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Lost: Syrian Refugees and the Information Gap

Janine di Giovanni (coord.)

Internews (2013), 16 pp.

"The report presents findings that pose both unique challenges and opportunities for programs seeking to provide humanitarian information to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. So far, according to the report, there is little evidence of any comprehensive strategy or investment in providing a humanitarian c ... more

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Improving Communication Between Humanitarian Aid Agencies and Crisis-Affected People: Lessons from the Infoasaid Project

Carole Chapelier, Anita Shah

London: Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Humanitarian Practice Network (HPN) (2013), 26 pp.

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Guide for Uncertainty Communication

Arthur Petersen, Peter Janssen, Jeroen van der Sluijs

The Hague: PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (2013), 26 pp.

"Dealing with uncertainty has been an important and distinct topic for PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (formerly MNP) and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), in terms of analysis and communication. Acting responsibly with regard to this issue is ... important; particularly where policy analyses are concerned. Without adequate attention to the role and implications of uncertainty, the outcome of research and assessments may be of limited value and could result in incorrect policy decisions, with all the attendant consequences. However, the general public does not always appear in need of very detailed information in ‘documents full of subtle distinctions’. Consequently, information on uncertainty is not always considered relevant, understood, or even noticed. Thus, uncertainty remains an awkward issue and a challenge for the authors of policy reports. This Guide comprises hints and points of attention, as well as questions that researchers should try to answer when communicating about uncertainty (e.g. in written reports and presentations). It is not intended as a protocol; every situation is unique and demands its own approach. Thus, the Guide for Uncertainty Communication is intended to support the researcher/communicator in making well-considered choices. Communication on uncertainty regarding a particular study requires having a clear picture of why this communication is important and to whom it should be addressed. For this, the issues and concerns of the intended target audience(s) must be known, as well as all relevant uncertainties involved in the study and their possible effects on the results of the study. This involves serious reflection on certain topics, such as on where uncertainties originate, what significance and/or implications they have, if uncertainty may be reduced, on the context of the study, and on the manner in which uncertainty was dealt with in the study. The purpose of the study will strongly determine what uncertainty information would be relevant. For example, a study which primarily deals with the effects of policy measures will focus less on uncertainty about the severity of environmental problems than would be the case when a newly emerging environmental problem is explored. Addressing these questions, ideally, would provide a clear insight into all relevant aspects of uncertainty, which should be communicated effectively to the intended target audiences. This Guide is set up to support this process." (Preface, pages 4-5) more

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Haiti Beneficiary Communications Review

Caterina Monti et al.

Geneva: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) (2013), 35 pp.

"This report is an evaluation of the methods and tools used by the Red Cross and Red Crescent to communicate with communities following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The study draws recommendations for the continued and more effective use of communications to engage with communities in H ... more

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Connecting the Last Mile: The Role of Communications in the Great East Japan Earthquake

Lois Appleby

London; Washington, DC: Internews Europe; Internews (2013), 53 pp.

"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 ... more

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Google Scholar (168)

WorldCat (163)

Climate Change in the Media: Reporting Risk and Uncertainty

James Painter

London; New York: Tauris; Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2013), xvi, 173 pp.

"Scientists and politicians are increasingly using the language of risk to describe the climate change challenge. Some researchers have argued that stressing the ‘risks‘ posed by climate change rather than the ‘uncertainties‘ can create a more helpful context for policy makers and a stronger ... more

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Haïti: Examen de la communication avec les bénéficiaires

Caterina Monti

Genève: IFRC, Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge, (2013), 42 pp.

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World Disaster Report 2013: Focus on Technology and the Future of Humanitarian Action

Geneva: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) (2013), 283 pp.

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Media Guidelines for Reporting on Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Contexts

Global Protection Cluster (2013), 8 pp.

"The guidelines are intended to ensure that all actors who play a role in facilitating or engaging in media reporting on gender-based violence (GBV) are aware of and able to prioritize the ethical and safety considerations that preserve the safety, confidentiality and dignity of survivors, their fam ... more

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Google Scholar (177)

WorldCat (180)

Upstairs Downstairs: Communication Contradictions Around Two African Refugee Camps

Ullamaija Kivikuru

Journal of African Media Studies, volume 5, issue 1 (2013), pp. 35-51

"This article describes and analyses the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) communication policy in the current world environment where a variety of well-doers attempt to pursue attention. The analysis is reflected against the results of focus group interviews with Congolese women ... more

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WorldCat (147)

Reporting Disasters: Famine, Aid, Politics and the Media

Suzanne Franks

London: Hurst (2013), x, 236 pp.

