Journalists still occupy a central role in the dissemination of information. Often in the face of personal risk and with little support, they are charged with the mammoth task of finding untold stories, vetting information, crafting compelling narratives and engaging audiences with important information in a noisy, chaotic and often overwhelming era.
Journalists in developing countries are at a particular disadvantage. Many operate in countries with limited infrastructure, government oppression, and few opportunities for training and diminishing profits in already resource-strapped environments. The work of journalism is often difficult and dangerous, and when it fails to produce results, can seem fruitless.
In these environments, ventures from both local and international players have been launched to tackle the various problems faced by developing world journalists. These range from training programs to independent media outlets to resources for press protection. As journalists recognize the importance of supporting free societies in an increasingly inter-dependent world, efforts to invest in journalism grow.
Nonetheless, these are severely limited in their reach. Because of geographic or financial limitations, many current efforts only reach a lucky few, and are typically restricted to those who have an established media presence or are attached to an outlet.
This can be particularly problematic in countries where legacy media is no longer able to provide the public with unbiased journalism. This may not be for a lack of good journalists, but for political or environmental situations. In Mexico, journalists are openly and regularly executed or threatened for revealing sensitive information, both by the government and powerful drug cartels. Cuba is just beginning to allow press freedom, but still balks at free speech. In Iran, the notorious level of government censorship has crippled the ability to conduct journalism openly and safely.
Even in countries that remain free of obvious persecution, the media has not necessarily been able to operate as a free press. Jamaica has one of the best reputations for press freedom in the world, but reporters are still routinely frustrated by a government culture of secrecy which complicates reporting on policy issues. Though Africa is enjoying a boom in its mobile usage, it is lagging in its coverage for a lack of a galvanized, invested media community. Global media commentators have been struck by the fact that a continent that has so often been spoken for now has plentiful tools to speak for itself, but still largely relies on Western journalism to cover local news.
Naturally, these impede our own ability to receive news from abroad, to our detriment. In a world that is increasingly connected geographically, politically and economically, being tapped into other countries has never been more integral, and investing in our neighbors has never offered such potential for returns.
"Just because something seems far away, and just because it happens in a language you don’t understand, doesn’t make it irrelevant...To misunderstand this is to misunderstand the first great lesson of the connected age: we may all have our own burdens, but like it or not, we must bear each other’s burdens as well."" - Duncan Watts, Six Degrees
The massive disruption to the industry brought on by the digital age has brought as many opportunities as obstacles. In the news realm, two changes in particular - falling profits and the emergence of citizen journalists - have transformed the nature of foreign affairs coverage.
As the internet became populated with free content and advertising shifted online, newsrooms had to grapple with plummeting profit margins. Costly foreign bureaus were one of the first expenditures on the chopping block and the quality and quantity of international news fell with them. While some outlets – The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian – have managed to maintain a significant global presence outside their headquarters, by and large, outlets now operate primarily on a local or national level.
As a result, they’ve had to rely on overseas reports for their news coverage. This, combined with the ease of distribution on the internet, led to the rise of the citizen journalist as an active participant in shaping public dialogue. The increased involvement of citizens in constructing their own narrative has also revealed some of the limitations of outside reporting, where journalists who parachuted in for short periods (giving rise to the term ‘parachute journalism’) missed key nuances in the story, or in the worst cases, put themselves at risk out of ignorance of cultures, customs or dangers.
This has led to unchecked potential for international journalism, which seems to be both booming in its potential and quantity, but faltering in its impact. While outlets and journalists with limited resources now have more tools than ever, it is also more difficult than ever to grab the attention of an audience with a short attention span, and who are used to highly sophisticated presentation and far removed from the realities in other countries. Attempting to rectify this will require effort and dedication from the ground up: the journalists on the ground, the startup outlets trying to work with them, the major media benefiting from their work and the professional journalists who recognize their potential.
