JOURNALISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS 1 ANNUAL REPORT 2016 Mobilizing Media. Changing Lives.
5 years!
JOURNALISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN 2016 MISSION: VISION: Trained over 14,500
Empowering journalists to cover human rights stories. For everyone in the world to be aware of their rights.
64 million individuals 2 | JHR Annual Report 2016
6
Awards won by JHR trainees
1
Journalists human rights media stories have reached more than
journalists and journalism students
WORKED IN
28
COUNTRIES
Partnered with more than
400 media organizations
Journalism school accredited (DRC)
THANK YOU Dear Friends,
And it all starts with journalists.
Consider a world without access to reliable information.
JHR’s mission is to ensure everyone in the world is aware of their rights. We do this by training journalists to report on human rights issues ethically and effectively. In 2016, JHR’s staff worked hard to ensure that the press is empowered to cover the most difficult and sensitive of those stories. Staff and expert trainers alike returned from projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Jordan and from remote reserve communities in Canada humbled by the strength, bravery and tenacity of the journalists they worked with there.
Governments make decisions based not on facts, data or reports, but on political agendas alone. People are unsure whose facts to trust. In crisis situations, people don’t know where to go to get needed services or support. This situation is the reality in most of the places Journalists for Human Rights works. Yet in the words of Nobel laureate and development economist Amartya Sen, there has never been a famine in a country with a free press. So let’s consider some of the reasons for that. At all times, but particularly in times of crisis, a free press ensures that authorities are making informed decisions about how best to solve problems - and that people know where to go to get help. During elections, a free press ensures people understand who and what they are voting for. And between elections - which, in some of the places that Journalists for Human Rights works, can be a very long time indeed - a free press helps to give a voice to those without power, and ensure accountability from the authorities. An empowered free press is the foundation of a virtuous cycle of development. More information informs better decisions - by citizens about governments, by authorities about policies. Better decisions equals better governance. Better governance equals better human development outcomes.
Best of all, when a sector is showing vitality and strength, we leave. We’re not interested in setting up an expat-led and financed- media sector. There’s plenty of need for our work elsewhere. That’s why we are so very grateful to you, our vitally important community of support. With your help, JHR has grown and scaled its work globally – expanding to South Africa and Syria in 2017, and projected to expand across Canada and to new continents in 2018. Thank you; Without you, the work in these pages would not be possible. Rachel Pulfer Executive Director Journalists for Human Rights
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WHERE YOUR SUPPORT CHANGED LIVES IN 2016
2016
has been an eventful year for JHR. The program in South Sudan has scaled and in challenging circumstances the team has worked with journalists who produced incredible stories on education for girls, rights for people with disabilities and much more. All this while having been evacuated last summer when conflict broke out. Unfazed, the team continued, and several of the journalists trained by them won awards. In Jordan, journalists have been trained in data journalism, which allows them to hold governments accountable for police brutality and provide real insight into the lives of migrants and refugees in the country. In the DRC the first ever National election forum on the rights of media was held in March 2016, while the JHR-JDH
Board Alethea Au Catherine Cano Michael Cooke Wojciech Gryc (treasurer) Helen Hambly Odame (vice-chair) Ben Peterson (emeritus) Troy Reeb Anthony WilsonSmith (chair)
Staff Zein Almoghraby Lenny Carpenter Hannah Clifford Janine deVries Fanta Diaby Naregh Galoustian Miles Kenyon John O’Leary Robin Pierro Nabin Pokharel Sarah Pollock Sarala Sigdel Hajer Yahiaoui
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Indigenous Reporters Program - Canada Sara Mai Chitty Brandon MacLeod Melody McKiver (field coordinator) Leigh Nunan
supported network of journalists helped free DRC journalist Badylon Kawanda after he was held by security authorities. The Indigenous Reporters Program expanded to more communities in northern Ontario, while an increasing number of Indigenous interns have been able to secure jobs at media organizations. In 2016 we also launched the JAMLab, a media entrepreneurship hub in Johannesburg, South Africa. This media hub aims to support young media entrepreneurs with finding new ways to bring independent media to more people, for those who did not have a strong voice before. Finally, JHR developed a new program working with Syrian journalists, which aims to build an independent media sector in Syria. Democratic Republic of Congo Papy Andonge Munor Kabondo Freddy Mata Matundu (country director) Doudou Nzio
Jordan Ezzedine Alnatour Mohammed Ghabri Mohammed Shamma (program manager)
South Sudan Mustapha Dumbuya Grant McDonald (program manager) Walter Onen Kim Otor Carolyn Thompson Special thanks: Kathy Lockwood Sarah Vincett
VIEW FROM THE BOARD
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ime and the world, as John F. Kennedy observed, ‘do not stand still [and] change is the law of life. ‘ At Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), where change is at the heart of our existence, we understand that first-hand. In 2016, JHR continued to advance and change, seeking out new challenges, within Canada and into Africa and the Middle East. Under the leadership of Executive Director Rachel Pulfer, JHR built its skill set and capabilities so as to better deal with what seemed at times to be a never-ending series of upheavals and challenges. Among the highlights of 2016, JHR:
This was achieved by a small, dedicated and versatile team of staff members and supporters who have learned that ‘change’ in JHR terms can sometimes be shorthand for ‘we must act now to avoid catastrophe.’ That has meant, at times, everything from pulling staff out on short notice from assignments in erupting hot spots, to assigning others to go into places that fit that same description. It has also meant the opportunity to meet and raise awareness of the work of remarkable people. A prime example is Rodney Sieh, the crusading editor of the FrontPageAfrica newspaper in Liberia and keynote speaker at our gala last fall. He is now a Massey Fellow based for a year in Toronto.
