A study shows that one of the world’s oldest and largest media development organization—Internews—has changed its course of activities and working globally to give voice to the voiceless and develop the lives of local communities.
The research study was conducted by Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh, a Communication Professor at the College of Communication, ButlerUniversity in Indiana.
Internews has been working in more than 100 countries since its founding in 1982 by Kim Spencer, a documentary film producer; Evelyn Messinger, a video artist; and David Hoffman, a political organizer.
The study included in-depth interviews of the 18 employees of the organization in July 2016.
The study found that the organization has moved from its earlier role in media development and now focuses on information as a solution to problems. “Two participants mentioned information as a ‘root solution’ to solving problems,” the study said.
A common criticism of the media development organization is that it lacks attention to the local communities and their needs. The qualitative study, however, found that the organization works with both public and private funding, focusing more on local communities and their needs and problems. Besides, the marginalized people across the globe are also expressing their voices through Internews’ new policy.
To read more: https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/10688
Geertsema-Sligh, M. (2019). Making Meaning of Media Development Today. International Journal of Communication, 13, 20.