"Presents a combination of standard, professional reporting techniques for journalists covering humanitarian response scenarios, plus a basic education in and understanding of the humanitarian sector, its architecture, mandates and modus operandi. The goal of the manual and the handouts section is t
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o prepare journalists to cover natural and manmade disasters in a more informed, balanced way, and to show how a utilitarian approach to information content and dissemination can an effective life saver. It is intended to function as both an educational guide that journalists can read and learn from, and as an outline for a workshop focusing on the training of local reporters." (Internews website)
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"Based on analysis of 17 in-depth interviews with professionals in 10 UK-based international NGOs engaged in planning, designing and producing humanitarian communications, this article explores how intimacy figures in NGOs' thinking about and practice of humanitarian communication. Drawing on discus
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sions of 'intimacy at a distance' and the 'intimization' of the mediated public sphere, the analysis explores three metaphors of intimacy used by interviewees to articulate the relationships they seek to develop with and between their beneficiaries and UK audiences: (1) sitting together underneath a tree; (2) being there; and (3) going on a journey. The article situates the governance of intimacy of practitioners' thinking and practice as NGOs' attempt to respond to criticisms from the humanitarian and international development sector, policymakers and scholars. It concludes by calling for a revisiting of the centrality of intimacy in humanitarian communication and the logic of emotional capitalism within which it is embedded, outlining its implications for both academic scholarship and practice." (Abstract)
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"The key finding of this rapid assessment is that displaced people in northern Iraq live in an information vacuum which is hindering their ability to cope with the catastrophe in which they find themselves. This vacuum has two main origins: lack of access to reliable news and information from the lo
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cal media, particularly satellite TV and radio, and lack of access to information about existing and planned aid services. Access to communication channels is clearly regarded as a key priority by those affected." (Exeuctive summary)
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"In February, 2014, Internews worked with Forcier Consulting to conduct a baseline survey of 612 respondents from the Tong Ping site to identify information needs, sources, and preferences to help guide their intervention strategies, and in April 2014 Internews again teamed up with Forcier Consultin
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g in order to conduct a second wave of data collection and assess the impact of [the humanitarian information service audio program] 'Boda Boda Talk Talk' (BBTT) while working towards a deeper understanding of general information needs at the Tong Ping site. A total of 402 respondents participated in the April 2014 information needs assessment. The results were extremely encouraging as community members in overwhelming numbers stated that they were listening frequently, and that they found the program both relevant and trustworthy. Nearly all (95.8%) survey respondents had heard of BBTT and of these almost two thirds (62.1%) listened to the program frequently."
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"This paper aims to clarify the role of broadcast media in disaster preparedness education concerning natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. This is done by means of a systematic review of the scientific literature on this topic over the last 10 years. The results show that media inform
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ation is a strong facilitator of awareness of disasters. Preparedness includes action to reduce risks, which also needs community interaction, resources and motivation. It adds to indigenous knowledge and experience of disasters, and may combine self-education by the media, school education and community efforts for disaster risk reduction." (Abstract)
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"In this work, we reveal the structure of global news coverage of disasters and its determinants by using a large-scale news coverage dataset collected by the GDELT (Global Data on Events, Location, and Tone) project that monitors news media in over 100 languages from the whole world. Significant va
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riables in our hierarchical (mixed-effect) regression model, such as population, political stability, damage, and more, are well aligned with a series of previous research. However, we find strong regionalism in news geography, highlighting the necessity of comprehensive datasets for the study of global news coverage." (Abstract)
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"The report reviews several communications tools developed and disseminated through collaboration with Tacloban’s Radyo Abante as part of IOM’s Tindog Kita (‘Rise Together’) communications campaign, which included a radio drama, interactive talk show and key message song. Of the communicatio
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ns components, the song developed jointly with Health Songs International was the most popular and widely known. The report notes that community concerts, mobile downloads and play by other radio stations played a key role in disseminating the song. The report also provides recommendations for ongoing and future communications campaigns in Haiyan-affected areas." (CDAC website)
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"This report demonstrates how providing information to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in South Sudan can dramatically increase their health, safety and well-being and make a positive impact on their lives in the midst of an ongoing conflict [...] Boda Boda Talk Talk (BBTT) was the first Humanit
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arian Information Service program to be developed by Internews in response to the conflict. It utilizes staff and community correspondents hired from within the Tong Ping site in order to deliver vital information in such areas as: how to obtain food, water, shelter, and non-food items; receiving medical assistance and other forms of help including referral services, registration/legal assistance and special services for women, girls, the disabled, and the elderly; available educational opportunities; family reunification procedures; health promotion and disease prevention; and information related to protection and security [...] In February, 2014, Internews worked with Forcier Consulting to conduct a baseline survey of 612 respondents from the Tong Ping site to identify information needs, sources, and preferences to help guide their intervention strategies, and in April 2014 Internews again teamed up with Forcier Consulting in order to conduct a second wave of data collection and assess the impact of BBTT while working towards a deeper understanding of general information needs at the Tong Ping site [...] The results were extremely encouraging as community members in overwhelming numbers stated that they were listening frequently, and that they found the program both relevant and trustworthy. Nearly all (95.8%) survey respondents had heard of BBTT and of these almost two thirds (62.1%) listened to the program frequently." (Executive summary)
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"On 4th July 2014, Internews launched Boom Box Talk Talk (BBTT) in the Malakal, UN Mission Protection of Civilian (PoC) site, to provide people affected by the conflict with life saving and life enhancing information. BBTT is a professionally produced audio Humanitarian Information Service (HIS). In
