We argue that these humanitarian journalists show us that it is possible to cover a different kind of crisis.
But who exactly is a humanitarian journalist? What motivates them? Who do they work for? And how does their coverage of humanitarian issues differ from the mainstream press?
In this article, we answer these questions through the narration of ‘Sophia’, a fictional journalist whose story helps illustrate key themes in our research.
Sophia: A humanitarian journalist
Sophia is a humanitarian journalist. She works for a small non-profit news agency that covers international aid and global issues. She often reports about unreported crisisfocus on in-depth, interpretive and solution-oriented journalism.
She especially wanted to highlight the perspective, not only of affected citizens, but also of a range of other local actors including insurgents, aid workers, politicians and private organizations. question. She has considerable freedom in choosing what stories to cover and how to report them, and regularly commissions local threaders living in affected countries.
Sophia used to work for a major international television station. Despite a permanent position and significantly higher salary, she left after just eighteen months feeling frustrated by what she felt was their rigid and formulaic approach. in reporting on global issues. She thinks much of their coverage of recent humanitarian crises is superficial and fleeting.
Although she is proud that she helped break a news story that revealed corruption in an international NGO, she worries that it has damaged the reputation of the entire organization. humanitarian sector in general, because some of the subtleties of the international humanitarian response were lost in the report.
The news organization Sophia works for currently generates very little revenue from advertising or readers and relies almost exclusively on short-term funding from a very small number of private foundations. While she never felt pressured to cover the stories in a way that would please their current or potential sponsors, she was unhappy about the amount of time it took. to meet their reporting requirements.
If their funding is cut and she loses her job, she plans to work as a freelance journalist or aid agency press officer. The only other newspaper she knows that covers similar stories recently close the door due to lack of funds.
Sophia has never actually met any of her current colleagues in person as they both work from far away, in different countries. In their daily online editorial meetings, they frequently disagree about which stories fall under their jurisdiction.
For example, there is no consensus on what makes a story ‘humane’, as opposed to human rights or global development. For this reason, some of the stories she writes are still rejected – and she doesn’t quite understand why.
Although Sophia was recently nominated for a One World Communication In general, she is frustrated that her work is not recognized and influential. She also worries about her ability to pay the bills – she knows her job is precarious.
But despite the lack of outside recognition and the financial risks, Sophia is glad she took the job – because it gives her the freedom to do the work she’s always wanted to do.
Sophia is one of a small group of ‘humanitarian journalist‘ whose work connects the world of international news production and humanitarianism. She is motivated both by a traditional journalistic desire to record, witness, and interpret events, as well as a desire to help alleviate suffering and save lives.
There are a handful of nonprofits news store employs humanitarian journalists like Sophia, who play an important role in the global media system.
Dr. Martin Scott is Associate Professor of Global Development and Communication at the University of East Anglia; Dr. Kate Wright is a Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication, Politics and International Relations at the University of Edinburgh; Professor Mel Bunce is Professor of International Journalism and Dean of the Faculty of Journalism at City, University of London.
This article is based on an excerpt from Humanitarian Journalists: Covering Crisis from a Frontier Region by Dr. Scott, Dr. Wright and Professor Bunce
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