SOS to Broadcasters to assist Haitians
NCRF requests Broadcasters to assist with distributing information on daily updates from Haiti. Use following link: http://www.internews.org/InfoSavesLives/haiti.shtm
Dear All, Since the devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti two weeks ago,
Internews has been working on the ground with local Haitian media and
humanitarian aid agencies to get critical information directly to the
people who need it most. Please help the people of Haiti receive the
news and information they need. With a team of local reporters,
Internews is producing a daily humanitarian news broadcast,
Nouvelles-Utiles (News You Can Use) currently airing on 20 local radio
stations. More stations will be added to the distribution as they
restore operations. Listen to the broadcast (Creole). The show began
last Thursday, and reports critical information about water
distribution points, openings of displaced persons camps, the role of
search and rescue teams, public health advisories, and more. On Friday
night, Internews facilitated the broadcast of the global “Hope for
Haiti Now” telethon into Haiti together with national radio and
television stations. Narrating into Creole was an Internews-supported,
local Haitian journalist, Gaelle Alexis, who was rescued by her husband
after spending 10 hours under rubble. “Haiti is a poor country – we
have so many troubles. It’s really nice to know that people are
thinking about us,” said Alexis. Internews was able to make this
broadcast possible with support from MTV, Westwood One, the BBC and
CNN. Watch Gaelle’s story, and learn more about Internews’ response in
Haiti: Our team in Haiti is working with local media outlets, many of
which lost reporters and facilities to the earthquake, to assess their
needs. Internews is also interviewing survivors, to determine how
people are getting news, so that information can be best targeted to
the local population. By serving as a communications link between
providers of aid and local media, Internews ensures that Haitian
reporters receive and distribute aid information – such as the mobile
short code 4636 launched by Ushahidi, which helps gather reports of
local needs. Internews is a founding member of the Inter-Agency Group
on Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) that
includes UNOCHA, key agencies, such as the Red Cross and Save the
Children, and other media assistance providers, such as the BBC World
Service Trust and the Reuters Thomson Foundation. UNOCHA has charged
Internews as the lead agency on the ground to coordinate CDAC members’
humanitarian information and media assistance activities in order to
achieve maximum impact across the Haiti’s ravaged media landscape. Your
contribution makes a difference in the lives of earthquake victims.
Your gift will provide communication equipment, stipends for Haitian
journalists, and the ability for Haitian and International staff on the
ground to help information on humanitarian aid reach the people who
need help. The need for this work continues. Thank you in advance for
helping deliver information to those most affected by a crisis. The
media is very interested in our Information Saves Lives humanitarian
response efforts, recognizing that the need for information can be as
important as food, shelter and water during a crisis. Below are links
outlining our Haiti Response as well as several of the stories covering
our efforts. In Haiti, cell phones and radios help save lives, MSNBC
Haiti Radio Fills Information Void in Disaster, AP/New York Times On
the Media- Listen to Internews VP Mark Frohardt's interview about Haiti
Response, National Public Radio Repairing Haitian Radio: Internews
sends team of specialists, technicians to restore local broadcasting,
Columbia Journalism Review CGI Members on the Front Line of the Haiti
Response, Clinton Global Initiative Internews Haiti Response Page
Internews Humanitarian Communication Partners and Funders Page