolved? Do you have a transparent culture? Do you respond well to criticism?

Stick to your values and respond according to them even if others are advising you to do differently. Be as open as possible, putting as much information out as possible, anticipate what is likely to happen next and prepare your response, be proactive rather than reactive. Try and encourage authentic voices to speak up on your behalf.

Sean’s experience

Sean spoke about three occasions when he had been in the media spotlight.

When he was Foreign Editor at the Sunday Times one of his reporters, Marie Colvin, was killed in Syria. Soon after he was informed, Al Jazeera told him they were running the story, so he had to inform the family, colleagues, manage the media response and think ahead to tackle logistical issues such as bring Marie’s body home and rescuing her injured colleague. He had no plan in place and was overwhelmed. He said that he learnt several lessons – above all, be prepared, have a system in place for dealing with a crisis, protect people who are dealing with the crisis as the pressure is intense, don’t neglect internal comms, it’s important to keep your colleagues fully informed. Sean also briefed a journalist when Vanity Fair started to investigate and he made the mistake of trusted the journalist who then used his words against him. It took them several weeks to gain control and feel that they were no longer on the defensive.

The next crisis that Sean had to manage was when ISIS bombed the Save the Children compound in Afghanistan. This time they got ahead of the story, briefing the BBC on the facts as far as they knew them. But then the Wall Street Journal wanted to publish a story in which ISIS accused Save the Children of evangelising in Afghanistan. Sean managed to persuade the Foreign Editor not to run the story as it would put all Save’s in country staff at risk.

The third crisis was when two senior managers at Save were accused of sexual misconduct. When the story broke, the two had already left the organisation but Save was accused of failing to hold them to account for their misbehaviour. The Chair of the Trustees set up a small group to handle the crisis which included Sean and an outside lawyer, but not the CEO who had to recuse himself as he had been a Trustee at the time of the allegations. The lawyer persuaded the group to take an aggressive stance against journalists and threaten legal action. This was a huge mistake and damaged Save’s relationship with journalists and proved counter-productive. Sean was told not to speak to journalists which also proved to be a big mistake. The lesson Sean learnt was that NGOs should engage with their critics and provide as much information as possible. Be very careful about how you come across in these situations. Stay true to your values.

MG, 16.11.21

Watch in full: crisis comms briefing

PLEASE NOTE: This is an off the record briefing – do not quote its contents to third parties.

Briefing Notes: Richard Greene from CNN

Key contacts

Guest booking cnniplanningteam@turner.com

Freedom Project lead leif.coorlim@cnn.com

Health cnnhealth2@turner.com

Senior news editor Lindsay.isaac@turner.com

International climate editor angela.dewan@cnn.com

Speaker

Richard Greene, Head of Content, CNN London Richard.greene@warnermedia.com

Overview

CNN International is a division of CNN. It has a similar relationship as BBC News with BBC World News. CNNI broadcasts globally outside the US to several hundred million homes although there are no precise viewing figures. Some of its shows are broadcast by the US network and vice versa and content is shared between the two, but CNNI is principally aimed at a global audience so each story is judged on its merits. The US network has much more of a US focus. CNNI recently led for example on the kidnapping of US missionaries in Haiti and on the murder of the British MP David Amess.

CNNI is known as a breaking news channel and this is what it does best. When there’s a breaking story it throws lots of resources at it. Part of Richard’s role is to encourage his colleagues to place these stories in a wider context, which is what audiences are looking for. The nature of breaking news is changing. But if there is a big story and you have a guest who can contribute get straight on to the guest bookers, who are part of the planning team. Guests are judged on their merits. Players are of more interest than commentators.

CNNI comes from London several times a day and in normal times they would want guests in the studio but currently they have no studio guests so anyone can contribute regardless of where they are.

Television is no longer the most important outlet. In the US live TV dominates but outside of the US, CNN’s online presence is equally important and they have a digital team in London. London is the largest CNN bureau outside the US and the hub for stories from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It employs around 30 people – producers, reporters, presenters, sports desk, photo desk, business team, climate team.

Pitches can go to Richard or one of the specialist teams.

What are they looking for?

Any story you pitch needs to have a topical angle or peg so that it feels like a story that is relevant now. This doesn’t mean that they don’t do features, but it does mean that any off-agenda story should have a strong peg.

Top issues

Each year CNN decides on the top issues that it wants to focus on in order to differentiate itself from the competition – this year there are prioritising the climate crisis, China, inequality, the new post-Covid world and global politics/identity.

Climate crisis – they will go big on COP and they will be devoting a lot of resources to it. The international climate editor, Angela Dewan, is based in London. Angela has said that she welcomes pitches from us, although she may be slow to answer. They are keen as part of their coverage of climate change to look at solutions so that the coverage is not all negative and bleak. At COP, they will seek to hold world leaders to account. Climate change pitches need to have a different angle or something new to say.

Inequality is another key topic for them – and they interpret this widely. For example whether billionaires should spend their money go into space or give to more deserving causes, can be seen as an inequality issue.

Whilst CNN is not a campaigning organisation it does sometimes do issue-related campaigns. One such campaign is the freedom project which looks at human trafficking. The campaign is ongoing.

MG, 21.10.21

Watch in full: Briefing with CNN

How charities can use Clubhouse

Clubhouse is one of the latest social media platforms to launch, but with a very different format from its competitors. Some charities have started to see the benefits of joining, writes Kirsty Marrins.

Clubhouse is a relatively new, audio-only social media platform which was launched in April 2020. It is essentially a social media platform where people can have live conversations grouped around topics. It’s been described as a mix of panel discussions, live podcasts and networking opportunities.

How does Clubhouse work?

When it launched, people could only join Clubhouse if they had been invited by an existing user – as it was still in beta. It came out of beta in July 2021 and is now available to everyone on both Android and iOS.

It’s really quick to sign up. Once you’ve joined, you are able to see who in your phone contacts list is on Clubhouse so you can follow them if you wish to. You’ll also be asked which topics you’re interested in, but I’d advise not picking too many as what happens is you’ll see lots of Rooms in those genres, but many won’t actually be of interest.

When you open the App, you’ll see what’s called ‘the Hallway’ and then different ‘Rooms’ that are taking place right then, based on who you follow and which interests you chose. You’ll be able to see the topic and how many people are in the Room. You can also use the search function to look for Rooms, people or Clubs on certain topics.

When you enter a Room, you will be on mute but will be able to hear the speakers who are on the ‘Stage’. There is the ability to raise your hand if you want to ask a question or contribute to the discussion but it’s up to the speaker whether they invite you up to the Stage. If they do, you will then be unmuted and able to speak. Once you’ve asked your question, or contributed, you can move back to the audience if you wish to.

The way the Room is organised is:

• The Stage – this is where the hosts and invited speakers are
• People followed by the speakers – if you’re followed by one or more of the speakers, you are closer to the stage (you’re still muted though)
• Others in the Room – this is anyone else who isn’t followed by one of more of the speakers

When in the Room, you can click on anyone’s profile picture, read more about them and follow them if you wish. If you’re finding a Room interesting, you can ‘ping’ in any of your followers who you think may enjoy the discussion. They will then be notified that you’ve invited them to join the Room.

The more people you follow, the more Rooms you’ll see in your Hallway when you open the App as you’ll see Rooms that people you follow are currently in.

Decided that you’re not really interested in the discussion taking place? You can leave the room by clicking on the ‘leave quietly’ button.

Can charities be branded on Clubhouse?

When it was in beta, only individuals could be on the App and not brands. So a workaround was that once you had hosted a Room three times, you could apply for a Club. And that’s where the branding could come in.

Now you can join as a brand, so your charity can not only have a presence on Clubhouse but can host Rooms and events too. The IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) is one charity that has a branded account on the App.

Opportunities for charities

I think Clubhouse offers individuals in charities the opportunity to network and to create Rooms based on topics around their expertise. For example there is the Social for Good Club which meets on Fridays at 5pm.

Not specifically charity related, but every weekday morning at 8am there is a Breakfast with brand, marketing and comms specialists, that is really interesting and often has great guests who have worked on brilliant campaigns.

I see Clubhouse as an opportunity to learn and to share expertise. And I think this is something charities have an abundance of in their areas of specialism and where a Q&A format would work really well. For example, take Cancer Research UK and all the staff and researchers involved in their work. There are so many discussions (or Rooms based around certain topics) they could have – from the latest research into breast cancer to how to support a friend who is going through chemotherapy.