• Convened the first ever National forum for Media in the Democratic Republic of Congo;
Finally, JHR marks an internal change. After five years as Chair of the Board of Directors, Anthony Wilson-Smith has stepped aside and been replaced by Michael Cooke, Editor of the Toronto Star. Michael has been active with JHR for six years, and assumed the role in January. Said Anthony, who becomes Vice-Chair: ‘Michael and Rachel will lift JHR to a whole new level. We all look forward to his leadership.’ We are confident that those of you who support our work – financially and otherwise – will share in that enthusiasm and quest for new achievements.
• Trained more than a thousand Canadian journalists in best practices for covering domestic stories with Indigenous themes;
Anthony Wilson-Smith Chair, 2012-2017 | Vice-Chair, 2017-
• Helped ensure girls got access to education funding in South Sudan. • Helped secure the release of Jordanian political prisoners in Iraq; • With the help of bilateral funding from Global Affairs Canada, expanded our South Sudan program.
• Launched our Ambassadors program, by which some prominent and accomplished Canadians have signed on to promote awareness of our work.
Michael Cooke Chair, 2017-
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MOBILIZING MEDIA WORLD WIDE INDIGENOUS REPORTERS PROGRAM JHR worked in 4 remote locations, engaging 100 Indigenous community members. Many now have news bulletins and press clubs on Facebook, creating space to share opportunities and stories.
CENTRAL AMERICA JHR hosted 2 workshops for 53 journalists in Ecuador and Honduras as part of a needs assessment. The journalists were comprised of 3 men and 19 women in Ecuador. In Honduras 17 men and 14 women attended.
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LIBERIA JHR partnered with FrontPage Africa, a newspaper in Liberia, and its founder Rodney Sieh (Fisher Fellow) had this to say: “FrontPage Africa’s partnership with JHR ... has put a spotlight on issues affecting ordinary, Liberian citizens such as female genital cutting, rising food prices and drug trafficking. In particular, the paper’s partnership with JHR in Liberia shone a light on the lack of treatments and funding for mental health issues and the stigma associated with this illness.”
JOURNALISM AND MEDIA LAB SOUTH AFRICA JHR officially launched the JAMLab Journalism and Media Lab, in partnership with Ryerson, the Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the University of the Witwatersrand. The JAMLab is an incubator and accelerator for media entrepreneurs across Africa.
LAUNCH OF SYRIA PROJECT JHR developed a new project with Syrian journalists that works to establish media independence and counter hate speech. Through this program, JHR will be training 60 journalists, 20 media managers and published 100 human rights stories, starting from 2017.
SCALING JORDAN PROJECT JHR taught innovative data journalism to support courageous reporting on police brutality, by JHR student Dana Gibreel. Her human rights story won an award and an invitation to the Open Data Conference. An award winning human rights story by Ezz Alnatour helped free a Jordanian prisoner in Iraq. In 2016, 59 journalists were trained, including 43 women.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO JHR was a part of the very first national election forum on media rights in March 2016. The press clubs founded by JHR/JDH successfully put pressure on authorities which resulted in a formal apology to one of their members. In Bukavu, the École Technique de Journalisme was accredited by the provincial government.
SOUTH SUDAN JHR trained 46 journalists, including 31 women. 166 human rights stories were able to reach 1 million people, with the highlight an investigative story that helped 40 girls get back to school. In 2016 there was also an evacuation due to renewed conflict.
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Spotlight
AHMED HUSSEN | MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION Q. |
HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR OF JHR? I went in for a television interview to respond to the assassination of a Canadian Somali journalist working in Somalia. That is where I met Ben Peterson, he was representing JHR. That was the first time I heard of JHR and I did further research after that.
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JHR’S THEORY OF CHANGE IS THAT WHEN HUMAN RIGHTS STORIES ARE HEADLINED IN THE MEDIA, THEY ARE A CATALYST TO SPOTLIGHT CRITICAL ISSUES AND INCITE CONVERSATIONS THAT CAN THEN LEAD TO LOCAL SOLUTIONS. AS A CANADIAN WITH A FOOT IN BOTH CANADIAN AND EAST AFRICAN MEDIA CULTURE, WHAT DO YOU FIND COMPELLING ABOUT THIS THEORY OF CHANGE? I found that JHR’s approach was different from other NGOs. They wanted to train and learn from local journalists. They wanted to empower local media and the people. I also found JHR’s emphasis of using media to highlight human rights issues, corruption and waste to be very important in first creating awareness about these issues, then being the catalyst for change by reporting on the work of those who were sometimes risking their liberty or their lives to confront these challenges.
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JHR HAS PIONEERED A UNIQUELY CANADIAN APPROACH TO MEDIA DEVELOPMENT THAT PRIORITIZES WORKING WITH LOCAL LEADERSHIP AND THROUGH LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE LONG-LASTING AND SUSTAINED RESULTS. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH LEADING CANADIAN MEDIA OUTLETS PROVIDE TOP JOURNALISTIC TALENT. WHAT DID YOU SEE OF YOUR OWN VALUES AS A LEADER IN THE WORK THAT JHR DOES? My own values as a leader has always been about building people up and empowering them. My values also include partnering with people to solve common challenges and learn from each other in the process. This, in my opinion, is the best way to achieve longlasting change. JHR embodies these values.