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order to reflect the voices of the community, Internews recruited and trained community correspondents who themselves had been affected and displaced from their homes. The service is designed as a platform for people to discuss issues, share ideas, and ask questions of each other and humanitarian agencies operating in the PoC [...] This baseline survey was conducted in August just as the project was starting. It aims to inform Internews on the nature and content for BBTT, and assess people’s need for, and access to, information in a context where radio and other communication channels are highly limited." (Page 1)
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"This study critically reflects on a schism evident in debates surrounding ‘humanitarian communication’. On one hand, it is approached as embodying an ideal of ethical practice. On the other, ideal humanitarianism is deployed as the grounds for a critique, whereby ‘humanitarian practice’ is
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seen as compromised by exigencies and political-economic influence. Drawing on the testimony of humanitarian communication practitioners within major international agencies, we argue this also reflects a felt tension within the field, where practitioners are very aware of the practical constraints and material influences to which they are subject. In both cases, however, an assumed opposition between the ‘practical’ and the ‘ethical’ tends to position ‘humanitarian ethics’ as an ahistorical ideal that stands apart from, and acts as a check on, instrumental action. This paper argues that a more historically grounded analysis suggests a more complex interrelationship between ethical and instrumental concerns." (Abstract)
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"Connecting the Last Mile explores how communities in the most devastated areas of the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima got their information. It identifies which communications channels were used before, during and after the earthquake and tsunami, and it attempts to answer a central ques
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tion: what are the lessons learned about communications with disaster-affected populations from the megadisaster, not only for Japan but for the international community of humanitarian responders? The report demonstrates the importance of using all possible channels and technologies, from the highest tech to the lowest, in order to ensure connecting the “last mile” – that is, to reach the most vulnerable populations with critical information when disaster strikes." (Internews website)
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"In early 2013, the Internews Center for Innovation and Learning (ICIL) set out to pilot a new system that allows humanitarian communications professionals and responders to quickly gather, analyze, and act upon data to understand information needs of an affected population during a crisis. The syst
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em, called the Humanitarian Data Toolkit (HDT), was piloted under a Lean Startup Model, experimenting with a relatively rough prototype as the beginning of a process of testing and iterative development. This report documents the journey of the pilot – based on our experience, working as a collaborative team testing out the effectiveness of doing an information needs assessment with the HDT in Dadaab, Kenya." (Page 3)
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"This survey asked representatives of major humanitarian aid organizations to reflect on how their operations in the field communicate with disaster-affected communities [...] The two areas in which progress is critical are improving the relationship between humanitarian organizations and local medi
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a, and ensuring that humanitarian and donor organizations prioritize two-way communication." (Executive summary)
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"This annotated bibliography compiles both peer-reviewed literature, typically sourced from academic journals, as well as a range of opinion and technical resources drawn from agencies that have a humanitarian mandate. It is important to note that this annotated bibliography does not seek to present
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an exhaustive or authoritative list, particularly given the contemporary interest in the subject and the ongoing publication of fresh insights. While a rapidly evolving field, our interest in developing this annotated bibliography is two-fold. First, this document will act as a valuable resource for a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in the role of social networking and media in complex emergencies. Second, the evidence presented here underpins a dedicated issues paper that summarises the role of social networking, social media and complex emergencies. For the purposes of this bibliography the term "complex emergencies" is deemed to cover political emergencies, conflict situations, conflict-reduction and peacekeeping processes, as well as disaster responses and associated humanitarian assistance. This bibliography contains sources derived from an extensive search from within a ten-year range (2003-2013). For the purposes of the literature search, we adopted a broad definition of social media encompassing a variety of software, websites and technologies that enable user-generated content to be uploaded and shared." (Introduction, page 3)
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"The Communication Toolbox offers practical guidance for program managers who want to communicate more effectively with program participants and community members. The tools are designed for emergency programs and development programs. The toolbox focuses on communicating about programs as a way to
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improve accountability to those communities. This toolbox was inspired by programs in Haiti, where Catholic Relief Services observed that relatively simple, low-cost activities that promoted transparent communication substantially improved programs. Programs that did not emphasize the importance of sharing information with communities often faced challenges in implementation." (Introduction, page 1)
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"In diesem Kapitel geht es um die Rolle der Medien in der humanitären Hilfe und um das Zusammenspiel von Medien und humanitären Akteuren bei der Katastrophenberichterstattung und der damit verbundenen Spendenwerbung. Dabei wird insbesondere der Frage nachgegangen, wie Medien und Hilfsorganisatione
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n auf die Darstellung von humanitären Katastrophen einwirken und in welchem Abhängigkeitsverhältnis Medien und humanitäre Hilfsorganisationen stehen. Dazu werden Hintergründe, ob und wie Katastrophen in den Medien Aufmerksamkeit finden und was die NRO ihrerseits unternehmen, um die Medienaufmerksamkeit zu lenken, diskutiert. Auch die Rollenverteilung der humanitären Hilfsorganisationen als Informationsanbieter und Spendensammler sowie der Medien als „Beschaffer“ von Nachrichten, Informationsvermittler und Multiplikatoren für Information und Spendengewinnung wird näher betrachtet. Ebenso wird der dritte Akteur, der Konsument, in seiner Doppelfunktion als Nachrichtenrezipient und potenzieller Spender in die Ausführungen einbezogen. Bei dieser Betrachtungsweise ist zu betonen, dass es „die Medien“ genauso wenig gibt wie „die Hilfsorganisationen“. Im Folgenden werden Zusammenhänge beschrieben, die auf einen Großteil der Akteure im Kontext humanitärer Katastrophen zutreffen. Einen weiteren Aspekt bilden dabei auch der Einsatz und die zunehmende Arbeit mit den sog. neuen Medien." (Zusammenfassung)
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"This report assesses current information materials on natural disasters in Solomon Islands, identifies the key factors in disseminating information during a disaster and provides recommendations for future disaster content and communications." (Page 2)