Clubhouse recently announced a monetization feature (in beta) where people can send payments to creators. This is where I think it could get interesting for charities as you could host an exclusive and intimate ‘In conversation with’ Room with one of your celebrity patrons or frontline staff, for example, and ask people to pay a donation to be part of the conversation.

Top tips to get started

• Create an individual account and join some Rooms to get a feel for the platform and the different types of Rooms (panel discussion format, in conversation with, Q&A etc)
• Spend some time looking for people or Clubs who are similar to what you’re looking to use Clubhouse for, in a brand or professional capacity, and then see what works and what doesn’t
• Host a Room once you feel you’ve got a good idea of how Clubhouse works. You can even do a practice one with colleagues or peers as there is the option to create a closed Room.
• Create a charity account once you’ve got a strategic plan in place for how you’ll use Clubhouse for your charity.

One of the most interesting things about Clubhouse, for now at least, is their openness with their community. Every Sunday there is a Town Hall meeting with the founders where you can submit a question beforehand and they’ll answer it. They’ll also update you on new features and what they’re working on.

Poor accessibility

At the moment, a major problem with Clubhouse is its lack of accessibility to those who are deaf or have hearing impairments. There is no live captioning and it doesn’t even support Apple’s VoiceOver screen reader. From a visually impaired perspective, it doesn’t support text-resizing. So, in terms of accessibility, Clubhouse has a long way to go.

For more information on Clubhouse and how charities could use it, read Helen Olszowska’s article on Charity Digital.

Kirsty Marrins is a Digital Communications Consultant and Charity Comms Trustee. You can follow Kirsty on Twitter @LondonKirsty.

A version of this blog first appeared on the Charity Comms website.

Watch in full: social media training session two

You can access the slides from the session here.

This session covered:

• • Platform changes for LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook and YouTube 
  • How to reach new audiences 
  • Team members’ social media presences 
  • Tone of voice – advanced tips 
  • How to piggyback on trending topics 
  • Advocacy management and strategy 
  • Crisis communications 
  • Dealing with trolls 
  • Accessibility on social media – advanced tips 
  • How to take an insights led approach to content strategy as a team 
  • How to create a compelling narrative about your organisation on social media 

Watch in full: social media training session one

You can access the slides from the session here.

This session covered:

• • Understanding your audience on social media and their needs 
  • How to be strategic and measure success on social media 
  • How to get more reach and engagement 
  • How to create low cost content 
  • Content pillars: what are they and how to use them 
  • Tone of voice- beginner to intermediate tips 
  • Accessibility on social media

How the ONE Campaign successfully harnessed the power of celebrities

Last year ONE persuaded an impressive array of celebrities to hand over their social media accounts to experts to campaign for a global response to the pandemic. Kate Critchley takes us behind the scenes of the campaign.

In the early days of Covid-19, governments understandably focussed on protecting their own populations. But as the virus spread around the world it soon became clear that a coordinated global response was urgently needed to ensure that no country was left behind.

The problem was that very few people were talking about a global response, and no one was taking a lead. So we launched the ‘ONE World’ campaign in April 2020 to push this up the agenda.

The challenge of using celebrities at such a sensitive time

Often the most effective way to get the word out is through the power of celebrity, but the environment was challenging at that point in time. As we went into lockdown, it quickly become apparent that although everyone was confined to their homes, some people’s lockdowns were, well, more comfortable than others… and celebrities were criticised for their ‘solidarity’ social media posts. Our artist and talent friends asked how they could support our campaign, but we knew that they couldn’t be the face of it – we had to be smarter about how to leverage their profiles and audience reach.

Another challenge at the beginning of the pandemic was the amount of misinformation and speculation circulating. People didn’t know who to listen to or trust. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we were on calls with some of the world’s foremost experts discussing what needed to happen to end the pandemic globally. That was our lightbulb moment. Our talent partners could help make sure the rest of the world heard directly from these same experts.

How the #PasstheMic campaign was conceived

And so, with our creative partners at Hive we created Pass the Mic – a social media campaign in which celebrities, with their combined followership of 400 million people, handed over their platforms to global health experts for them to share the facts. Our original goal was for 19 talent–expert pairings, but that number soon doubled as more and more volunteered to take part, enabling us to curate a diverse range of international and locally known pairings for audiences in Europe, Africa and North America.

By matching household names with experts, celebrities could lend their public profiles without being the focus, allowing experts to share insights and information that might not have landed on people’s timelines otherwise. Working with high-profile individuals, such as Penelope Cruz, Hugh Jackman and Michael Sheen got positive media traction, which helped boost public awareness of #PasstheMic, creating a virtuous loop.

In addition to handing over their social media platforms, some celebrities interviewed their expert on Zoom. Before we knew it, we were a fly on the wall as Julia Roberts chatted to Dr Anthony Fauci, David Oyelowo listened to Gayle Smith recounting her time as head of USAID when Ebola swept through West Africa, and Sarah Jessica Parker had tears in her eyes as Dr Craig Spencer told her stories from the emergency room in her beloved New York. By the end, each expert drew the same conclusion: if the world didn’t come together to end this pandemic everywhere, it wasn’t going to end anywhere.

Responding to the Black Lives Matter protests

As with all campaigns, we had unexpected challenges along the way. We had planned for one takeover every day for the length of the campaign. However, just over a week after launching, tragedy struck with the death of George Floyd and we knew we needed to change the course of the campaign to make room for the important Black Lives Matter conversations happening across social media. So, we halted the remaining takeovers, and instead opted for a two-day grand finale on 1 July – the six-month anniversary of the first reporting of Covid-19. Over the course of two days, all the remaining takeovers took place, which gave us another great media moment.

Pass the Mic was very successful for ONE, helping us reach a huge audience that we don’t usually speak to. The campaign achieved 87 million views of the video interviews and almost 4 million engagements on social media, with Instagram outperforming other channels. Millie Bobby Brown’s partnership with Aya Chebbi accounted for the most engagement, reach and views among takeover pairings.

Over a year later, it is common knowledge that the pandemic won’t end anywhere until it has been beaten everywhere, but despite positive noises from leaders, there has not been enough movement on ensuring global vaccine access, or that the economic impact of Covid-19 doesn’t undo years of development progress. Ensuring experts have the same reach as celebrities is no doubt something that will be needed again before we finally beat this virus for good.

Kate Critchley is ONE’s Executive Director of Communications and Content.

How the digital divide threatens the success and legitimacy of the COP26 talks

The digital divide is in danger of stifling the voices of those representing some of the communities likely to be worst affected by the impacts of climate change, argues Matt Wright.

In the run-up to this year’s vitally important UN climate summit (COP26), the creation of a Twitter account that provides mocking commentary of the technological issues being experienced by negotiators might not immediately seem significant.

After all, during the COVID-19 pandemic we’ve all become more reliant on digital technology to communicate and collaborate, as well as more accustomed to the various issues that arise. “I can’t hear you, you’re on mute” or someone cutting off mid-sentence when their internet drops out have become every bit as commonplace during meetings as a mobile phone going off or struggling to get a presentation working.

In the circumstances, a bit of light relief can go a long way. “Apologies for my dog snoring in the background” was one memorable contribution to the discussions at the pre-COP26 sessions of the subsidiary bodies, which took place completely online in early June.

But the snarky comments and humorous gifs also shine a light on a bigger issue. If a key purpose of COP26 is for all nations to come to a fair and equitable agreement on increasing the ambition to tackle climate change, how is that possible when negotiators from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have less opportunity to get their points across whether in person or online?

Transferring inequality online

There was already huge inequality in the UNFCCC process when climate diplomacy was carried out at in-person meetings, with the world’s poorest countries struggling to make their voices heard in the power games of international relations. From the number  of the negotiators available to the facilities with which they are provided, blocs such as the LDC Group are constantly battling against the odds.

In parallel, there is a huge digital divide between countries whose populations largely benefit from internet that is widely accessible, cheap and reliable, and those where that’s far from the case. Having to conduct negotiations remotely has therefore provided a new and unfair set of challenges that have greater consequences for LDCs.

It’s these climate-vulnerable nations that are already experiencing the greatest impacts of climate change despite having done the least to cause it. And as the British Red Cross’ Mary Friel pointed out in last month’s IBT blog, they are also the countries that have the most experience and knowledge in how to respond.

Some efforts have been made to ease the problems. Technical support and training has been provided by the UNFCCC, and time zones rotated to ensure no particular region was disadvantaged. But technical problems, connectivity issues and power failures have persisted, causing many interruptions and delays.