"But these days we believe there is too much distant analysis — not only at news organizations but also at international businesses and even in military and national security organizations — by those who are too far removed from the ground. We believe international reporting requires you to be a first-hand observer of the events unfolding in the country you cover. We like to work with journalists who live in the place about which they write, and who know its language and culture...We seek to develop and support the kind of authoritative reporting that can only come from a reporter who is living the story." - GroundTruth Field Guide
Though it would be unfair to condemn corporate journalism as unreliable or partisan across the board, there is a growing importance of independent voices in a profit-hungry media world. More established agencies may sacrifice costly or risky international trips for more readily available and palatable content, and others may be less inclined to publish anything controversial to appease benefactors with certain interests.
Additionally, in the developing world, well-known media outlets may be unable to provide unbiased news coverage not for a lack of integrity, but rather pressure from governments or other powerful groups.
Where traditional media finds itself floundering, independent organizations and unaffiliated citizen journalists are taking up the gauntlet, though there remains an important distinction between a citizen witness and a citizen journalist. Journalism remains a job, and a difficult one – a citizen journalist as we define it is not the casual blogger or happenstance photographer. A citizen journalist is one who has a vested interest in producing accurate, quality and newsworthy work.
The citizen journalist has access to parts of a country that foreign correspondents often don’t. Familiarity with the culture, language skills and a knowledge of the area are all key in reporting overseas – all of which a citizen possesses. The previous barriers to the profession, such as equipment in the field and channels of distribution post-production, are now all readily available.
Yet while these journalists are providing the service of journalism, they are not often given the protection, training or opportunities of established or more resourced journalists. Their work is being picked up by mainstream media with little repayment.
One of the challenges facing the industry is how to promote equitable relationships between these journalists and startups in developing countries and those in the developed world, or to other journalists with beneficial connections, knowledge or insight. Both groups have access to valuable commodities. Yet, as it stands now, the exchange between them seems mostly to flow one way.
"Connecting with people from other backgrounds is hard, even when they live next door or in the same city; paying attention to the problems and concerns of people in the rest of the world is harder still...The Internet will not magically turn us into digital cosmopolitans; if we want to maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of connection, we have to take responsibility for shaping the tools we use to encounter the world." -Ethan Zuckerman, Digital Cosmopolitans
The opening of channels of communication has been of great use to outlets, which can capitalize on having eyes and ears on the ground with minimal investment. Yet this has done little for the journalists and agencies in the countries themselves.
This is unfortunate, as though there is much that is different among media environments in different countries, there is much that is similar. As media and law attempt to realign themselves to the increasing potential of the internet, there are many common struggles. New issues with online defamation laws, protection of freelance journalists, operating in conflict zones, distribution of material in rural or destitute, but important areas - these are not unique problems, and different countries have varying levels of success.
Even in the arenas of policy issues or financial affairs, what happens in one country directly impacts effects in another. International reporting projects have been fraught with issues, but successful - the International Consortium for Investigative Journalists recently conducted what may have been the largest collaboration in journalistic history, with more than 90 investigative journalists in 47 countries on one story about offshore leaks. The ICIJ found the project successful enough to launch a second last year, with 50 journalists in 21 countries so far.
Citizen journalists remain largely untrained, and many are operating without significant resources. This not only limits the quality of the work they can produce, but also leaves many at risk for persecution.
The citizen journalist is at an awkward coming-of-age stage - they have at their disposal a willing audience and innumerable tools with which to reach them, but lack clear direction as to how to best use them, how to find opportunities to practice better journalism, how to market their work, how to connect with established professionals and organizations, or how protect themselves in the process. There is a large pool of potential in the developing world struggling to be realized.
This has not gone entirely unrecognized.There has been a surge in efforts to improve the state of journalism in underdeveloped countries. There are numerous fellowships, training sessions, individual projects and outreach programs from a variety of organizations, including the Knight Foundation, the UN, the International Center for Journalists, the International Women’s Media Foundation, Internews, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and more. Independent startups by media entrepreneurs in several countries are seeing modest, but real success.
