IMS (International Media Support)

As the situation in Lebanon continues to escalate, the need for independent, accurate information becomes only more important. IMS recommends following updates from our partners: Daraj Media is an independent digital media platform specialising in investigative pieces, op-eds and features. They focus on under-reported topics like women and minorities’ rights, environmental and climate changes, freedom of expression and gender identity. Megaphone is an online independent media platform producing multimedia content on current affairs as well as social and cultural commentary. Megaphone's aim is to bring Lebanese politics closer to audiences that feel alienated by traditional media. The Public Source | مصدر عام is a Beirut-based media organisation dedicated to independent journalism and commentary from the left. They write critically on vital issues from local perspectives in the service of the public interest and in solidarity with Global South populations. Raseef22 رصيفــ22 is an independent digital media outlet with a broad audience in the Arab speaking countries. Raseef22 is focused on a new awareness of citizenship and on promoting values in line with human rights to build a better future for people in the region.

As the situation in Lebanon continues to escalate, the need for independent, accurate information becomes only more important. IMS recommends following updates from our partners: Daraj Media is an independent digital media platform specialising in investigative pieces, op-eds and features. They focus on under-reported topics like women and minorities’ rights, environmental and climate changes, freedom of expression and gender identity. Megaphone is an online independent media platform producing multimedia content on current affairs as well as social and cultural commentary. Megaphone's aim is to bring Lebanese politics closer to audiences that feel alienated by traditional media. The Public Source | مصدر عام is a Beirut-based media organisation dedicated to independent journalism and commentary from the left. They write critically on vital issues from local perspectives in the service of the public interest and in solidarity with Global South populations. Raseef22 رصيفــ22 is an independent digital media outlet with a broad audience in the Arab speaking countries. Raseef22 is focused on a new awareness of citizenship and on promoting values in line with human rights to build a better future for people in the region.

Attending the Online News Association conference this Saturday 9/21? Join PEN America’s Viktorya Vilk and Jeje Mohamed at the Safety Workshop Series for a session on Peer Support and Community Building. Journalists face an increasingly wide range of occupational hazards, including online abuse and harassment, secondary trauma, and physical risks. PEN America’s recent report, The Power of Peer Support, found that small-group peer support networks are a promising, important way to foster connection, solidarity, and well-being across the journalism industry. In the Peer Support and Community Building workshop at ONA, Viktorya V. and Jeje M. will lead a peer-support workshop and create space for journalists to connect with one another, share their experiences, and learn from each other to build resilience and a supportive community. This session is the final part of a 4-part Safety Day at #ONA24. Check out the other safety series workshops by Freedom of the Press Foundation, International Women's Media Foundation and Center for News, Technology & Innovation - CNTI. 9/21 at 2:45-3:45pm EST. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eJai6p8V #electsafely with @thecaov #ona24

The Gaza Project is a global collaboration between 13 media outlets organised by Forbidden Stories. The project investigates the targeting of journalists in Gaza and aims to continue the work of journalists that have been killed or threatened in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7. In the making of the project, IMS partner ARIJ Network (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism) has been critical due to their close contact with journalists in Gaza and their knowledge of the situation on the ground. ARIJ normally discourages investigative journalism during war and conflicts due to extreme safety risks. But in the case of Gaza, they made an exception: “Conflicts and wars are not new to the Middle East and North Africa. In recent times, we have seen this also in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Iraq. And we always had a policy that we do not allow the investigative journalists to work during wars because of the safety risks,” says Rawan Damen, Director General of ARIJ. “For the first months of the war, we were sticking to this policy. But we found out from our journalists and fact checkers in the field in Gaza that they were worried that Israel wanted to destroy all the evidence on the ground. And so we decided make an exception to our rule and to begin investigative projects even though the war was still going on,” says Rawan Damen. ARIJ is a long-term partner of IMS that seeks to strengthen the production and impact of investigative journalism in the Middle East and North Africa through trainings, cross-border and cross-regional collaboration. “Investigative journalism is always about exposing wrongdoings and pushing for accountability. In Gaza, it is extremely important as we see a lack of accountability and maybe the work of these journalists is our only hope for accountability in the future,” says Rawan Damen. See all investigations and read more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/drhTTCdk Media outlets involved in the Gaza project include The Guardian, DER SPIEGEL, Le Monde, ZDF, DER STANDARD, Radio France, paper trail media GmbH, Tamedia and more. Photo: Forbidden Stories and ARIJ

IMS and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Mozambique chapter, will host an Election Disinformation Conference in Maputo, Mozambique, on 13 September 2024, at the Radisson Hotel. MISA-Mozambique notes the relevance of this conference as Mozambique prepares for the 9 October 2024 general election, stating that during the “election season, disinformation threatens not only the integrity and transparency of the process, but also democracy”, adding that the conference "is a platform to discuss global trends, lessons learned from the 2023 (local government) elections and strategies for strengthening collaboration between electoral authorities, civil society, academia and the media in the fight against disinformation.” This conference is a continuation of the collaboration between IMS and the Sida Democracy Hub, working with local partners that include MISA and MidiaLab. The conference will enable the Mozambique Election Management body, the National Electoral Commission, civil society working on elections, United Nations agents such as UNDP, media and journalists to discuss and come up with measures to raise awareness and mitigate the threat posed by electoral disinformation in Mozambique. Lessons from this conference will inform joint CSO and media actions on pushing back on disinformation and information disorder in the Mozambique elections and social spaces. The conference will be hybrid allowing online participation. Zoom link and details: https://lnkd.in/emvh4Dth Meeting ID: 825 1064 2688 Password: 463400

