World Food Week workshop for journalists in Rome

Leading journalists from Africa, Asia and Latin America were invited to meet experts of the three Rome-based UN agencies, to discuss and exchange with them about the facts, trends, sources and news coverage opportunities around reporting food insecurity.

"Some of the points raised were that the big UN agencies often give recommendations and indications, imposing a view of “correct behavior” without taking into consideration the real needs and circumstances of the people living in those countries. The journalists also noted that they often ask about “success stories”, which are not frequently mentioned by the agencies. Participants also suggested that FAO, IFAD and WFP create a stronger link among themselves, as their approach is often very different, even if they work in the same field.

Finally, journalists were very enthusiastic about the workshop, and asked for it to be repeated, saying they would also welcome opportunities to do it in situ where projects take place, to enable them to learn from people who directly benefit."

Link to article: http://www.ips.org/institutional/world-food-week-workshop-for-journalists-in-rome/

This initiative is similar to the "Reporting the World" project - efforts toward a more "workable ethic of responsibility" in development communications. These two projects seem to be a truly positive step towards journalists understanding that their work truly impacts societies and ideologies. It's great to see/hear that many journalists are abandoning the idea of "realism" - that change is only brought about by states, governments or elites. Although there does seem to remain a need for going forward with reporting also from the ground and not just from these large international organizations (in my opinion). The good thing is that it seems many journalists (at least the ones at this conference) recognize that need - reporting from and for the people.