However, by their nature, these efforts reach a very limited number of people. Freelance journalists (who are considerable in number) are at a significant disadvantage for their lack of affiliation with an established outlet.
Given our current ability to connect despite geography, and with relatively common technology, it is not infeasible to build bridges between those working in the field and those who would recruit or partner with them.
One possible solution is to create a formal network specifically aimed at connecting journalists in different countries together. A sort of LinkedIn specific to the industry. When polled, many development journalists said they heavily used online communities in networking, making it a worthwhile medium to work in.
Formalizing a network has multiple potential benefits from those connected. It could allow sustained contact between journalists who had already met, make it easy to locate journalists working in specific regions or with certain interests, strengthen personal relationships between outlets, groups and individuals and foster a mutually beneficial exchange.
It may be somewhat easier for established journalists within the field to develop a reliable network, but for unassociated journalists, hyperlocal journalists or just those lacking the opportunities to travel, there are significant challenges. This, however, does not necessarily mean that they would not benefit from the expertise of others.
The ease of creating a tool for networking is that the heavy lifting is done by the users. Much of the facilitation would be providing a usable, simple but effective meeting point. While now, there are many enthusiastic but disparate entities, used by specific interest groups, it still requires a fair amount of legwork to connect with overseas journalists.
As facebook was first tailored to college students and LinkedIn to professionals, there would be quirks to a network specifically for journalists. First, there would have to be a balance between highlighting a journalist's work and highlighting the journalist themselves. Platforms like Global Voices and GroundReport have served well in providing mainstream news with support for foreign affairs stories, but done little for the writers themselves.
Additionally, given the nature of the citizen journalist, a credible network would need to involve a vetting process. MuckRack individually sorts through applicants by hand, requiring a certain number of reports filed in a certain amount of time. An entirely different, but wildly popular network, CouchSurfing, relied heavily on public recommendations or warnings from users on other users, creating an internal-monitoring system.
Finally, purely in usability, the network would have to be modern enough to be compatible with the advanced digital storytelling tools we have, but simple enough that citizen journalists who may be somewhat unfamiliar with the landscape do not have too steep a learning curve when attempting to use it.
Mexico’s track record on journalist freedom leaves much to be desired. Highlighted by slews of attacks on the press, by both the government and powerful crime organizations, the practice of journalism in the country is becoming increasingly dangerous. Jorge Luis Sierra (creator of Periodistas in Riesgo and Mi Panama Transparente) has dedicated a Knight Fellowship to combating press persecution, which is on the rise. A recent report has found that attacks against journalists have increased 80% under the current president, with an average of one attack every 26 hours.
Mexico’s journalists are online, and could benefit significantly from a greater access to media outlets – overseas or even within the country – to publish, and better training or resources on how to encrypt data, conduct safe investigative journalism and solidify alliances with others interested in stories on the ground.
Despite Brazil’s increasing prominence worldwide, it is a deadly place for journalists, faring only marginally better than Pakistan and Russia. Although Brazil is booming online – the country has an impressive 53% internet penetration – the country is failing at maximizing the potential to use the medium to promote unbiased and uncensored journalism. Blocking and article takedowns are common in Brazil, and an incestuous relationship between government, advertising and media mean that journalists and under constant fear of litigation.
A report by Reporters Without Borders outlined several cases of political intervention in media activity, including the arrest of Google Brazil president Fabio Coelho for lagging in removing a video that insulted a candidate.
Brazil is rapidly becoming one of the most connected countries in the world, with an impressive 53% of its population online. A 2012 Public Information Act is also a promising move towards a freer press. At the same time, Brazil's independent journalists could benefit significantly from faciliating contact with similar countries, such as its neighbour Argentina, which is grappling with somewhat similar problems and also doing exceptionally well in its development of digital media.
