Development

FOI Panel

Panelists discussed the latest trends in freedom of information worldwide at the 14th annual National Freedom of Information Day Conference. (Photo by Sonja Matanovic)

Mar 72012

Harnessing the Power of Social Media in Developing Nations

It is hardly news to say that social media offer unprecedented opportunity to empower change through collaboration. We’ve seen this in American elections and the Arab Spring, alike. With over one billion people now active on social media around the world, and two billion Internet users, it has never been this technologically easy to connect people and work together, the world over.

But what about the billions of people who aren’t active on these social media, or don’t have access to the Internet or smartphones? Are they completely cut off?

See video

During Social Media Week in Washington, D.C., Ben Colmery, deputy director of ICFJ's Knight International Journalism Fellowships, explained how Knight Fellows in Panama, India, Indonesia and the Middle East are leveraging technologies for media development.

Mar 52012

Tackling the Challenges of a Thriving, Free Press in Haiti

GlobalPost's GroundTruth blog featured the work of Knight International Journalism Fellow Kathie Klarreich, working in Haiti to build a network of trained investigative journalists. It details the many, many challenges journalists in that country face, not the least of which includes newsrooms that still have not recovered from the devastation of the January 2010.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Launch a Storytelling Challenge to Spur Innovative Coverage of Health and Development

Knight International Journalism Fellow Joseph Warungu is leading the launch of an Africa-wide storytelling contest to encourage better coverage of Africa’s growth, development, health and quality of life. The challenge will seek in-depth features; data-driven journalism; and other entries that use innovative tools to engage the public or tell stories.