The ICFJ Forum: Helping Over 15,000 Journalists Cover Global Crises

By: 06/02/2023

The ICFJ Pamela Howard Forum on Global Crisis Reporting is a community of 15,000 journalists from 134 countries. Through Facebook groups, sessions with experts and newsletters – all in five languages – journalists worldwide get to meet, learn and collaborate. 

Since the Forum was created in 2020, participants have benefited from over 260 webinars and trainings and more than 1,200 crisis-related resources in 8 languages. The Forum aims to expand coverage of critical issues of local importance such as disinformation, disease, climate change, rising authoritarianism, financial crises, technology disruptions and more. 

 

“In the Middle East and North Africa, there are many, many journalists that don’t really have access to study journalism in the university because they live in a conflict area,” said Arabic-language Forum member Mais Katt. “Having a forum like [the Pamela Howard Forum] and getting all this education is really a great tool.” 

Offered in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, the Forum also expands to in-person meetings where journalists connect with resources, experts and each other.

Journalists can join the Facebook groups here, subscribe to the newsletters here and watch past sessions on YouTube.

Latest News

IJNet Journalist of the Month: Amr Eleraqi

Originally from Egypt, Amr Eleraqi is a journalist, author and instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. He is the founder of the award-winning data journalism website, InfoTimes, and a former ICFJ Knight Fellow. His latest book, on Python coding skills for journalists, was released at the start of this year. Eleraqi spoke with IJNet about his start in journalism, media in both the Middle East and Canada, his new book project and more.

How to Cover Global Trade Like a Pro: Tariffs Edition

Tariffs, essentially taxes on imported goods, have been at the core of cross-border trade since the days of ancient Athens and Mesopotamia. They can protect domestic industries, generate revenue, or act as political tools. For journalists, tariffs often provide a clear, tangible hook to explain the much broader and more complex web of international commerce or the realities of geopolitical machinations.

ICFJ Voices: Maran Perianen, Empowering Individuals Through Citizen Journalism

Maran Perianen is the founder and editor of Citizen’s Journal, a community news outlet focused on citizen journalism. He’s also co-founder of the Far East Documentary Centre. Perianen has extensive experience as a video journalism trainer and has worked throughout Southeast Asia. He says that his engagement with ICFJ has played a major role in his professional development. “It reinforced the idea that citizens, when equipped with the right knowledge and tools, can become powerful agents of change in their communities,” he said. Perianen is from Malaysia and is based in Kuala Lumpur.