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WHY IS THIS WORK IMPORTANT AND IMPACTFUL AS AN APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT, IN YOUR VIEW AND WHY DO YOU SUPPORT IT? One of the most important things highlighted by JHR-trained African journalists is stories of corruption. Corruption eats away at the institutions of the government and of society and is the greatest threat to good governance and service delivery. Fighting corruption is, in most cases, left to African journalists who risk so much to fight against this danger to development.
Field Impact
ENSURING GIRLS GO TO SCHOOL IN SOUTH SUDAN The newsroom is where we set the agenda on what people would talk about. So it’s important that we also involve women so that we can put our issues on the agenda.” — Chiara Martin, Journalist Bakhita Radio, South Sudan
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aomi Niamthiee was afraid she would have to drop out of school. Naomi, 16, had lost her father as a child, and her mother had an illness that had left her paralyzed. Previously, Naomi was able to go to school thanks to cash grants offered to girls by a local program. But as of late last year, 40 students had not received their grants. Illiteracy rates in South Sudan are the highest in the world. “Where have they taken the money? They should pay the girls”, the school’s headmistress told Juba Monitor reporter, Jale Richard, in November. Richard looked into the issue, mentored by JHR trainers. And JHR’s investigation got action a month later. As a direct result of the building media pressure, the 40 girls received their Girls Education South Sudan (GESS) educational grant and were back in school in January.
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Brittany at Standing Rock
Field Impact
‘SURREAL’ – APTN INTERNSHIP LEADS YOUNG JOURNALIST TO STANDING ROCK As part of JHR’s Indigenous Reporters Program, the organization partners with newsrooms across Canada to provide emerging Indigenous reporters with the chance to ‘cut their teeth’ in the newsroom through a 3 month paid internship.
thought I would get. I was asked to go down to North Dakota to assist and do some reporting of my own on Standing Rock. I was getting to experience this historic moment in US history and only being three months into my career.
Brittany interned at Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) in Winnipeg in late 2016.
When I got back, my boss asked if I wanted to extend my contract by two more months. I couldn’t turn this opportunity down. Now I was exclusively a reporter. Working in this fastpaced environment has been an adjustment and often times it was me just trying to figure things out by myself. I came into the internship a timid person but willing and ready to work hard. However, working here has given me a new confidence boost.
BY BRITTANY HOBSON
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y instructors taught us a lot but when I came to APTN I felt like I was learning everything all over again. I started working on the weekly live program InFocus assisting with research, and eventually transitioning to do my own stories for the national news program. Then, in my last month of my internship, I was given the opportunity to do something I never
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APTN and JHR have given me opportunities I only dreamed of. I still have a lot to learn and can’t wait to take that on.
Spotlight
THERESA EBDEN ACCENTURE | FJORD
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ournalists for Human Rights (JHR) partnered with Accenture Canada and the design team at Fjord through 2016 to launch the redesigned dibaajimo.com, a free digital learning platform, training Indigenous peoples across Canada in fundamental journalism skills and helping them begin careers as journalists. The innovative platform provides Indigenous Canadians with journalism training, connections, and resources. The online distance-learning platform is an integral component of the community media training offered through JHR’s larger Indigenous Reporters Program, which strives to increase the quality and quantity of indigenous stories and voices in Canadian media.
design and innovation unit, to address the connectivity challenges that are a reality of living in Canada’s most-remote communities. The redesign was funded through Accenture’s Skills to Succeed initiative, which aims to equip more than 3 million people around the world with the skills to get a job, or build a business by the end of 2020. “We were thrilled to launch a digital resource of such quality and utility,” said Rachel Pulfer, JHR’s Executive Director. “Working with the Fjord/Accenture team has been both inspiring and productive. The resulting training platform is explicitly designed to help us equip a cohort of new indigenous journalists with the skills they need to succeed, and put them on a pathway of opportunity from remote reserves, to jobs in the media industry.”
The platform was redesigned for JHR’s Indigenous Reporters Program by Fjord, Accenture Interactive’s
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Carleton Student Chapter with JHR’s Lenny and Hannah
Power of Youth
CARLETON YOUTH CHAPTER LEADERSHIP Being part of the student chapter has strengthened my passion for journalism and human rights, but it has also helped me make connections in the Carleton community and beyond. JHR taught me to be more aware of the world around me. I will carry my JHR experience everywhere I go!”
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WHAT EXPERIENCE WITH CARLETON JHR HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOU AND YOUR TEAM? Getting our own radio show on CKCU this year was really exciting for all of us. One of the best parts about JHR is sending off those cheques to head office at the end of each fundraising period and knowing we’re helping an organization we all really believe in.
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— Emma Tranter, JHR Carleton Co-President
WHAT WERE YOUR FAVOURITE PROJECTS/ EVENTS OF LAST YEAR? One of our favourite events is called, “Read What You Wrote.” We rent out the coffee shop on campus and hold an evening event where people share personal stories, poems, diary entries, and more from when they were little. It’s been a huge success both times we’ve put it on. We charge $5 for admission with all proceeds going to JHR projects.