The reality of negotiating from an internet café

These issues are not just limited to the availability, reliability or speed of connection to the internet, either. For example, there are huge disparities in the cost of data from country to country, even within the global South (the average cost of 1GB of mobile data in Malawi is $US27.41 compared to $8 in the US and $1.05 in Kenya), and the same is true of equipment: someone earning the average salary in Sierra Leone would have to save for six months before being able to afford a smartphone.

“The problem is that in some countries, internet is still an expensive luxury”, said Alpha Kaloga, a climate negotiator from Guinea.

Climate negotiators without the internet at home have reported that they can only join online meetings from other facilities, from offices to internet cafes. When meetings take place at night or run late, they are forced to leave the meeting to travel home safely before dusk.

And these problems assume the internet is even available. Governments, particularly in Africa and Asia, have increasingly shut down the internet to citizens, citing reasons ranging from a need to ensure national security and safety to trying to prevent students from cheating during exams. This is often done without warning: “Internet is not water, internet is not air,” said Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed in 2019.

So while negotiators from all countries have experienced issues at some point, it’s clear that delegates from the least resourced and most climate-vulnerable countries have been disproportionately affected.

Travel restrictions are likely to increase online focus

The additional inequalities posed by technological access to the negotiations is one of the reasons COP president Alok Sharma committed in May to an ‘in-person’ COP26. But with little let-up in the pandemic, plus unfulfilled vaccine promises and expensive and lengthy quarantines for delegates from some countries, pressure is mounting for delegates to be able to join negotiations virtually.

These issues affect anyone attending COP26, including journalists. For example, border closures in Tuvalu and Kiribati mean no one is able to travel, while anyone from Bangladesh, Laos or Cambodia faces 14 days of quarantine at their own expense on their return.

Alongside the digital divide, this means those communities on the frontline of the worst climate impacts are in danger of not having equal representation at the negotiations, fewer media to report back on what is decided on issues that matter to them, plus difficulty following the summit remotely themselves.

So despite the humorous coverage of negotiators struggling to prepare and take their place at the most important climate conference of the year, it really is no laughing matter.

Matt Wright is IIED’s web planning and content manager

Watch in full: Briefing on climate change with BBC News

Briefing Notes: BBC News on Climate Change

Speaker

Matt McGrath, BBC Environment Correspondent

matt.mcgrath@bbc.co.uk

Climate and Science team

Matt is part of the 20-25 strong Climate and Science team (it was previously Science and Environment). The new name signals the importance that the BBC attaches to climate change. The team is being relocated to Cardiff so there will be some departures. The main correspondents are David Shukman, Victoria Gill, Rebecca Morelle, Justin Rowlatt, Claire Marshall, Pallab Ghosh and Roger Harrabin. Each has their own area of interest which you can see from their previous reporting but there is some overlap. Roger covers UK and Matt global. Matt mainly produces digital content but also some radio and TV. He covers climate change, IPPC, COP, UN, global policy and impacts.

Climate change coverage

Matt said there is a big audience appetite for climate change related stories and interest is growing. When he wrote a story about the latest IPPC report it had 4m page views on the day. He says that their audience research shows that the audience likes mainstream coverage of the big climate stories. They like the fact that the BBC is objective and is a reliable source of information.

Changes to BBC News

A new commissioning system is currently being put in place to avoid duplication and to focus on fewer stories. It was felt that there were too many stories being produced and too much duplication. Commissioning groups will decide which stories to prioritise and the approach will be digital first. Each story will run on radio, TV and online, so for the stories that are commissioned will reach bigger audiences than in the past. There will be greater depth and analysis. The downside is that there will be a narrowing of the range of stories. Matt agreed that the big news story of the day will dominate, as it does now, but said there would be a greater effort to put in place explainers and increase the range of voices that are heard on a story.

Pitching

Matt was sympathetic about the challenges of pitching to BBC News. He said a lot is about building relationships. The first story you pitch will not necessarily get commissioned but a later one may. Target a correspondent that you think may be interested and start trying out ideas on them. He said most of the commissioning for the coverage of COP has been done but advised everyone to watch events and post comments or pictures that are relevant on a given day. He said there will be live coverage online throughout COP and this is a good opportunity to place topical stories especially on the first few days of COP when not much is newsworthy. The BBC is going to give COP a huge amount of coverage. Also think about pitching spokespeople, but be clear that they have something to say and are willing to be outspoken. This is a chance to talk about issues rather than a PR opportunity for an NGO. There is strong interest in data – if you are pitching data then the BBC will need access to the raw data and their in house team will make the charts.

Impact of climate change on developing countries

This is an aspect of the climate change story that the BBC wants to cover but Matt said that they had covered it already and needed to keep finding new angles. They are also keen to ensure that voices from these worst affected communities are heard during COP and Matt accepts that NGOs are closer to the communities and can help to give the BBC access.

Changing tone of coverage

The BBC’s approach to covering this issue had changed a lot since the previous COP when coverage had to be ‘balanced’ with sceptical voices included. BBC News now accepts that climate change is the result of human actions. Given the audience interest, the BBC is aware of its responsibility in covering the issue and wants to ensure that its coverage reaches mainstream audiences. They are often more interested in the practical aspects – such as replacing gas boilers – and Matt feels that future coverage will look more at these practical realities. He also says that want to give more time to food and the food system. There is great interest in positive stories and people want to see solutions and how they work on the ground. In future, correspondents like Matt will be travelling much less and stories will be covered by in country reporters. This has been happening already under Covid and will continue. Reporters will still go on trips – for example to undertake investigations – but they won’t go simply to be seen in a place or to record a piece to camera.

MG, 28.9.21

COP26 must support communities already dealing with climate change

We need COP26 and the media to deliver for people and communities who are already feeling the harsh impacts of climate change writes Mary Friel, COP26 policy and advocacy manager at British Red Cross.

This summer we’ve seen extreme weather events dominate the news, from unprecedented heatwaves in North America, to flash floods in London and Belgium to wildfires in Southern Europe. As world leaders prepare to meet at COP26 in November, to negotiate global action on climate change, the urgency for action is growing day by day.

We have worked extensively with national media outlets, particularly broadcasters, across these particular high-profile events, to provide first-hand insight into the humanitarian response and the needs of the most affected. The flooding in parts of Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands especially, saw a demand for speakers and commentary, with the explicit impacts of climate change clear to see, relatively close to home. [Watch Sky News interview with Red Cross spokesperson, Naomi Nolte, who provides an update from the ground in Velmo, The Netherlands.]

Emergency response volunteer Kenny provides hot drinks to members of the community as they help clean up the village of Fishlake, in Doncaster, following widespread floods in November 2019.

Many of the communities hardest hit don’t make the headlines

From families skipping meals and going hungry as droughts cause crops to fail, to families made homeless by floods because their houses have been destroyed, to people displaced by cyclones and hurricanes.

We need COP26 and the media to deliver for people and communities who are already feeling the harsh impacts of climate change.

Some media outlets are leading the way

There are certain media outlets who are leading the way by producing holistic climate storytelling. Sky are both telling and delivering information on climate in many different and innovative ways. Our media team worked with the Daily Climate Show team earlier this year with Red Cross Disaster Risk Reduction specialist, Yasif Hasan, taking part in a 30-minute Instagram live, from Bangladesh. A platform that allowed for an in-depth conversation on climate that couldn’t have been achieved in another broadcast format. The piece provided live commentary from one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate, delivered straight to thousands of viewers on their smartphones.

We know that the last decade has been the warmest on record, with climate change driving more extreme weather events. This is increasing global humanitarian need. In July, British Red Cross launched its Feeling the Heat report which looked at how prepared the UK public is for rising temperatures and how aware people are of the risks of heatwaves. What was encouraging was that we achieved in-depth coverage across a range of right and left-leaning media outlets including print, online, radio and TV, reaching our influencer and general public audience, with a focus on at risk groups. The climate conversation in the UK continues to build – it has to.

The Red Cross World Disasters Report is an urgent wake-up call

The Red Cross World Disasters Report shows that 1.7 billion people have already been affected by climate and weather-related disasters in the past decade. As the scientific community and UN call the latest evidence from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report a “code red for humanity” there’s no time for delay.

The Red Cross is calling for the most climate-vulnerable people and communities to be at the heart of COP26 discussions and decisions. We are well positioned, as the Red Cross and Red Crescent is as local as it gets, with 165,000 local branches and with the support of 14 million volunteers.

