Embracing local journalism

We are coming to the end of a difficult year. New variants and spikes in COVID cases, a slow global economic recovery, and a broken social fabric that is still recovering. However, this experience has brought with it some lessons that we would like to highlight here. Health journalism has become more relevant, and people have increasingly learned to consult reliable sources and question the information they receive. Local and alternative media have once again been able to travel to other territories and, once again, amplify the powerful voices of community leaders.

And of course, there are still health issues that need to be addressed, such as the sexual and reproductive rights and health of indigenous women, people with disabilities, and other historically marginalized populations. For this reason, Sinergias ONG and Internews' Global Health Journalism Network came together to discuss how health journalism and grassroots organizations and communities can work in partnership to advance the realization of sexual and reproductive rights for the entire population. We had four panelists representing different but fundamental sectors for this conversation:

So what did they recommend to bring journalism closer to communities and support the struggles for sexual and reproductive health and rights?

“The recommendation would be to engage in dialogue with women defenders and leaders, so that we can use their voices to build a journalistic agenda, co-creating stories with the communities.” Edilma Prada

• If you are going to report on a story or news item from a community, LET'S INCLUDE THEM. And not just in interviews or photos; it is essential that their voices, ideas, pains, and joys are read, heard, and seen directly from the source.

“For people arriving in the territory, it would be very important for them to start by learning about the context, the territory, and the differences between people so that they can explain and understand the territory and work with confidence. This issue [sexual and reproductive rights] would not happen overnight.” Rosa González

• How do I do this?

  
  

  • Visit the area, get to know the people, their communities, their streets, rivers, and families. BUILD TRUST. Talking about sexual and reproductive rights requires prior dialogue and a high level of trust.

  • Before arriving with your camera and recorder, talk to leaders and other people in the community; that's where you'll find the best stories.

  • If it is difficult to travel, invite local journalists who know the area and can report from within. Partnerships can be formed with organizations working in the field that can channel information, always acknowledging all contributions.

“It is valuable to have conversations with [local] colleagues who are filling the gaps left by the mass media. These conversations arise from the dialogues we are having [at this event], being self-critical in order to identify those gaps.” Sergio Silva

• If you are already familiar with the territory or local journalists, the panelists recommended engaging in intercultural dialogues, editorial committees, co-creation spaces, and discussion groups with people who are knowledgeable about the issue in order to create a joint agenda.

All of this will help us create better stories and news items that respond to the needs of the region, learn the languages, and use the right words. By getting to know the region or working with someone who does, we will know which media outlets are most consulted, some aspects of the context in which we are working, such as whether only radio works because there is no internet, whether it is important to produce written news for people with hearing disabilities, or whether we should produce videos with sign language interpretation.

Rosa and Bubulina, as community leaders, recommend that we use accessible language that includes different ways of understanding a concept. For example, Rosa mentions that in the indigenous communities of Vaupés, the term “sexual and reproductive rights” is very long and does not fit their territory, but that does not mean that these rights do not exist or are not needed. Bubulina mentions how essential it is to use language that dignifies women with disabilities.

“The idea is that they reach people first, that they chronicle realities and experiences, that they give a voice to people and women with disabilities... this starts with understanding the reality of women themselves and how we experience it on a daily basis.” Bubulina Moreno

As communicators, journalists, or writers, it is essential not to judge the views of different cultures, to understand where justice and health come from for indigenous peoples. Sexual violence can be perceived and addressed very differently in each place, and it is essential to respect that.

“Don’t stereotype and ask first, directly to the person with a disability, not to families and doctors. When have women with disabilities been asked what they think about forced sterilization?” Bubulina Moreno.

This blog contains just a few aspects that we wanted to highlight from our panelists' conversation and from the work that Sinergias does with communities. We hope that they will contribute to the discussion on the importance of getting to know people and territories beyond the figures and data, of establishing dialogues between communities and communicators, journalists, and in general any professional who seeks to generate information and contribute in one way or another to improving the health of marginalized populations in the country.

If you would like to watch the event, please follow this link.

Bonus: What lessons can we learn to make an event inclusive for people with disabilities?

• If you have a visual presentation that you will share at the event, quickly describe what is on each slide. “We are presenting a slide with a blue background showing photos of the panelists and the title of the event.”

• Use sign language interpretation! Each country has its own sign language, and there is an international sign language that many people in Latin America can understand.

• You can also use subtitles. Google Meet has a free service that is reasonably reliable. Zoom only has English, but they have promised to include versions in more languages.

  
  

Daniel Andrés Ocampo - Deaf interpreter S.I.

Laura Herrera - Hearing interpreter S.I. (international sign language)

Andrea Corredor Acuña - Hearing interpreter LSC Colombian sign language. Behind-the-scenes support

This is what it looks like behind the scenes for the interpreters who accompanied us at the event.