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HOW DO YOU GET STUDENTS ON CAMPUS INVOLVED? We kick off our recruitment as soon as school starts and target first-year students at the annual Carleton Expo. We aim our recruitment at journalism students, but encourage students from any area of study to join. 12 | JHR Annual Report 2016
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS FOR THE STUDENT CHAPTER? We’re excited to see the radio show continue as JHR Carleton continues to grow. We’re also always working to grow our membership each year and plan new and creative fundraisers.
JHR Champion
MASAI UJIRI | TORONTO RAPTORS PRESIDENT Q. |
YOU GREW UP IN NIGERIA, AND HAVE LIVED AND WORKED ALL OVER THE WORLD. YOU HAVE A FOOT IN BOTH NORTH AMERICAN AND AFRICAN MEDIA CULTURES. HOW CAN STRENGTHENING MEDIA IN AFRICA HELP FOSTER AFRICAN SUCCESS AND GROWTH, IN YOUR VIEW? There isn’t a day that goes by in my job that I’m not either dealing directly with media or being hugely influenced by the media. The media exposes us to important stories around the world, we learn from it and it keeps people honest. Many of the countries that JHR works in are the parts of the world that need a strong media most. Their work has started to make a real change and it will continue to grow.
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WHY DO YOU SUPPORT JHR? In the three years that I have been supporting JHR, I have seen and heard so many stories about the tools they are giving journalists working in parts of the world that desperately need the power of the media and the positive impact those journalists are having. My favourite line about the media’s purpose is ‘to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable’ and both are needed in many of the countries that JHR focuses on. We all believe in the power of journalism and
it is a skill that requires years of training, but more importantly, it requires a confidence in the fact that you are working to make a positive change in the world. I have seen JHR instill both and I am happy to support their work.
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HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR OF JHR? My friend, Michael Cooke at the Toronto Star, came to see me at the Raptors offices three years ago to tell me about JHR and ask if I would serve as a co-chair for their annual fundraising event. I immediately liked what they stood for and agreed to help out. In the years since, I’ve tried to support them wherever I could.
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WHAT OF YOUR OWN VALUES, AS A CHAMPION OF AFRICAN TALENT ON THE WORLD STAGE, DO YOU SEE IN JHR’S WORK? In my work with Giants of Africa and Basketball Without Borders, I often tell young people to ‘Dream Big’. I want to teach people that they have it in them to do bigger things than they could have ever imagined but also that they have the support from many people to help them. That’s what I see in JHR. They are giving life skills to people that can use it for good and it can inspire real change in the parts of the world that they are working in.
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Spotlight
BILL YOUNG | SOCIAL CAPITAL PARTNERS Q. |
WHY DO YOU SUPPORT JHR? I like to support organizations that have a bold theory of change and a thoughtful action plan on how to make that change happen. That’s JHR.
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WHAT DO YOU FIND COMPELLING ABOUT JHR’S WORK? Journalists have this huge role to play to hold government accountable, and to ensure fundamental rights are respected. Journalists need to be able to speak honestly and freely about our collective lives in society. Where rights aren’t being respected, someone needs to point that out. That is what journalism is all about.
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WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF GIVING? If there is one thing I like to do with my philanthropic dollars, it is to help those with bold ideas to succeed at the scale we need them to succeed at.
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SOCIAL CAPITAL PARTNERS BACKS INITIATIVES THAT ENABLE THOSE FACING BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT TO FIND MEANINGFUL WORK. WHAT PARALLELS DO YOU SEE BETWEEN WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH SOCIAL CAPITAL PARTNERS, AND WHAT JHR IS WORKING TO ACHIEVE? There is a key parallel in helping to ensure fundamental social justice for all, making sure everyone has access to their basic human rights. In our case, it’s meaningful employment, in yours it is all human rights. So we are fundamentally aligned in terms of our basic principles. I am less interested in specific programs, than in backing key management teams and their theory of change, teams that are aiming for significant impact. That means supporting riskier initiatives, but ones that are also well thought through. With JHR’s team, I’ve seen a steadfast stubbornness, a resilience, a stick-to-it-ness. The
team is not daunted by setbacks and obstacles there’s tenacity. And that’s the kind of team I like to support.
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WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT FOR JHR – CURRENT AND FUTURE? JHR has built up credibility and influence. You are in a virtuous circle which you can continuously leverage based on the strength of your past work. JHR has been able to prove it can have significant impact over a number of years. That means you have greater influence over the partners you pick, the donors you work with, and much less of a sense of being dictated to by funders.