The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, through the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Centre, is engaged all year round in UN processes which support the annual UN Climate Conference (COP). Through this work the Red Cross raises the needs of the most vulnerable communities already facing humanitarian impacts from climate change, and offers solutions and ways of good practice working with communities.

The Red Cross Movement also supports the Risk Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP), a global network convened by IFRC, which aims to make one billion people safer from disasters by 2025. (REAP) REAP is part of the COP26 Presidency Race to Resilience campaign and is helping to build momentum for COP26.

Mongolian Red Cross distributing much needed relief ahead of the coming dzud. Forecasts of one of the most extreme winters on record in Mongolia triggered the release of pre-emptive emergency funds in a bid to protect the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable herders.

We need urgent action to prioritise those communities that are likely to be worst hit

The Red Cross is calling for global leaders to take action – and for the UK Government to continue to use its diplomatic influence – to put communities already dealing with climate change at the heart of COP26. We want to see the scaling up of global climate finance for adaptation, increased access to climate finance for locally-led work and a commitment to invest in more adaptation, preparedness, early warning and early action to prevent future extreme weather events from becoming disasters.

Red Cross teams are on the ground right now, working side by side with communities, listening and responding to people’s needs. From communities to governments, media to the private sector, we all have an important role in tackling the impacts of climate change. We will continue to share our calls for action, our spokespeople and our local knowledge with the media and government in the lead-up to, and during, COP26 to better support communities to be able to prepare for, respond to and recover from climate related emergencies.

Mary Friel is British Red Cross’ COP26 policy and advocacy manager.

Briefing Notes: Podcast peer learning session

IBT hosted an informal peer learning session on podcasting. Members were invited to share their experiences of working on a podcast. 

Internal buy-in and sign offs

• Getting the organisation’s CEO to support (and sometimes host!) the podcast was suggested as a good strategy to secure buy-in for a podcast.
• One member also pointed out that an important selling point for podcasts is that they work well over a long period of time compared to blogs or media spotlights and are therefore good value for money for the organisation. 
• Several members found that linking the podcast to a particular campaign or initiative was important in securing buy-in. 
• Once podcast production begins some members found there were internal obstacles to getting content signed off, which can be a ‘frustrating and slow’ process, especially if not everyone agrees that the content meets the organisation’s values or content guidelines. One member said they’ve found sharing transcripts can be a good way of getting more contentious parts of an episode signed off because stakeholders focus more on the words being used, rather than how it sounds as an audio clip.
• The point was also made by one participant that producing more edgy content that engages an audience was more challenging than getting internal buy-in

Paying guests and contributors 

• The issue of whether guests and contributors should be paid for their time was raised. For some members not paying guests, particularly those in the global south who may benefit only indirectly from appearing on the podcast, felt uncomfortable.
• It was pointed out that paying guests may result in them saying what they think the NGO or host wants to hear, rather than speaking honestly.
• The general consensus amongst members was that guests would not be paid for appearing on their podcasts.

Promoting podcasts

• YouTube was widely regarded as a useful place to share podcasts and was described as an ‘easy way to get an untapped audience’. YouTube is also a good place to upload transcriptions of each episode.
• Organisational newsletters are a useful outlet for promoting a podcast.
• One member’s podcast has its own Twitter account which is most helpful for engaging their existing audience, rather than attracting new listeners.
• Another member deployed a range of methods for promoting their podcast including visual trailers on YouTube and celebrity social media takeovers.
• One member tested different social media platforms and found LinkedIn to be far more effective than Twitter for finding new listeners. 
• Several members continue promoting an episode until the next one is released and also look for news hooks to promote related episodes of their podcasts, even if they were released several months ago.
• Broccoli Content, the podcast production company, was recommended as a great reference for social media assets to accompany a podcast series. 
• Headliner can be used to create five free audiograms per month, which are useful for promoting podcasts on social media.

Measuring success

• Members found that measuring success and ascertaining who is listening to their podcast can be quite difficult.
• Measuring listener numbers is one way of measuring success but it’s important to remember that although podcast listener numbers are often a lot smaller than audiences on other mediums, podcast audiences are often more engaged and will listen to the entire episode. 

KT 03.8.21

How the International Rescue Committee found success on Instagram

Audiences are increasingly turning to Instagram as a source of news and information, offering INGOs an excellent opportunity to use the platform as a space to share their expertise. 

The International Rescue Committee has found an effective strategy to make the most out of Instagram. As a result, their number of followers increased by 92% in one year (June 2020 – June 2021). During the Euros, their post celebrating the diversity of the England team went viral and last year their posts explaining the Yemen humanitarian crisis were shared thousands of times. 

Poppy Bullen, Senior Digital Communications Officer at IRC, shares her top tips for INGOs hoping to up their game on Instagram.

Be a source of reliable information

There was a really pivotal shift in Instagram last year. It has become a platform where people go to share and get their information. But I don’t think INGOs are necessarily making as much use of it as they could. In our world of information overload, I think people will be looking to organisations like ours to get reliable information, so it’s important that we’re putting it out there.

Swipable infographics are a great example. Last year, there was a lot of social conversation about the crisis in Yemen, so when we saw that trending we thought this is definitely something we should be sharing as well! It was around the time of our World Refugee Week campaign, but even though we had so much else going on we made the decision to be reactive and create a Yemen infographic. So many people shared it and added it to their stories. Since then we’ve been using that style of information graphic for subjects that we feel we’ve got the expertise on which has continued to work well.

 

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A post shared by International Rescue Committee (@rescue_uk)

Get creative and find positive stories

With Instagram, for the majority of your content the tone still needs to be positive. It’s important for the audience and supporters to see stories and content they enjoy reading and sharing, whilst also seeing the IRC’s impact. So sometimes it’s about finding the creative flare for things.

Our Fish n Chips campaign did really well. We had a film with Gary Lineker talking to an animated fish voiced by Jo Brand, and she’s telling him about the history of fish and chips, and how it was brought to the UK by a refugee. That was a really fun piece of work, and allowed us to do other interactive things on Instagram like quizzes about refugee inventions. Being able to find that kind of quirky content is great. That campaign did really well – obviously partly because of Lineker’s huge following on Instagram!

 

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Keep on top of trends and be reactive

One of the main things we focus on is keeping on top of trends. Keep an eye on relevant accounts and hashtags, and look at what’s happening in the news. It’s so important to be able to react to what’s happening in the world on Instagram. Previously, we might have just reacted on Twitter, but it’s actually really beneficial if we can get our teams to quickly put a graphic together, or have strong images on hand to be able to talk on a relevant subject. That sort of content does really well. 

For example, we saw great success with our ‘it’s coming home’ graphic which celebrated the England football team’s diversity. We shared it just before England played in the semi-final and the post went viral. In the same week visits to our landing page through direct or Google search increased by 130% compared to the previous week.

 

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Use a mixture of content

Another key part of our strategy is using a mixture of content, from engaging case studies to shareable infographics and reactive posts. And it’s important not to underestimate the importance of Instagram Stories. They are quite time consuming, so can be easily overlooked, but even just sharing the most recent post onto your Stories can really increase engagement. We find takeovers perform really well on Stories too. For example, we’ll have staff members talking about a situation from the field which allows people to feel a bit closer to the situation.

We’ve also experimented with Instagram Lives, and they seem to work particularly well with celebrities. We had the actress Siobhan McSweeny from Derry Girls talk to a women’s protection staff member in South Sudan and that was really successful.

 

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Poppy Bullen is IRC’s Senior Digital Communications Officer.

Watch in full: Podcast masterclass with Today in Focus

‘Keep things simple’

The Guardian’s award-winning podcast, Today in Focus, was launched almost three years ago and it has been widely praised, winning best current affairs podcast at the British Podcast Awards. Rachel Humphreys, one of the presenters and producers, recently gave IBT members a masterclass. Mark Galloway reports.

Rachel’s parting words to us were ‘keep things simple’ and I do see what she means. There are so many podcasts that throw lots of information at you and they are just not that enjoyable to listen to. The Guardian’s Today in Focus has a winning formula so it was a real pleasure to hear from Rachel about the key elements behind its success. Many of our members produce their own podcasts and I’m sure there are lessons that we can all learn from Rachel.

