NGO and Media Professionals Delve into Post-9/11 Work Climate at 2005 NGO-Media Dialogue

By Kelly Melia-Teevan and Thaoly Vu (BAIDO Volunteers)

The third annual NGO-Media Dialogue co-sponsored by BAIDO and Media Alliance met on November 9 at the World Affairs Council of Northern California to discuss working in times of terror, insecurity, and regulation.

The program brought together four discussants: Andrea Buffa, Communications Director for Global Exchange, and Mark Hintzke, founder/managing director of Cultural Restoration Tourism Project, presented NGO insights, while Reese Erlich, an award-winning journalist and author, and Shia Levitt, a radio reporter/producer, gave voice to the press.

Changes in media and NGO relations after the events of 9/11 were the focus of the discussion, which helped to foster better understanding of the current dynamic between NGOs and the media.

One lament widely shared by the participants is that governments--and not NGOs, as before 9/11--are often the primary source of information for journalists today. For the media, government officials may be their first stop for researching the background of stories, whether approaching US representatives or local government agents. Both the NGO and media representatives harbor reservations about this practice, arguing that it creates a government-biased perspective from the outset, which in turn hampers the objectivity of the reporting.

NGO discussants expressed frustration that the media does not always provide a true sense of the work NGOs do, instead focusing on issues such as political difficulties or terrorist threats NGOs may be facing. And when the media misrepresents an NGO, such coverage can damage the organization's reputation, no matter how much good work the NGO is actually doing. Negative news then can derail an organization's ability to fundraise and sustain itself.

The very same frustration felt by NGOs was echoed by the journalists. Levitt noted that editors and publications often communicate that journalists should not "bother pitching a story if it doesn't have anything to do with terrorism." She added that journalists' livelihoods depend on having their stories picked up by the media, so when mainstream media outlets are expressing preference for pieces on terrorism, as it is today, journalists feel compelled to deliver such stories.

However, Erlich, who began reporting during the Cold War era and likened the current media atmosphere to that of the 1960s and 1970s, imparted a message of hope to the audience. He believes the current conditions in which the media are operating will eventually be overcome by "a global movement involving supporters of anti-war and progressive societal changes," and that this shift will ultimately "cause a forward media movement."