Reporter’s Guide to the Millennium Development Goals: Covering Development Commitments for 2015 and Beyond
Vienna: International Press Institute (IPI) (2013), 191 pp.
Contains photographs, web directory pp. 146-156
ISBN 978-3-9503007-4-1
"This handbook is meant to serve as a comprehensive guide for journalists covering human development. There is also a concrete deadline: December 31, 2015, the target for the fulfilment of the MDGs. Having a specific date on the calendar can help convince editors that now is the time to mobilise coverage. This handbook also seeks to make journalists who already cover social issues or investigate corruption conscious of the rhetorical power of the MDGs. Indeed, by linking their stories to these internationally recognisable goals, journalists raise the possibility that their stories will catch the attention of those in power—and, just maybe, make a difference.
But this book is also addressed to those reporters who have never thought about covering development before, but who wish for their words to have a lasting impact. With a deadline that the entire planet will be watching, what better time than now to write about something new? Perhaps your media or your country lacks coverage on key development themes such as education, hunger, or climate change. No matter the topic, the personal accounts and expert advice contained here can help the enterprising journalist get started. We also know that, despite our best efforts, work on the MDGs will not end in three years. Plans are already underway to renew the MDGs for a post-2015 agenda, one that will maintain a focus on the core concerns of the Millennium Declaration while adding new priorities, such as energy access, which are also addressed throughout this book." (Introduction, page 12)
But this book is also addressed to those reporters who have never thought about covering development before, but who wish for their words to have a lasting impact. With a deadline that the entire planet will be watching, what better time than now to write about something new? Perhaps your media or your country lacks coverage on key development themes such as education, hunger, or climate change. No matter the topic, the personal accounts and expert advice contained here can help the enterprising journalist get started. We also know that, despite our best efforts, work on the MDGs will not end in three years. Plans are already underway to renew the MDGs for a post-2015 agenda, one that will maintain a focus on the core concerns of the Millennium Declaration while adding new priorities, such as energy access, which are also addressed throughout this book." (Introduction, page 12)
PART I: FOUNDATIONS
1 Introduction: No Time to Lose / Scott F. Griffen, 10
2 The History of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) / Nadia Sanders Vázquez, 14
3 What Are the MDGs and Who Is Involved? / Ernestina Álvarez Guillén, 18
4 MDGs: The Full List of Targets and Indicators, 22
PART II: MDG ACHIEVEMENT AND THE MEDIA–REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES
5 The MDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean: Not Pessimistic, but Not Optimistic Either / UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), 28
6 The MDGs in Europe and Central Asia: Journalists, Apply Within / UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), 34
7 The MDGs in Africa: Reporting on the MDGs––It’s in Our Own Best Interest / UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), 40
8 The MDGs in the Arab States: A Region at a Crossroads / UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA), 46
9 The MDGs in Asia and the Pacific: Help Wanted in Fast-Tracking Progress / UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), 54
PART III: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO REPORTING ON THE MDGs
10 The Big Story from a Global Perspective: The International Impact of MDG Coverage / Rachel Pulfer, 62
11 Investigative Journalism: It’s All About Cross-Border Cooperation / Paul Christian Radu, 66
12 One Problem, Many Dimensions: Tips on Covering Poverty / Jean Claude Louis, 70
13 Food for Thought: Tips on Covering Hunger / Marwaan Macan-Markar, 74
14 A Right, Not a Privilege: Tips on Covering Education / Louisa Reynolds, 78
15 For Whom Does the Flag Wave? Tips on Covering Gender Equality / Guenet Ayele Gruenberg, 84
16 Reviving a “Tired” Story: Tips on Covering HIV/AIDS / Isaiah Esipisu, 90
17 Global is Local, Local is Global: Tips on Covering the Environment / Stephen Leahy, 94