Storytelling

One the key strengths of Today in Focus is its storytelling. It feels more like a documentary than current affairs. The podcast opens with a question that the presenter seeks to answer. She leads us on a journey. Her questions are simple and straightforward. She does not ask ‘clever’ questions to impress the audience. The presenter brings something personal and, even if she has prepared the questions in advance, it should not feel scripted. If she is shocked by an answer she shows it. The producers cleverly break up the narrative into several parts. They hook you at the beginning and then start to peel back the layers of a story.

Tone of voice

Rachel told us how it has taken the team some time to develop the right tone of voice. She tells her journalistic colleagues that the style should be conversational – very different from writing a story for the newspaper. And there is more time and space. A newspaper story might be 1,000 words. A 30 minute podcast would equate to 5,000 words. There is time for context, background, history and character development – even for humour. The tone is informal and easy to listen to. The presenter is like a friend guiding the audience through a story.

Strong characters

Strong characters are key to the best journalism and Today in Focus is no exception. Some episodes feature Guardian journalists who are eyewitnesses to a story. They are great storytellers. Others feature experts. But the most memorable ones feature first person testimony from someone who has direct experience of the issue being investigated. One of the most memorable recent episodes featured the story of Karim Ennarah, a human rights activist who was arrested and imprisoned by the Egyptian authorities. His British wife, Jess Kelly, told her side of the story.

International stories

One of the strengths of Today in Focus is its international coverage. International news nowadays is usually told in the form of short reports and there is rarely time for depth or context. The Guardian has an excellent team of international reporters who don’t get space in the newspaper but do get space on Today in Focus. There have been many memorable international reports from the team. One of the most stark was from Tom Phillips, the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, who reported from one of Rio’s biggest favelas, the day after police carried out a deadly raid in which 27 favela residents were shot dead. One police officer was killed too. Many of the international stories featured on the podcast have not broken through to the mainstream news agenda. It was encouraging to hear from Rachel that there will be more international stories going forward.

Keep an open mind

Rachel and her colleagues always keep an open mind. They have no preconceived idea of what a story looks like and therefore they are open to being pitched ideas from NGOs and others. One of their recent episodes looked at families who were searching for missing relatives, a trend that has increased as a result of Covid. They came across this story when it was pitched to them by a charity working in this area.

The presenter

Choosing the right presenter is key. A presenter should be calm under pressure, show empathy, be able to listen and have a conversation rather than just run through a list of predetermined questions, remember to ask the obvious questions and maintain a sense of humour. The presenter should be in the background, allowing the story and the protagonists to take centre stage. She should follow her instincts – the audience tends to be interested in what you are interested in.

Today in Focus has a new presenting team. Anushka Asthana, who launched the podcast, has just left and Mike Safi and Nosheen Iqbal have been hired to join Rachel. We wish them well!

Mark Galloway is IBT’s Director.

Briefing Notes: Podcast masterclass with Today in Focus

Speaker

Rachel Humphreys, co-presenter and producer Rachel.humphreys@guardian.com

Overview

The Guardian set up its Today in Focus podcast in the summer of 2018 and it launched in November of that year. There’s quite a big team – around 10 full time staff plus freelancers – made up of presenters, producers, exec producers and sound designers. Rachel presents and produces (which involves planning the episode, briefing the presenter and editing).

The aim of the podcast was to tell the stories behind the headlines, develop the Guardian’s journalists as characters and find a new audience beyond those who read the newspaper or follow the Guardian online. Rachel came from daily news so she is able to turn stories around quickly when necessary, but she enjoys spending more time getting the story right. The lead presenter at the start was Anushka who recently left. There will now be a trio of presenters – Rachel, Mike Safi and Nosheen Iqbal.

They were named best current affairs podcast in last year’s British Podcast Awards. They are different from most current affairs podcast as they only do one story per episode and they do not slavishly follow the news agenda.

Today in Focus runs daily from Monday to Friday – each episode is roughly 30 minutes long and follows one story. The interviewees are mostly Guardian journalists but other experts sometimes feature and when it’s a human interest story there will be first person testimony from someone who has first-hand experience of the issue.

They try and vary the mix each week, a mixture of lighter and more serious, a running daily news story, a human interest story, a big global story, something lighter.

International stories

They have run quite a few international stories. In the last couple of months, they have reported from Brazil, Syria, Gaza, Hong Kong, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Canada, China and the US. They have covered Covid, British politics, climate change, missing people, human rights, UFOs. The range is broad. They are quite open minded about the stories they cover. One of the new presenters, Mike, is based in Beirut so there will be more foreign stories going forward.

Pitching

Rachel and her colleagues keep an open mind and they are happy to receive pitches. Pitch to Rachel by email, either a story you think they should report on or a human interest issue with a named character they can interview at length. The stories need to have several elements to sustain 30 minutes. One of their recent episodes about families tracing missing relatives was the result of a pitch by a charity to Anushka. Rachel will read all the pitches she receives. It is also helpful if you can send her some audio that you have recorded yourself (it can be recorded on a smartphone).

Human interest stories

Rachel spoke about a podcast on human rights in Egypt which told the story of an Egyptian who was detained by the authorities and later released. The podcast also featured his British wife. Casting is key and they work hard to make sure that the human interest stories have strong characters at their heart. They also have a duty of care and will play clips to the contributors to let them know what to expect. It’s good to interview people who have never been interviewed before – they did one episode on gay conversion therapy and featured a woman talking for the first time about her experience of it.

Prepping guests

There is no set approach. Sometimes they will send questions in advance or do a research interview. On other occasions, it is more effective to be spontaneous. It depends on the guest and what works best for that person. Answers should not feel rehearsed or scripted.

Tone of voice

One of the key reasons for their success is getting the right tone of voice and this has evolved over time. The tone is conversational and informal. The presenter is a like a friend guiding the audience through a story. They bring something personal to it and even if they have prepared the questions in advance it should not feel scripted. They want to explain complex stories but not to patronise their audience and tell them things they already know. Working out how much to give as background to a story is one of the most challenging aspects.

Editing

Rachel showed us how she edits with different contributors on different tracks. She will do the first edit then show it to the presenter and exec producer and make more changes. Everyone will listen to it several times before it is signed off and goes to the sound designer to complete. A lot of time and effort goes into editing although on the big running news stories the time is condensed. They will do an interview in the morning, edit it and hand it to the sound designer in the afternoon and s/he may work on it all evening. It goes live around 2 or 3am.

The presenter

Choosing the right presenter is key. Rachel feels that the skills needed are to be calm under pressure, to have the ability to empathise, to be able to listen and have a conversation rather than just run through a list of predetermined questions, to remember to ask the obvious questions, a sense of humour, and a voice that is easy to listen to. Presenters should be in the background allowing the story and the protagonists to take centre stage, they should not ask ‘clever’ questions to show off. Follow your instincts – the audience tends to be interested in what you are interested in.

Narrative

A podcast is like a documentary, there is a narrative journey, a beginning, a middle and an end. Today in Focus breaks a story up into chapters to provide punctuation. They also start with a question which provides the focus for the narrative. The intro at the top is important – put your strongest sound first to get the audience hooked but don’t tell the whole story in the intro. Remember the thing that got you interested in the story in the first place.

Conclusion

Rachel gave us some concluding thoughts. Teamwork is crucial. Tell stories that you’re interested in. Keep an open mind. Keep things simple. Audio is so clever that there is always a way of telling a story.

MG

20.7.21

Top tips for NGO podcasters

This month we are taking a closer look at podcasts. Many of our members have launched their own. They talk about the lessons they have learnt to Katie Tiffin, IBT’s communications and membership officer #welovepodcasts

Podcasts are special – they have a real impact on their audience compared with every other type of media.  More than half of listeners say they talk to friends and family about what they have heard or research more about the podcast’s topic. Not surprisingly, many NGOs have launched their own podcasts, but there’s a real challenge –  to make your podcast stand out from a very crowded market. 

1. Choose your guests carefully 

Guests are the essence of your podcast so choosing the right contributors is crucial. Podcasts thrive on storytelling so look for someone who has a gift for explaining, not someone who has lots of facts at their fingertips.

Think about diversity. Kate Green, who produces IIED’s Make Change Happen podcast, says they had initially planned to showcase the organisation’s researchers but realised that it was important to hear from marginalised voices and to have a panel that was balanced in terms of race and gender. 

Be flexible with your guests. María Faciolince who presents Oxfam’s Power in the Pandemic podcast says that you need to be able to change your approach to meet the needs of guests from different backgrounds. One of her guests, a Rohingya refugee, did not have enough internet bandwidth to record the podcast so they had to use WhatsApp voice notes instead.

