Promoting Free Expression

Promoting Free Expression | Institute for War and Peace Reporting

IWPR builds the skills of professional and citizen journalists working in traditional media – newspapers, magazines, radio and TV – and in social and new media vehicles.

Journalists are trained and mentored to report fairly and objectively with the goal of achieving internationally recognised standards. Reporters, editors, producers, bloggers, and managers learn the value of producing substantive content that informs while helping to define the roles of citizens, civil society, government, the media, business and others in building fair, pluralistic, democratic systems that value and respect the opinions of all constituencies.

Whether in repressive or closed societies, transitional environments, or democratically developing states, IWPR encourages the development and exercise of freedom of expression, assembly and belief, and uses journalism as a tool to advance peace and social justice.

Activities

The following is a selection of our programme work in the area of promoting freedom of expression, broken down by theme:

Building Skills

Working with Kenyan journalists to improve balanced reporting on politics and justice.
Showcasing the work of citizen journalists and traditional reporters in Syria via the Syria Stories website, and helping them pitch their stories to other outlets.
Journalist training on accountability and justice in East and Central Africa.
Radio training manuals for Africa and Central Asia.

Media Content

Afghan investigative journalists tackle government corruption and incompetence.
Radio networks for justice and post-conflict development reach audience of millions in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan/Darfur.
Journalists in closed societies in Cuba, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan given an opportunity to publish their work internationally.
Nigerian Election News Report – innovative service using mobile phones to share news.

Capacity Building for Media Institutions

Fostering skills, institutions and reliable media production through extensive programming work in post-2003 Iraq.
Building capacity for independent media, citizen reporters and journalists in Syria, through training, equipment provision and forging networks.
Media centres to boost independent journalism through training and technical provision in troubled provinces of Afghanistan.
Improing news content in Libya by working with media companies and staff in Tripoli, Misrata and Benghazi.
Shaping the Germa news agency which covers the under-reported south of Libya.
Regional networks of Tunisian journalists and bloggers, internet journalism centres and multimedia websites.

Digital Security

Specialised training sessions on digital security in the Arab world backed up by up-to-date – Cyber-Arabs magazine and dedicated website and Facebook page.

Safety in Hostile Environments

Training and support for Iraqi journalists to reduce casualties in the line of work.

Freedom of Expression Law and Policy

Discussing media law reform from Libya to Kazakstan, freedom of expression in Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, censorship from Cuba to Uzbekistan.

Goals

Overall, our programme activities pursue the following goals:

Short-term:

Citizens are able to trust the objectivity and reliability of content from some media sources;
Digital communications are more secure.

Medium-term:

The media sector is professionalized;
Policies to ensure freedom of expression are debated and enacted with public participation;
Media output and other communications are not censored.