18 A Dose of Advice: Tips on Covering Healthcare / G. Ananthakrishnan, 100
19 Holding the Big Fish Accountable: How to Uncover Corruption / Umar Cheema, 106
20 Keeping an Eye on the Cash: How to Cover the Money Behind the MDGs / Kimberly S. Johnson, 112
21 On the Trail: How to Request Information from Authorities / Maye Primera, 118
22 The Art of the Interview / María Emilia Martin, 122
PART IV: PUTTING THE MDGs IN CONTEXT
23 Energy Poverty: The “Missing MDG” / OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), 128
24 The Way Forward: Thoughts on What Comes After 2015 / UN Development Programme (UNDP), 134
25 Key Resources and Contacts, 140
PART V: LEARNING BY EXAMPLE: AWARD-WINNING STORIES ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
26 “Pink Gold Rush” / Syed Zain Al-Mahmood, 160
27 “Medicine vs. Myth in Sierra Leone” / Nele Mailin Obermueller, 164
28 “Tereso is Just One Example” / Mario Alejandro Muñoz de Loza, 168
PART VI: STORIES FROM THE FIELD: PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON COVERING THE MDGS
29 My Journey Through the MDGs (Haiti) / Jean Claude Louis, 176
30 From Canada to Ghana: A Personal Account (Canada/Ghana) / Sophie Nicholls Jones, 180
31 Eight Goals, One Collective Effort (Papua New Guinea) / Shirlyn Belden, 184
32 Why Write About the MDGs? (Nicaragua) / María Haydée Brenes Flores, 88
1 Introduction: No Time to Lose / Scott F. Griffen, 10
2 The History of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) / Nadia Sanders Vázquez, 14
3 What Are the MDGs and Who Is Involved? / Ernestina Álvarez Guillén, 18
4 MDGs: The Full List of Targets and Indicators, 22
PART II: MDG ACHIEVEMENT AND THE MEDIA–REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES
5 The MDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean: Not Pessimistic, but Not Optimistic Either / UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), 28
6 The MDGs in Europe and Central Asia: Journalists, Apply Within / UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), 34
7 The MDGs in Africa: Reporting on the MDGs––It’s in Our Own Best Interest / UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), 40
8 The MDGs in the Arab States: A Region at a Crossroads / UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA), 46
9 The MDGs in Asia and the Pacific: Help Wanted in Fast-Tracking Progress / UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), 54
PART III: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO REPORTING ON THE MDGs
10 The Big Story from a Global Perspective: The International Impact of MDG Coverage / Rachel Pulfer, 62
11 Investigative Journalism: It’s All About Cross-Border Cooperation / Paul Christian Radu, 66
12 One Problem, Many Dimensions: Tips on Covering Poverty / Jean Claude Louis, 70
13 Food for Thought: Tips on Covering Hunger / Marwaan Macan-Markar, 74
14 A Right, Not a Privilege: Tips on Covering Education / Louisa Reynolds, 78
15 For Whom Does the Flag Wave? Tips on Covering Gender Equality / Guenet Ayele Gruenberg, 84
16 Reviving a “Tired” Story: Tips on Covering HIV/AIDS / Isaiah Esipisu, 90
17 Global is Local, Local is Global: Tips on Covering the Environment / Stephen Leahy, 94
18 A Dose of Advice: Tips on Covering Healthcare / G. Ananthakrishnan, 100
19 Holding the Big Fish Accountable: How to Uncover Corruption / Umar Cheema, 106
20 Keeping an Eye on the Cash: How to Cover the Money Behind the MDGs / Kimberly S. Johnson, 112
21 On the Trail: How to Request Information from Authorities / Maye Primera, 118
22 The Art of the Interview / María Emilia Martin, 122
PART IV: PUTTING THE MDGs IN CONTEXT
23 Energy Poverty: The “Missing MDG” / OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), 128
24 The Way Forward: Thoughts on What Comes After 2015 / UN Development Programme (UNDP), 134
25 Key Resources and Contacts, 140
PART V: LEARNING BY EXAMPLE: AWARD-WINNING STORIES ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
26 “Pink Gold Rush” / Syed Zain Al-Mahmood, 160
27 “Medicine vs. Myth in Sierra Leone” / Nele Mailin Obermueller, 164
28 “Tereso is Just One Example” / Mario Alejandro Muñoz de Loza, 168
PART VI: STORIES FROM THE FIELD: PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON COVERING THE MDGS
29 My Journey Through the MDGs (Haiti) / Jean Claude Louis, 176
30 From Canada to Ghana: A Personal Account (Canada/Ghana) / Sophie Nicholls Jones, 180
31 Eight Goals, One Collective Effort (Papua New Guinea) / Shirlyn Belden, 184
32 Why Write About the MDGs? (Nicaragua) / María Haydée Brenes Flores, 88