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ONE OF YOUR KEY CONTRIBUTIONS TO JHR’S INDIGENOUS REPORTERS PROGRAM WAS YOUR INSIGHT INTO DEMAND-DRIVEN TRAINING. CAN YOU SPEAK ABOUT WHERE THAT CAME FROM? We came to this realization pretty early on in examining Canada’s employment training programs – we believe that the ultimate customer of the system must be the employer (the demand side) and yet our programs almost completely ignore the employer. They assume the only customer is the person for whom we want to find an employment opportunity but miss the point that if you don’t design the training and placement functions to meet employer’s needs you will have a very sub-optimal system. So for us, the key insight is pretty simple: talk to those who will be hiring, as well as those needing to be hired, and then design the system accordingly. Bill Young, founding chief executive of Social Capital Partners, has supported Journalists for Human Rights for nine years. His support in 2016 was integral to launching the Journalism and Media Lab incubator/ accelerator program for media entrepreneurs, a partnership between Journalists for Human Rights, Ryerson University, the Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
I am glad that we have been able to transform lives from good to bad, and highlighted issues of poverty, neglect and corruption. We have fought to rescue elementary school-kids from sitting on floors to chairs and brought the corrupt to book. … But it is not just our watchdog approach that should catch outsiders’ attention. It is our business model. While our print run is small in comparison to others around the world, we have a very strong brand online.” — Rodney Sieh, founder of FrontPageAfrica, and inspirational source for the JAMLab
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Power of Partnerships
JAMLAB JAMLAB INCUBATOR: ALL SET TO FULFILL A BIG NEED. “The challenges facing media and journalism on the African continent are different to elsewhere, and the possibilities opened up by technological developments need to be explored with a view to addressing particular circumstances here. The project will do much to boost innovation, and we look forward to seeing some really exciting projects grow and flourish.” — Franz Kruger, Chair, School of Journalism, University of the Witwatersrand “Wits University’s Tshimologong Precinct was established to support the type of digital innovation that will position Africa as a leader in the 21st Century. Journalism and media are areas that are being strongly impacted by digital technology. Having the JAMLab project running as a key programme in the Tshimologong Precinct creates opportunities for creative new ideas to take root. We are really excited to host the programme and look forward to supporting this new crop of innovators and entrepreneurs.” — Barry Dwolatzky, Founder of the Digital Innovation Zone
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“To our knowledge this is the first enterprise Accelerator programme in Africa focused on journalism and media. In South Africa there are real gaps in what the media delivers - in diversity of voice, languages, regionality - and what it doesn’t. We have great teams - most of them, curiously, led by women - that we are supporting to try to fill those gaps with some imaginative and ambitious new strategies. This programme would not have happened without the support and consistent efforts of our two Canadian partners. Journalists for Human Rights bring years of experience, training journalists in some of the toughest places in the African continent and have always been there when we needed them. Ryerson University has a strong relationship with the University of the Witwatersrand, and experience in building media and digital tech hubs as well as teaching entrepreneurial journalism all of which are adding great value to our programme.” — Indra de Lanerolle, inaugural Director of the JAMLab.
Power of Partnerships
KARYN PUGLIESE | APTN APTN EXPANDS WORK WITH JHR IN 2016 The launch of APTN National News was unique to Canada and the world. Aboriginal people were no longer waiting to be invited to seats around the newsroom table. We built our own table and invited others to join us. 17 years later we are leading a conversation on reconciliation and how Aboriginal Peoples are working to remake their place in modern Canada. APTN has solidly demonstrated the contribution Aboriginal people can make to excellence in journalism, and the valuable role those stories have in contributing to the knowledge, understanding, and education of all Canadians. When APTN began, Aboriginal Peoples were often misrepresented in mainstream journalism. Our motives and history were not understood and a clear picture of our humanity was lacking. Thanks to APTN, and the efforts of mainstream media to respond to this long-standing criticism, Aboriginal youth are beginning to dream of careers in journalism, something barely imaginable a decade ago. Aboriginal youth still face roadblocks to building a career in the media. Chronic underfunding of schools, and not enough high schools on reserves forces youth to leave their home and family for several years to pursue a diploma.
The good news is that more Aboriginal youth are graduating high school than ever before, recent numbers are 68 per cent. Half of Aboriginal people aged 25 to 64 have gone on to college or university. Aboriginal youth are demonstrating a desire to achieve education and launch careers, and journalism is becoming a destination. Recent events have led mainstream newsrooms to reflect on their internal diversity and how well, in the absence of diversity, they can understand or explain events unfolding in Canada. This is an atmosphere of difficulty and opportunity which is understood and recognized by Journalists for Human Rights who proposed the ideal program. They offer much needed encouragement and support to aboriginal youth. They partner with aboriginal professionals to take meaningful advantage of mentorship and training opportunities. They work with mainstream newsrooms to problem-solve issues of diversity and help them find solutions. I am so pleased to work with Journalists for Human Rights. They are making amazing contributions to our communities and to journalism, for the benefit of all Canadians.
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Dana Gibreel receives the JHR Annual Human Rights Journalism Award 2016 in Jordan
Success Story
DANA GIBREEL TAKING ON POLICE BRUTALITY JHR TRAINED DANA GIBREEL UNCOVERS DEATHS DURING POLICE RAIDS Hovering at #140 on the Press Freedom Index, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is not an easy place to be a journalist. The list of “red-lined” zones of coverage is long. Police brutality is one of those red-lined zones. Yet that’s exactly where Dana Gibreel, a 28-yearold JHR-trained Jordanian journalist, decided to focus her reporting efforts. She found that 27 citizens and 7 security personnel had died during security raids between January 2013 and October 2015. This is what Dana chose to investigate. Using practical training on human rights and data journalism, Dana interviewed some of the victims’ family members to reveal the circumstances that led to the killings, and how law enforcement was or was not complying with legal procedures.
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Dana also interviewed civil society representatives who are responsible for monitoring and documenting such human rights violations. In addition to practical training, JHR’s on the job mentorship equipped the young journalist with skills to lead the investigation. Because of Dana’s story, heavy-handed police tactics came under broad public scrutiny. The Jordanian police found themselves in an unusual situation: under pressure, in order to rebuild people’s trust in their work of enforcing the rule of law. As a result of her pioneering work Dana was invited to the international, Open Government Partnership Global Summit 2016 in Paris. This is a fitting tribute to the woman who dared go where few others would: cutting through a culture of self-censorship to shine a spotlight on police brutality.