"The media reporting of the Ethiopian Famine in 1984-5 was an iconic news event. It is widely believed to have had an unprecedented impact, challenging perceptions of Africa and mobilising public opinion and philanthropic action in a dramatic new way. The contemporary international configuration of ... more

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Managing the Message: Communication and Media Management in a Security Crisis

Sara Davidson

European Interagency Security Forum (EISF) (2013), 64 pp.

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Google Scholar (154)

WorldCat (145)

Humanitarian Campaigns in Social Media: Network Architectures and Polymedia Events

Mirca Madianou

Journalism Studies, volume 14, issue 2 (2012), pp. 249-266

"Social media and social networking sites (SNS) in particular have become popular in current humanitarian campaigns. This article assesses the optimism surrounding the opportunities that SNS communication offers for humanitarian action and for the cultivation of cosmopolitan sensibilities. In order ... more

Google Scholar (180)

WorldCat (191)

Disasters and the Media

Mervi Pantti, Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, Simon Cottle

New York et al.: Peter Lang (2012), xii, 235 pp.

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Still Left in the Dark? How People in Emergencies Use Communication to Survive – and How Humanitarian Agencies Can Help

Imogen Wall, Lisa Robinson

London: BBC Media Action (2012), 15 pp.

"In 2008, a BBC World Service Trust policy briefing argued that people affected by earthquakes, floods or other emergencies often lacked the information they needed to survive and that this only added to their stress and anxiety. Left in the Dark: the unmet need for information in humanitarian emerg ... more

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The Use of Radio in Disasters: 2008 Flood Response, North India. Case Study of First Response India

Health Communication Resources (HCR) (2012), 3 pp.

"Since the Bihar flooding, First Response India has gone on to train other teams in disaster radio response. Its aim is to equip other teams across India with the skills needed to improve collaboration and communication with people affected by crisis. Radio can also play a key role in other phases o ... more

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Reporting Disaster and Disaster Preparedness: A Training Handbook

New Delhi: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); Indo-German Environment Partnership Programme (IGEP) (2012), viii, 122 pp.

"The main objective of the media component of the Environmental Planning and Disaster Risk Management (EPDRM) programme of GIZ in India is to enable journalists to better and more efficiently perform their roles, functions and tasks in the context of disaster risk management, i.e. information to the ... public, awareness building with regard to disaster risks and preparedness, warning in case of disasters, information on response, relief and reconstruction. In order to achieve this objective, the project has been planned under different components, viz., orientation workshops for the practicing journalists in different high-on-disaster-risk states; facilitating a virtual platform for information exchange and knowledge sharing among participants from the orientation workshops as well as other experts; and developing curriculum on reporting disaster for the journalism students of various Indian journalism institutes. Orientation workshops were conducted in seven states (Tamilnadu, Odisha, Gujarat, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Assam and Punjab) during 2010-2011. A Facebook community and a web portal have been established to facilitate the virtual exchange among the journalists and thematic experts. In order to extend awareness and capacity building activities related to disasters to journalists, the project also facilitated development of a curriculum on reporting disaster to be used in journalism departments of universities and media training institutes. A core-group of experts and trainers from media training institutes, as well as from other relevant organizations was formed, which deliberated upon the overall structure and outline of the DRR curriculum required to be introduced to the students of journalism. A team of authors and editors had then put together the contents of the curriculum along with guidance on how to use the contents, which is being produced in the form of this handbook. This curriculum was piloted in September this year, with journalism students in the North Eastern Region of India, and inputs on the training methods used were also received from faculty members during a ToT of this curriculum. This Training Handbook on "Reporting Disaster and Disaster Preparedness" provides basic concepts, case studies, and examples that can be customized as a module in a course or an entire course as part of the overall curriculum of a journalism course in Indian universities and institutes." (Preface) more

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When Information Saves Lives: Internews Humanitarian Information Projects. 2011 Annual Report

Jacobo Quintanilla, Lizzie Goodfriend

Arcata, Calif.; Washington, DC; Paris; London: Internews; Internews Europe (2012), 77 pp.

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The Right to be Heard. The Responsibility to Listen: Mainstreaming BC in IFRC

infoasaid; Internews; BBC Media Action (2012), 30 pp.

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Google Scholar (168)

WorldCat (176)

The Marketization of Foreign News

Bella Mody

Global Media and Communication, volume 8, issue 2 (2012), pp. 99-115

"Audience segmentation is generally associated with strategic communication (such as advertising and public relations), where content is manipulated to suit reader preferences. News has generally been considered truth-telling unvarnished by such concerns. This article compares how news of the same h ... more