Finding guests who connect with your target audience is important. Greg Armfield from WWF wanted to use the Call of the Wild podcast to connect with a younger audience so they decided to include guests not typically associated with environmental issues. 

2. Prepare your guests so they know what to expect

Some producers meet their guests first whilst others opt for a more spontaneous conversation. 

Kate prefers to have a meeting to check everyone’s tech is working, chat about the podcast’s format and the topics it will cover and ensure that guests feel comfortable and confident. 

Katerina Bezgachina, from Habitat for Humanity, says that when they did the first series of their Home Sapiens podcast they sent guests a list of questions in advance. This sometimes led to jargon-heavy answers so now they plan to take a more relaxed approach, just letting guests know the topic but no list of questions.

3. Be creative about how you connect with your target audience

Understanding who you’re trying to reach with your podcast and researching your target audience is of course essential. Greg from WWF found out that the fastest growing podcast audience in the UK is people aged 16 – 24. WWF tends to engage with a slightly older demographic so they decided to use their Call of the Wild podcast to connect with this younger audience. 

Similarly, Oxfam’s Power in the Pandemic team thought their podcast would resonate with a younger audience. María Faciolince recognised that a lot of this potential audience would be on Instagram so she created an account linked to the podcast to draw in listeners from outside their network.

4. Don’t forget sound quality

With many podcasts being made by organisations with professional recording equipment podcast listeners now expect high quality sound.

Abigail Watson, who co-presents Saferworld’s Warpod, says their podcast initially lost a lot of listeners due to poor sound quality, so they invested in new headphones, a microphone and switched to recording in a room with less echo. These changes have made a big difference to the listening experience. 

5. Keep measuring your audience impact 

Unlike other forms of media, audience size alone isn’t always the best indicator of success as podcasts tend to attract smaller but more dedicated audiences. 

Abigail says they try to ‘keep tabs on who is listening and how much they are enjoying or learning from it’. Anchor, the platform used to upload their podcast, is helpful for statistics such as audience age and where they are based.

Analysing audience data is not the only way to measure your podcast’s success. Abigail says the Warpod team reach out to people via email to find out if they are listening and what they think of the podcast. Katerina from Habitat for Humanity says that when new episodes were released they noticed that they gained new social media followers which indicated that the podcast was achieving their aim of connecting with an audience outside their usual network.

6. Experiment with different ways of marketing 

There are more than 2 million podcasts available on the Apple Index so effective marketing  is important so that listeners can find your podcast. 

Kate says they created a Twitter account for IIED’s Make Change Happen podcast so their listeners had a separate space to access information on the podcast without it getting lost in IIED’s organisational accounts.

María from Oxfam says the Instagram account they created for the podcast is useful for sharing multimedia content related to it, but it’s not essential and can lead to a lot of extra work. 

Promoting your podcast doesn’t have to revolve around social media. IIED’s podcast was promoted in the organisation’s newsletters and specially-created email footers, which they noticed did generate extra traffic. 

7. Make your podcast accessible to a range of audiences

Podcasts present obvious accessibility issues which can limit their reach particularly for deaf audiences. Providing a transcript of each episode is an important first step. Kate from IIED says they upload each podcast episode to YouTube with a full transcript in the description. To improve accessibility each episode of Oxfam’s Power in the Pandemic podcast is also turned into a blog which covers the highlights. 

Looking for more advice on starting a podcast? IBT members can access our report Podcasts: Where next? which covers insights into the podcast landscape and creating a podcast from podcasting experts and our members. 

Watch in full: Sarah Whitehead at Sky News

Briefing Notes: Sky News on climate change

Speaker

Sarah Whitehead, deputy head of newsgathering sarah.whitehead@sky.uk

Climate change unit

Michael Blair news editor

Rhiannon Williams producer

Hannah Thomas-Peter reporter

Victoria Seabrook digital reporter

Emails all first name dot surname at sky.uk

Sky News has had a longstanding interest in climate change and environmental stories. Sarah mentioned ocean rescue campaign and the new climate series of monthly films. They are now increasing their commitment to climate change in the run up to COP. They are aware that the audience is often depressed by the news about climate change and scared so they have a big emphasis on charting the changes that are taking place and showing the solutions. They want to empower audiences and hold governments and business to account. It is not just up to people to change their behaviour, government and industry have a big role to play too. They want their coverage to reach a mainstream audience, both those who are already interested in climate change and those who may become more interested.

The Daily Climate Show – Now they do the Daily Climate Show, a 12-15 daily show which features the day’s news stories and climate change diaries of people who are making a difference. The aim of the show is to be very topical and newsy, they don’t run long features, there are a lot of stories covered (8 or 9 stories in each show). Its regular presenter is Anna Jones. They are also looking for studio guests for the show. The show features lots of data as Sarah says there is big audience interest in data. There is a daily tally of UK fuel consumption showing the proportion that comes from renewables. Ed Conway the business correspondent has now taken on a role as business/data correspondent.

ClimateCast – they also do a weekly podcast. This is very accessible. Recent editions have included an interview with a leading climate change expert and with social influencers who are championing the issue. The podcast includes a run down of the week’s stories. It is presented by Anna too.

Bangladesh – they currently have a team in Bangladesh and will continue to report from the country in the run up to COP, subject to visas. They wanted to be somewhere where you can see the impacts of climate change at first hand. Michael Blair is there. The correspondent is Katerina Vittozi.

Pitching – they are looking for news so give them a new report, new research, new data, something that they can push and will make their headlines. Send photos, video, sound clip. Pitch stories and interviewees and email one of the team not all of them. They are also interested in UK stories. For more information on pitching to Sky News, see notes from the briefing with Tim Singleton, Head of International News, which took place in October 2020.

Instagram – they do an Instagram live every Wednesday at 5 which Katerina hosts. It’s a different guest each week.

MG, 22.6.21

The Climate Emergency Toolkit that is changing people’s lives

Tearfund has long campaigned on the issue of climate change. Earlier this year, it launched a toolkit to spell out to churches three simple steps that they can take to help tackle the climate emergency. Jack Wakefield explains how the toolkit came about.

In 2019 two church-goers in Leeds, Mark and Howard, met for a coffee at a Christian event and discussed how little mention there was of the climate emergency. ‘There is such a deafening silence on climate change’ remarked Howard, ‘you would think there was no emergency at all’.

That initial reflection sparked a conversation that eventually formed into a proposal: a toolkit to help churches and Christian organisations respond to the climate crisis like the emergency it is. We’ve now seen churches declaring a climate emergency, making plans to divest or take other actions, and supporting their congregations to respond – including many who haven’t engaged with the topic before.

When they make their declarations, we’re encouraging churches to create a public moment so that they can successfully engage local media. Our hope is that if hundreds of churches declare a climate emergency in the run up to COP, this will become a story in itself.

One pastor told us he hadn’t ever preached about climate change before 2020. But after a few sermons and making their official ‘recognition’, they ended up with a team of 23 people volunteering to help coordinate the response and run initiatives in the wider community.

Let’s think of churches as communities of people with real influence

Six months after that first conversation between Mark and Howard, they presented the idea to my team at the Tearfund offices, as well as people from several other organisations, in the hope that we’d support the project. As they pitched to us, one brilliant idea stood out: what if we stopped thinking about the church only as a building to be improved, but also as a community of people from all walks of life, attending schools, workplaces, community groups and with huge potential to influence those spaces.

Responding to the climate emergency should be central to our Christian faith

So often in the church, climate change can be a specialist interest for a select few who faithfully chip away at change, getting burned out and feeling that no one else cares. Yet responding to the climate emergency should be central to the Christian faith: it is about loving our global neighbours who are threatened by droughts and storms, as well as an opportunity to reach out and serve our local communities.

The question their presentation posed to us was this: what if we could move climate change to a front-and-centre issue that concerned every single member of the congregation? In the coming months, a small team of us from Tearfund and the Church of England, accompanied by Mark and Howard, got to work.

With so many brilliant Christian organisations already working in this space, we were conscious of not reinventing the wheel. Through consultation with more than ten other organisations we eventually formed a Toolkit: a hub full of resources and tools, many of which already existed, re-organised around three simple steps that would provide a clear and simple journey for a church or Christian organisation (or perhaps any community organisation) to respond with both the scale and urgency required.

Three simple steps that every church can take

First, ‘Prepare’: begin the conversation with the whole congregation. Preach about climate change, host listening circles for those with climate anxiety, run workshops about sustainable living and help everyone see this is an important part of being a Christian today.