The From Ground Zero project was created to enhance the voices of the people of Gaza and to document their daily lives under war, bombardments and siege. 22 filmmakers have captured the diversity of perspectives and experiences in Gaza since October 7 through a 112-minute film in two parts. These stories explore a range of genres, from fiction to documentary to animation. Endless queuing for bread, saving family members from under the rubble, a donkey in mourning over his owner's killing, a visual artist that returns to her destroyed studio, a young displaced woman dancing with headphones on to block out the sounds of war planes. Fragments are weaved together to give a rare insight into the life as it unfolds right now for Gaza's civilian population. From Ground Zero premieres today at Toronto International Film Festival and has already been accepted to more than 70 festivals around the world. If it screens near you, we highly recommend that you go see it.

The IMS supported documentary “Songs of Slow Burning Earth” by Olha Zhurba premiered at Venice International Film Festival earlier this week. The film is a series of reflective observations of Ukraine during war, interwoven with eye-witness accounts. It is an audio-visual diary of Ukraine’s immersion into the abyss of the first two years of Russia's full invasion and a way to contemplate the tragedy that is the normalisation of war. The documentary is a Ukrainian-Danish co-production with Ukrainian MOON MAN and the Danish company Final Cut for Real. The production began in 2022, right after the invasion of Mariupol. IMS is supporting documentary films and film institutions in Eastern Europe as part of our work to support independent media and public interest journalism. Funding for this initiative comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark To watch the trailer, click below link 👇 https://lnkd.in/dHvzhWUz

🌍 Join Us for the SHIELD Project Presentation! We're leveraging years of expertise in media support and wartime experience to create practical recommendations for countering disinformation and managing risks during emergencies and armed conflict on leading social media platforms. In cooperation with UNESCO, Japan and Internews Ukraine, we're excited to invite you to the presentation of the SHIELD: Strengthening Honesty, Integrity and Ethics for Legitimate Discourse project. What’s in the SHIELD project?  - A Guide for Risk Management in emergencies, armed conflicts, and crises.  - A Case Study reviewing major tech companies' performance of human rights due diligence in relation to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Join the discussion “How can Ukraine maintain information integrity?” The speakers are: - Andrii Myroshnichenko, Adviser to the Minister of Defence of Ukraine - Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Freedom of Speech Committee  - Liza Kuzmenko, Head of the NGO Women in Media - Pavlo Belousov, Tech Expert, NGO Internews Ukraine   📅 Date: 11 September, 16:00-18:00   📍 Kyiv, Ukraine. Venue details will be shared with registered participants. You can also join us online. Ukrainian-English interpretation will be available. Please join us for a refreshment and don't miss this chance to discuss what we can learn from Ukraine's experience and how it can help prepare for other possible emergencies. 👉 Sign up now: https://lnkd.in/ecFi2w2i Let’s work together to overcome today’s challenges! The project is implemented by IMS (International Media Support) and NGO Internews Ukraine in partnership with UNESCO and with support from Japan. The project builds on UNESCO’s Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms from 2023: https://lnkd.in/e3u24_WW

The war in Gaza has been going on for almost a year now, and it has affected me deeply to see our Palestinian partners struggle to keep working and to simply survive. At IMS (International Media Support), our partners are at the core of everything that we do as a media development organisation. Our approach has always been to build strong, long-term partnerships with fiercely independent media outlets, unions and advocacy organisations in regions where the free press is under threat. This is how I have had the privilege of working together with some of the bravest, most insuppressible people in the world. Andalib Adwan is one such person. She has been an advocate for the rights of women and girls in Gaza for years. She founded the Community Development and Media Center (CDMC) in 2007, which she has directed ever since. CDMC provides journalism and media training for people in Gaza, with a special focus on women and youth. Everyone in Gaza has suffered immensely in the last 10 months. Andalib – who has aways defended the fundamentals of human rights and equality – describes how the Israeli military viewed her and other Palestinians “not as human beings” but as “things” that could be moved from “here to there as they want”. Andalib survived multiple attacks and was displaced seven times before evacuating to Egypt. IMS’ commitment to Palestine predates the current war – we have been working there for more than five years. Andalib and CDMC have been close partners of IMS since 2019. When panicked donors froze funding to Palestine in the aftermath of October 7, we found ways to cover so that CDMC and our other Palestinian partners would not lose resources at this critical time. Going forward, we are determined to help ensure the continuation of independent media in Palestine and to help our partners in any way we can.

Would you like to put your experience as a versatile communicator to use, promoting media development and press freedom? Are you thrilled about the prospect of working with brilliant colleagues across three continents? If so, we'd love to hear from you! At IMS, we are looking for a Communications Specialist to help identify, craft and promote great stories that illustrate our work and get noticed by the right audiences. Read all about the position here: https://lnkd.in/exBXJBj NB: Deadline for applications is September 15th.