Given recent events, there are few places that may intimidate a journalist more than Syria. A protracted and bloody civil war combined with the barbaric executions of reporters James Foley, Steven Sotloff and Kenji Goto have made international headlines and drawn attention to the plight of freelance reporters worldwide.
An increase in the participation of citizen journalists who have access to dangerous or inaccessible areas has made informal journalism integral in covering the Syrian conflict. Index on Censorship magazine collaborated with Syria Tracker – a platform monitoring press activity in Syria – and found that apart from the city of Homs, the majority of the reports were coming from citizen journalists (with the caveat that only 6% of data is considered well sourced enough for publication, though the low percentage might be attributed to the chaotic nature of war rather than sheer unreliability.)
Much like Kelly Niknejad's 'The Tehran Bureau' before it, two of the go-to sources for information on the Syrian conflict are based in homes in the United Kingdom. Contacts on the ground keep in touch with two bloggers who have greater freedom to sort through, verify and publicize stories. Similarly, Women Under Siege has been using citizen reports to map incidents of sexual violence in the country, a highly disturbing but important project that uses new tools in journalism to visualize a difficult story to report. (Given the limited resources of the bloggers themselves, however, the citizen journalists are left without many returns.)
Egypt stands as an example of the potential of harnessing the power of online networks. The Egyptian revolution exploded online, with many using digital media to unite citizen journalists with mainstream media outlets.
Nonetheless, Egypt remains one of the world’s top jailers of journalists. The case of three Al-Jazeera journalists imprisoned under dubious charges caught the world’s attention, eliciting comment even from Barack Obama.
The international activism sparked by the jailing of the Al-Jazeera journalists, with the popularity of the hashtag #freeAlJazeera was heartening in that it demonstrated a clear public interest in protecting members of the press, and decrying their persecution. What the Al-Jazeera staff had, of course, was visibility and friends in high places, luxuries often denied those doing independent, but equally important work.
The threat of a formidable press is enough in Egypt for government intervention. The Guardian reported on journalist Yehia Genham, who had to flee the country after attempting to set up a journalism school after being given a substantial grant by the US state department.
Egypt has largely taken on the challenge of using journalism to criticize and improve their political situation. Bassem Youseff saw such success that his notoriety spread to the Western world, where he's commonly called "Egypt's Jon Stewart".
Egypt has potential in that it already has shown great initiative and capability. Where citizen journalists are motivated to actively work and seek connections, there is promise for a tool that offers them that ability on a grander scale.
Bangladesh's media is shifting, with much owned by private businesses. This isn't entirely a good thing, as Tithe Farhna writes in The Diplomat, "no matter which TV channel one watches, it is invariably the same programming format comprising a mix of low-quality drama serials, inane talk shows, and partisan, inaccurate news presentations." Independent or controversial media struggle to operate in a country that is openly hostile towards secular views or criticisms of the government. Recently, three bloggers were murdered - the most recent hacked to death - for their views.
Main media outlets are tightly restricted, subject to the country's Information, Communication and Technology Act of 2006, which allows the government ample room for condemning material as sedition. Mahmurdur Rahman, editor of the main opposition newspaper Amar Desh, was arrested last year and circulation of the paper ceased. (Though it is important to note that the newspaper was highly controversial in nature and did print material that contributed to religious tension in the country, even his critics agree that his arrest was not spurred by this, but by his open stance against the government).
Bangladesh is not a wired country - given the economic circumstances of the state and poor infrastructure, internet penetration hovers around a low 6%. Yet, as the urban centre is the seat of power, journalism and protection of journalists will only increase in importance as internet usage expands and media outlets become monopolized by wealthy companies.
A usage of a network cannot solve the myriad problems in such a desperate situation, but could easily facilitate better or safer journalism practices in a country with few examples to learn from, and a small internet community who have recently entered the digital age. Would those bloggers, for example, have been better knowing how to make their work anonymous and untraceable? Or if they'd been better connected internationally and better protected just out of fear of unwanted international attention? These are, of course, conjecture, but not unreasonable.