Next, ‘Declare’: make an official and public statement that says you recognise the scale of the crisis and commit to making a plan for the church’s emissions in a certain timeframe. Decisions in churches can take many years, but making the declaration gives a deadline, while also providing a reason for churches to contact their local council, MP, as well as other churches to inform them that they have declared an emergency and to push for change politically too.

The third and final step is ‘Impact’: support everyone in the congregation to reflect on where they already have influence – their workplaces, community groups, families, schools and more – and take action. Whether it’s asking their employer where their pensions are invested or asking their school to switch to renewable energy.

The toolkit is changing people’s lives

I recently met with someone whose church has been looking at the Climate Emergency Toolkit and teaching about climate change on Sundays. She’s a vet and has begun plans to open her own – sustainable – practice, finding ways to source sterile medical equipment without single-use plastic, using renewable energy and so on. She was excited as she shared because this wasn’t about using the correct compostable cups at church, it was about her passion as a vet.

The Impact step also encourages churches to connect with their local climate groups, whether it’s a conservation society, Transition Towns or XR group. These can be passionate and informed people keen to make change, but without huge numbers locally. We wanted to encourage churches to stand alongside them for some of their campaigns and amplify their voices by speaking together as, perhaps unlikely, coalitions. If we’re going to see change at the speed we need, we’ll need to come together.

In the first few months since launching, more than two thousand people have downloaded the Climate Emergency Toolkit. At a ‘national training webinar’ we hosted a few weeks ago, more than 400 people attended, keen to learn how to apply it to their own context. We’ve seen twenty declarations made, and we’re hopeful that there are many more to come – but more importantly, we’re hopeful that churches in the UK will be communities full of people excited to love their global neighbours by influencing their politicians, workplaces and communities to respond to the climate crisis like the emergency it really is.

• The Climate Emergency Toolkit has been produced by a broad coalition of organisations and in collaboration with activists and church leaders. It has been endorsed by a number of Christian climate scientists. The Toolkit can be found at: climateemergencytoolkit.com

Jack Wakefield is a campaigner at Tearfund.

Watch in full: Dan Stewart at Time

Briefing Notes: Time

Speaker

Dan Stewart, International Editor dan.stewart@time.com

Key contacts

Justin Worland, climate change policy Justin.worland@time.com

Aryn Baker, climate change human impacts Aryn.baker@time.com

Ciara Nugent, will lead on COP Ciara.nugent@time.com

Alejandro de la Garza, covers innovation alejandro.delagarza@time.com

Elijah Wolfson, covers science and health (based in New York) elijah.wolfson@time.com

Alice Park, covers health and medicine alice.park@time.com

Overview

Dan is the international editor, based and London, and leads on all international coverage, although he is regularly in touch with New York and takes decisions jointly with them.

He spoke about some of the many changes that have been taking place at Time. It was best known as a weekly news magazine but now it is reinventing itself as a global media organisation. The magazine is now fortnightly and distributed in 45 countries although its biggest audience is in the US. But the magazine represents only a small part of the content that is produced. Time have a big online presence with articles, photos, videos and a podcast coming. 90% of their journalism is online only with 10% going in the magazine.

The current owners are Mark and Lynne Benioff from Salesforce and they are investing in the brand, not looking to make money. There is a big push on experimenting and innovation to reach new audiences. They currently have 2m subscribers and the goal is to reach 10m by 2030. One on five subscribers are outside the US.

The online audience is also mainly in the US and they are read by policy makers in Washington and New York. But there is a growing global audience in Europe, Africa and Asia. They employ 120 journalists worldwide with correspondents and stringers.

They are not trying to be a breaking news site. If they report on a breaking news story then they will try and find their own angle so that they have something new to say. They are interested in finding stories that have a wider impact and shed light on global trends. They are quite choosy about the stories they cover.

International coverage

Their international coverage is crucial and Dan says that they ‘cover the world with an American accent.’ He explained that they are trying to make connections, explain events and the impact they have. He cited their coverage of Myanmar and Covid in India as being successful and popular with their audience.

Climate change

They have had a big push on coverage of climate change with a special issue of the magazine last month and another one coming in the run up to COP26. They are currently planning their COP coverage but one of the issues they are focusing on is the role of the global south. Will leaders from the global south be able to attend COP? Will their perspective be heard? The theme of their coverage is ‘climate is everything.’ They want to show audiences that it affects every aspect of our lives – for example food and diet, educations, archtecture. They want to find stories that make these connections and are surprising or unexpected. One recent climate change story focused on the Rift Valley in Kenya and the way in which lakes are merging, displacing communities and creating climate refugees.

In addition to their online coverage they have a weekly climate change newsletter which reaches an influential audience. The aim of their climate change coverage is principally to reach a mainstream audience. They will be watching COP26 closely. Dan gave us the names and contact details of the climate change team (see key contacts above):

Justin Worland, based in Washington DC covers policy

Aryn Baker, based in Rome, covers the human impacts

Ciara Nugent , based in London, will lead on COP

Alejandro de la Garza, based in New York, covers innovation

With their climate change coverage they have also tried to give young people a platform. They chose Greta as their person of the year and have a strong relationship with her.

2030 Project

In January, they launched their 2030 Project with the aim of looking at solutions to some of the world’s key issues such as sustainability, innovation, etc and examining the ways in which the world is changing or needs to change. They have a partnership with the World Economic Forum which has called for a ‘great reset.’ Dan referenced the challenge of meeting the SDGs by 2030. They have created a microsite for this https://time.com/time2030/

Pitching

Pitches should be targeted at Time, you should show some knowledge and understanding of what works for them. They should be short and to the point. Think about why this would work for Time and offer exclusivity if at all possible. Pitch as long in advance as you can, especially if you are publishing a report. Pitches can go direct to Dan or to one of his colleagues. He receives hundreds of emails so cannot promise to answer every single one. It’s very unlikely that they will take photos or slideshows or video as they have a big team doing with this. However, if you have a photo that captures something important taking place that may work for them – Dan will pass it on to the photo team.

MG, 25.5.21

How the People’s Vaccine campaign challenged the dominant media narrative

It’s a year since the launch of the People’s Vaccine Alliance, which is campaigning for pharmaceutical companies working on COVID vaccines to share their knowledge free from patents in order to produce enough vaccines for the whole world. As Sarah Dransfield writes, media coverage has been a crucial part of the campaign.

When the campaign for a People’s Vaccine was launched, it was with the support of more than 140 past and present world leaders, economists and experts. It came about because of concerns from organisations working on HIV/AIDS that what happened with HIV/AIDS medicines – when countless lives were lost because antiretroviral medicines were unaffordable for people in poor countries –  would happen again with COVID vaccines.

Inevitably, the media remained primarily focused on the domestic vaccine rollout.  Instead of fighting this, we attempted to use it as a springboard. In December, on the day the first COVID vaccine was given to a British grandmother, we put out a People’s Vaccine story highlighting the fact that 9 out of 10 people in developing countries were likely to miss out on vaccines, whilst a handful of wealthy nations had enough to vaccinate their citizens several times over. This was a breakthrough for our campaign and got hundreds of media hits across the globe. More importantly, people started to talk more about the growing inequality of which countries were getting vaccine doses and which weren’t.

But building momentum for changes to what to many people are technical trade rules remained a challenge. When the Pfizer vaccine became the first to get approval for use, the media were broadcasting stories that focused on the problems posed by the need for cold-chain refrigeration. Yet we knew that the biggest barrier to people in developing nations getting vaccines wasn’t the fact they didn’t have enough fridges.

Most developing countries could not afford to pay for the vaccine

There was no mention of the fact that Pfizer had already sold the majority of doses to a handful of rich countries or the fact that at $40 a dose it was pretty much out of reach for most developing nations. This really compelled us to try to change the narrative, to raise awareness of the real barrier – the lack of available and affordable vaccines, the root cause of which was intellectual property rights held by the pharmaceutical companies and rich countries’ insistence on protecting them.

Perhaps understandably, much of the public discussion of how to plug the gap in the supply of vaccines to developing countries focused on the COVAX scheme, backed by the Gates Foundation among others, through which governments, including the UK and some of the vaccine producers – notably AstraZeneca – donate doses. While supportive of COVAX, we don’t believe it will be enough, by itself, to solve the problem and that rather than fighting for a larger share of a pie that is too small to go around, we should be increasing its size.