Power of Partnerships
LISA LAFLAMME | CTV NATIONAL NEWS WHY CTV NATIONAL NEWS NEWS CONTINUES TO SUPPORT JHR. Each year, JHR sends two or three top Canadian journalists into the field to add their expertise to our programs. We spoke with CTV National News’ Lisa LaFlamme about what this partnership means for her news organization. WHAT DO CTV NATIONAL NEWS MENTORS GAIN FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING IN THE FIELD WITH JHR? Every CTV National News mentor has returned to the newsroom having gained so much more than they could possibly give - broader knowledge of regional challenges, deeper respect for human rights reporting and the satisfaction of helping young journalists improve their storytelling capabilities. WHAT DOES THE PARTNERSHIP REPRESENT TO CTV NATIONAL NEWS? This partnership is a winning example of how conventional news organizations like CTV
National News can further our commitment to human rights reporting by helping and mentoring young journalists working in fledgling democracies. It’s more than just talk - it’s actively improving and encouraging a free press around the world. In Canada we take Human Rights reporting for granted so these mentoring opportunities allow our editorial and production staff to see first hand the challenges journalists in oppressed countries face everyday. The relationships built through this partnership also widen our reach in covering parts of the world that are sometimes under-represented. Trained journalists are now able to report on a freelance basis for CTV National News when news breaks in their region - the connection is a win-win.
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Profile
PEOPLE POWER: ZEIN ALMOGHRABY
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y name is Zein Almoghraby and I am a Syrian-Canadian. Throughout much of my adult life I have been a human rights activist in a country, Syria, where the public is deprived from its right to access information. Data that is essential to making sense of major challenges and changes in every aspect of people’s lives was either hidden or made too complicated for the average person to comprehend. The practice of journalism was completely restricted; no one was able to tell stories nor report about the cumulative problems. Syrians had no voice. And the war has only exacerbated these problems. Yet the same journalists who risked their freedom and safety to obtain the right to free expression and free media in Syria post-Arab Spring are now working to establish independent media outlets. The goal: to inform the Syrian public, to give the Syrian people a voice — and to open the world’s eyes on one of this century’s most horrible tragedies. When JHR approached Syrian editors to assess whether, and how, a media development intervention could help; many expressed strong enthusiasm.
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Partly, this was driven by JHR’s strong reputation in the region. But they had another reason that was overwhelming to me personally as a new Canadian. “We need data driven journalism, we need human rights reporting and we want to work with Canadians,” said the editor of a weekly newspaper. Representing the Canadian spirit of acting, yet not being controlling, of rather reaching out a hand to help and be supportive, JHR is in the process of launching its newest program in Syria. The project, based in Turkey, will help build the skills and strengths of these journalists and ensure the sustainability of a selected number of independent Syrian media outlets. The training of journalists is designed to foster inclusive and informed public dialogue on human rights, while countering hate speech. The project will also work with media managers to help build sustainable business plans so they can work independently and create opportunities for public dialogue on human rights and democracy. The goals: to ease the pain, to ensure reliable information is flowing, and to contribute the power of media to put an end to the myriad of obstacles and challenges that Syrians face daily.
Students of the “École Technique de Journalisme”
Field Impact
ACCREDITATION FOR THE ÉCOLE TECHNIQUE DE JOURNALISME, BUKAVU-DRC
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n the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Kivu province, more than 90% of journalists are recruited without any prior training. Even professional journalists are often ignorant of the principles of journalism, resulting in a blatant violation of basic journalistic ethics and lack of professionalism. This is largely due to the lack of institutions and schools. To meet the need, Prince Murhula, founder and director of JHR’s implementing partner ‘J ournalistes pour la Promotion des Droits Humains (JPPDH)’ in Eastern DRC, decided to set up a training school, inspired by JHR’s approach to vocational training, to bring change in the press of South Kivu. The technical and vocational training center “École Technique de Journalisme” (ETJ) was launched in Bukavu in February 2014. The school works alongside universities and higher institutions for journalism over a term of 6 months, and focuses on the principles of rights media. In 3 years, ETJ has trained about
400 students, of which 60% are currently working in the media.In September 2016, the ETJ was approved by decree of the National Minister of Technical and Vocational Training in the DRC as an accredited technical and vocational training center. “I consider JHR as the sponsor of the School and its main partner. This is because we could never have set up this structure without the involvement and continued support of JHR”, says Prince Murhula. “In addition, the program and the curriculum offered at ETJ is based on JHR’s rights media approach – an approach which is unique in our country.” For JHR, this school represents long-term sustainability of impact. Julie Kangeyo, student at ETJ and journalist at “Radio Star”: “ETJ guided my steps and helped me improve my way of doing things, and has helped spread the right information for the Bukavu community.”
JHR Annual Report 2016 | 21
JHR Champion
BEN PETERSON | AHL VENTURE PARTNER Ben Peterson co-founded Journalists for Human Rights in 2002, with Alexandra Sicotte-Levesque. In 2012, he created Newsana, a digital media start-up. As of 2016, Ben has been based in Nairobi, Kenya, and is the Senior Partner at AHL Venture Partners, one of the largest impact-focused VC firms in Africa.