Public and scientific support for the People’s Vaccine campaign

We continued to warn that vaccines were being artificially rationed and did polling, which found that three quarters of the British public thought the Government should prevent pharmaceutical companies from having monopolies on COVID vaccines. We reached out to epidemiologists from some of the world’s leading academic institutions to get a stronger scientific argument for a People’s Vaccine. Two-thirds of those we spoke to thought we had a year or less before COVID-19 mutates to the extent that the majority of first-generation vaccines are rendered ineffective or that we’d need new or modified vaccines to deal with them. It gave our message that ‘we aren’t safe until we are all safe’ real clout.

It was when we saw an increase in media coverage from the pharmaceutical industry and its supporters against the sharing of Intellectual Property that we knew we were having a real impact. Proposals tabled by India and South Africa at the WTO, to waive intellectual property rights had garnered the support of more than 100 nations, although they continued to be blocked by rich countries, including the UK and US as well as the EU.

Support for the campaign was not growing fast enough

But, while we were making progress, it had not been fast enough. Our worst fears were realised as a new COVID wave started to devastate India. A situation made even more cruel by the fact that India, a country known as the pharmacy of the world, has been blocked from making more COVID-19 vaccines that could have prevented the horrific and spiralling loss of life.

The People’s Vaccine Alliance again called on its notable supporters, resulting in more than 170 former world leaders and Nobel laureates making a call for US President Joe Biden to make COVID-19 vaccines more readily available by waiving intellectual property rules. The pharmaceutical industry also ramped up their lobbing on the President in the media.

Finally, we had the amazing news that the US would support the waiver, which was a pivotal moment in the campaign. However, with the UK and others continuing to block the proposal, we still have a fight on our hands. We will continue to use the media to call for a People’s Vaccine, so that people in developing countries are able to get the same protection from the virus that we are lucky to be starting to see here in the UK.

Sarah Dransfield is a Senior Press Officer at Oxfam and media lead for the Alliance.

The challenge of media coverage in a time of Covid

More than a year into Covid, IBT recently hosted a panel discussion to consider how well the media has covered international stories and issues in this challenging period. IBT Director Mark Galloway reports.

We brought together a range of voices to look more closely at international coverage in the time of Covid. How well has mainstream media served us? Could it have done better? If so, how? There was an acknowledgement by the panel that the media had faced a unique challenge – the biggest story in living memory and yet the normal means of covering the story were simply not available.

Liliane Landor, Head of Foreign News at Channel 4 News, spoke candidly about the challenge, which was especially acute when the UK went into lockdown. The priority for the Channel 4 team was simply to ‘keep the show on the road’ she told us. For Liliane herself, it was ‘how to cover the world when it had become completely inaccessible.’ Channel 4 News has a small team of reporters who are mostly based in the UK. They couldn’t travel at all, so new ways had to be found to tell stories from around the world.

Liliane acknowledged that the necessity of having to rely on reporters, producers and camera crews who were in country was ultimately a huge benefit. It has changed Channel 4 News forever. She now has teams in Italy, France, India, Brazil, China and elsewhere, that she will use again in the future. They will become ‘part of the Channel 4 News family.’

The pandemic was one story which affected us all

For Liliane, the global story was so important that lines between domestic and foreign news ceased to exist. The pandemic was one story which affected us all. This was not a view shared by others on the panel, who felt that it was almost as if there were two pandemics being reported – the one happening in the UK and the one happening abroad.

Romilly Greenhill, UK Director of ONE, felt that in this regard the media had not served us well and, as a result, there was a lack of understanding amongst the UK public that how the pandemic was tackled in other countries would impact on us too. No one is safe until everyone is safe.

Romilly also felt that the media had failed to catch the mood of the public in its reporting of the vaccine rollout. Polling conducted by ONE and other organisations had found public support for the UK moving more quickly to share vaccine doses, especially with health workers in poorer countries. There was huge anger about the inequity of the vaccine rollout amongst leaders from the global south. This had not been reflected in UK media coverage.

Learning the lessons from how epidemics have been tackled in other parts of the world

There was a consensus amongst the panel that politicians in the UK had failed to learn from how other parts of the world had tackled previous epidemics such as Ebola and SARS. The media was partly to blame according to Indi Samarajiva, a Sri Lankan based journalist. Indi described this as a ‘colonial’ mentality that Britain knows best. He argued that the media was complicit in this view, a claim strongly contested by Liliane.

Camilla Knox-Peebles, CEO of Amref Health Africa UK and others on the panel wanted to hear a wider range of voices from the global south. She felt that the media had conflated the experience of African nations into one story as if Africa were just one country. The experience of living with Covid in Tanzania, where the President resisted a lockdown at all costs, was very different from the experience of living with it in a country like Botswana, which took swift action to close its borders and impose a lockdown. Camilla also felt that the media focus was on the medical story, the number of cases and how well health systems were coping. This neglected other equally important aspects of the crisis – the real impact on people’s lives and livelihoods. It was striking, Camilla said, how few positive stories there were from Africa in general.

There was a general feeling amongst the panel that if media coverage of international stories had more follow through and follow up, there would be a better understanding of what was happening in those countries. There would also be a better understanding of the pandemic and how its impact magnified underlying inequalities. This better understanding could help us to address other global challenges – such as climate change – more effectively in the future.

Stories that the media missed

Vanessa Baird co-editor at New Internationalist praised some of the mainstream media coverage but felt that there were important stories that the media had not given enough attention to. One was the way in which many governments have used what she called ‘the cover of Covid’ to suppress human rights and limit free speech.

Vanessa was also critical of media praise for drug companies as modern day heroes, rescuing the world from the clutches of Covid. This was far from the truth she said, as many pharmaceutical companies stood to make huge profits from their Covid vaccines.

• The Media Reform Coalition, which jointly hosted this event with IBT, has launched a ‘BBC and Beyond’ debate to encourage public discussion of the role of public service media in the UK. They will be drawing up a people’s media manifesto later in the year.
• Ofcom, the media regulator, is currently reviewing public service broadcasting (PSB) and IBT has contributed to that review. We are keen to see the Government take steps to secure and strengthen the future of PSB for the next decade. You can read our submission here.

Watch in full: What have we learnt from international coverage of Covid?

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How Muslim Hands is bringing bread to Yemen this Ramadan

On the eve of Ramadan, Sahirah Javaid from Muslim Hands gives us a behind the scenes look at their successful Blessed Bakeries campaign, which has enabled them to open three bakeries in Yemen.

Ramadan is the most important time of the year for us at Muslim Hands. As a faith-based charity, this special month is where we receive the bulk of our donations from donors across the world. Though we know what projects and campaigns we will be pushing, donations from this month sets the tone of other projects that could also be implemented, to help as many people as possible, in the year ahead.

In the past year due to the generosity of our donors we have raised over £175,000 for our Blessed Bakeries campaign, which has allowed us to open three bakeries in Yemen. This will provide thousands of loaves of bread to women, children, and those with disabilities in Yemen and later Syria who have been internally displaced because of civil war.

We were able to raise a significant amount in a short space of time using a variety of strategies and platforms to increase awareness for this campaign. It was vital to work closely with our partners and colleagues on the ground in Yemen to provide us with the information we needed on the projects, beneficiary stories, images, and videos, which were all used to push this campaign to our donors.

Why Yemen is important in the Islamic faith

We used Facebook and Instagram to share photos and videos of people who were benefitting from the bread factory. We created social media posts from a religious perspective on why Yemen is important in the Islamic faith and shared content around this that many of our donors may not have been aware of. We also created targeted online adverts on Facebook and Google which encouraged our donors to donate towards the campaign. Media coverage was also obtained through radio stations and newspapers where colleagues who had been on the ground were able to share their experiences.

Reaching a range of Muslim audiences

This Ramadan we will be implementing all the above but also utilising fundraising platforms such as Just Giving – YallaGive and Launch Good that allows us to increase and build our donor reach worldwide. Translating our material to languages that are identified by our main donors has proven to be helpful, which has been achieved by having multilingual adverts on Ramadan radio stations throughout the UK and adverts in multilingual newspapers. We have also established relationships with TV channels that have a large Muslim audience base worldwide such as Islam Channel English and Urdu for fundraising and awareness purposes. We have already started distributing our Ramadan mailer to a large portion of our donors, which includes the Blessed Bakeries campaign. We are always looking at innovative ways to share our work with new audiences especially the younger generation. TikTok has been a great way to do this.