Q. |
WHY DID YOU START JHR ? Because without strong and independent journalism, democracy and human rights protections are impossible. Too many people around the world live in countries where the news media is too weak to properly represent them.
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WHAT WAS YOUR HOPE IN DOING SO? That we’d play a small part in helping journalism communities in fragile states grow and flourish, creating greater public awareness of basic human rights and pressuring abuses to stop. I’m proud that we’ve had a lot of impact thus far but there is so much more we (and others) can do in this regard.
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WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW IT HAS GROWN? I love it! I’m thrilled that JHR has thrived since my departure running the day-to-day - most
22 | JHR Annual Report 2016
organizations really suffer when their founders depart. Not JHR! It’s a great testament to the skills and passion of the current leadership team.
Q. |
WHY DOES THE WORLD NEED JHR’S WORK? Because if the stories of the forgotten never get told nothing will change - they will remain unforgotten. Only when abuses come to light, when corruption and hatred and bigotry are exposed, do we have a chance to embolden people and make real change happen. This isn’t a straight line, but we’ve seen enough instances where exposing abuses leads to corrupt government ministers being fired, abusers getting jailed and ordinary citizens speaking up against injustice…
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WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEXT 15 YEARS? What I’d really like to see happen is for JHR to continue to grow, both in terms of the geographic spread of its programs and in terms of the sophistication and effectiveness of its work. As donors get to know us better, they are starting to realize there is no better bang for their buck than supporting our work - we spread the human rights word to millions of people on very small budgets compared to other big players in the field.
Kaleigh teaching infographics in Jordan
Power of Partnerships
KALEIGH AMBROSE | CTV NEWS Q. |
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO APPLY FOR THE SHORT TERM JHR TRAINERSHIP IN JORDAN? JHR’s short term trainership presented the opportunity to combine my interest in activism, volunteerism and travel into one great adventure. I was seeking a fulfilling opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise in the television, journalism, and human rights field to others abroad.
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WHAT EXPERIENCE DURING THE TRAINERSHIP IN JORDAN HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOU? The trip to the Syrian refugee camp had the biggest impact on me. After three intense days of mentorship and workshops, to be able to visit the people that we talked about throughout and actually hear their stories, while sitting in their makeshift tents, sitting on the floor, and seeing their faces. We cover stories with CTV on the refugee crisis time and time again, but to have been able to spend a day with these brave human beings and hear their harrowing stories firsthand was an invaluable experience.
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HAS THE TRAINERSHIP INFLUENCED YOUR JOURNALISM WORK SINCE, AND IF SO, HOW? I’m definitely more conscious of the world around me than I was before. The JHR mentorship program really opened my eyes to the access, or lack thereof, that other journalists have in other countries, even fairly developed ones like Jordan. I certainly don’t take for granted how simple it is for me to pose a question, and usually find the answer within a governmental database, an online website, or even our own CTV platforms. That simply isn’t a luxury that every journalist is afforded, and I don’t forget that when completing daily tasks.
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WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A JHR (SHORT) TRAINERSHIP TO OTHER JOURNALISTS AND IF SO, WHY? Without a second of hesitation, I would recommend a trainership experience to other journalists. You’ll have a new appreciation for your own job when you return, but also be so inspired by the trials and obstacles that others face around the world, and their constant ability to come out for the better on the other side.
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DONORS AND SUPPORTERS CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE ($50,000+) Ian and Catherine Delaney Flatley Family Foundation PUBLISHER’S CIRCLE ($10,000 - $49,000) Accenture Bell Media Inc Bruce Power CBC Corus Entertainment Inc. CTV News Derek and Adrienne Fisher MLSE Newstalk 1010 Porter R. Howard Webster Foundation Royal Bank of Canada TD Bank Financial Group Toronto Life Toronto Star Uber MASTHEAD SUPPORT ($1,000 - $9,999) Alethea Au APTN Blakes Bloomberg Canada LLC BMO Canadian National Railway Company 24 | JHR Annual Report 2016
Carol Ann Gingras CN CPAC Canadian Public Affairs Channel David and Shelley Peterson Deb Matthews Friends of Canadian Broadcasting Global News Hal Jackman Foundation Ian Morrison Ipsos Reid LP Janice Neil John Honderich Laurie Few Lynn Mahoney Manulife Marci McDonald and Clair Balfour Massey College Mohammad Al Zaibak National Newsmedia Council Ontario College of Trades Postmedia Network Inc. Richard Wernham Robert Walman Roberta Hague Rogers Publishing Ryerson University Sean Mullin Shannon Flatley Stikeman Elliott LLP Susanna Kelley The Alva Foundation The Tyee
Torys LLP Troy Reeb WCPD Foundation William D. Martin MEDIA MOVERS ($1 - $999) Kate Allen Brianna Ames Sarah Andrewes James Armstrong Angela Bardeesy Paul Barnsley Sandra Bartlett Vasiliki Bednar Stewart Bell Benevity Inc. Sandie Benitah Bluesea Philanthropy Jacques Bourbeau George Browne Don Byng Canopy Labs Carleton JHR Todd Carmichael Tyler Charlebois Xavier Van Chau Michele Chiasson-Suart Janet Chong Tom and Jane Clark Fiona Conway James Cowan Robert Cribb
James Cullingham Brock Dale Mohamed Dhanani Marie-Claude Doucet Hilary Doyle Nana-Aba Duncan Leora Eisen Karim El Bardeesy Kathy English-Serles Larissa Fenn Renee Filippone Charles Finlay Iris Fischer Nicole Flippance John Paul Fozo Leah Frank John Fraser Michael Galto Mary Gazze Danny Glenwright Joshua Gorner Michael Graydon Wojciech Gryc Scott Guest Christopher and Elisabeth Guthrie, Wigmore Daniel Haggart Andrea Hall Helen Hambly Odame Tiffany Haskins Mark Heinzl Thomas P. Henheffer Jane Hilderman Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. Mavis Himes Simon Houpt Ella Huber Stephen Huddart Ahmed Hussen Rosa Hwang Carolyn Jarvis Robert E. Johnson Brent Jolly Fahim Kaderdina Suanne Kelman Malcolm Kirk Paul Knox Helene Lamarre Brennan Leffler James Leslie Gray Elizabeth Lewis Richard Linley Nicole MacAdam Heather MacDonald Jordan MacInnis Connie Macleod, AB Asmaa Malik
S Marcke Paula Matthews Karen McCall Caroline McGrath Neville McGuire Michael McLean Stewart Elizabeth Mendes Charles Messina Shawn Micallef Jeremy Millard Geoffrey Miller Andre Morriseau Makiko Nakamura Farah Nasser Patrick O’Connell Simon Ostler Anne Marie Owens Erin Pehlivan Ben Peterson Duncan J. Pike Jayme Poisson PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada Foundation Jennifer Proudfoot John Provart Dr. Jim Pulfer Kaley Pulfer Margaret Pulfer Rachel Pulfer Judith Rae Ann Rauhala Drew Redden Ali Richmond Bill Roberts Martin Roland McKenzie Ross Raul Rupsingh Graham F. Scott Tracy Seeley Hugh D. Segal Bruce Shapiro Josephine and Graham Sheppard Kathryn Sheppard Sean Simpson Elyahitha St. Philip Adam Stewart Hannah Sung Edwin Tahmassian Erin Valois Damon van der Linde Robyn van Teunenbroek Casey and Amy van Wensem Geoff Voisin Connie Walker Scott Weisbrod Lindsey Wiebe Alison S Williams
Richard Wiltshire Rhona Wolpert Jessica Woolard Xueting Zhao PROGRAM SUPPORT Bealight Foundation Crestview Strategy Donner Canadian Foundation Global Affairs Canada J. W. McConnell Family Foundation Middle East Partnership Initiative, U.S. Department of State Netherlands Embassy in Amman Ontario Trillium Foundation Osler’s, Hoskin and Harcourt RBC Foundation The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business UNESCO United Nations Democracy Fund Webster Foundation Winnipeg Foundation JHR BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alethea Au Catherine Cano Michael Cooke Benjamin Peterson Troy Reeb Anthony Wilson-Smith IN-KIND Adrian Sutherland Newstalk 1010 The Canadian Press Toronto Life The Auctionista Bearskin Airlines Matt Blair Melody McKiver The Canadian Press Chatelaine CNW Canada Newswire Coca-Cola Collective Arts Brewery Conrad Black Sabbath Kasper Le Gourmand The Globe and Mail NorthStar Air Oskar Johansson Our Forté Regal Bicycles Inc. Reds Restaurant Steamwhistle Terroni Wine Council of Ontario JHR Annual Report 2016 | 25
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION December 31, 2016 2016
2015
$895,328
$606,023
Government remittances receivable
$16,777
$19,592
Advances and prepaid expenses
$56,849
$76,516
$968,954
$702,131
$17,552
$12,907
$986,506
$715,038
$31,728
$41,539
$761,387
$559,896
$793,115
$601,435
$15,148
$9,731
$808,263
$611,166
$178,243
$103,872
$986,506
$715,038
ASSETS Current Assets: Cash and bank
Capital assets
LIABILITIES Current Liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Deferred revenue
Deferred capital contribution
Net Assets: Unrestricted
26 | JHR Annual Report 2016
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND CHANGES IN NET ASSETS December 31, 2016 2016
2015
Government grants
755,546
$696,926
Foundation donations
509,894
$479,797
Donations and contributions
339,770
$302,818
$1,605,210
$1,479,541
$862,690
$666,280
$71,006
$122,365
$146,342
$155,994
$25,317
$15,819
$414,943
$481,453
$10,541
$1,977
$1,530,839
$1,443,888
$74,371
$35,653
Net assets, beginning of year 47% | Government Grants
$103,872
$68,219
Net assets, end of year
$178,243
$103,872
REVENUES
EXPENSES International projects Project support Fundraising Professional fees National programs Exchange losses 32% | Foundation Donations 21% | Donations and Contributions
Excess of revenues over expenses
EXPENSE ALLOCATION 2016 7% | Admin 10% | Fundraising
83% | Charitable Projects
REVENUE ALLOCATION 2016 32% | Foundation Donations 21% | Donations and Contributions
47% | Government Grants
JHR Annual Report 2016 | 27
7% | Admin
WWW.JHR.CA | INFORMATION@JHR.CA | @JHRNEWS phone: 416 . 413 . 0240 | fax: 416 . 413 . 1832 147 Spadina Avenue, Suite 206, Toronto ON M5V 2L7 Journalists for Human Rights is a registered Canadian Charity #860372853RR0001