Media as a Form of Aid in Humanitarian Crises

As the humanitarian crises following the Arab spring enter their sixth year, the media coverage of war, displacement, and migration in the Middle East and North Africa tragically have become all too familiar.

Humanitarian crises around the world have led to a major change in the priorities and approaches in media development efforts. Traditional efforts aimed at building sustainable media systems and institutions have had to give way to the more pressing needs of the ever-shifting crises. Creating humanitarian information systems requires a focus on the interplay of technology, word-of-mouth, and offline information using platforms such as Facebook, the mobile real time message application WhatsApp, or even printed banners with directions for migrants crossing into Europe.

Yet for those who are caught in the crises, and plagued not only by insecurity and uncertainty but a lack of information, relatively little is available to help them make informed decisions for their own survival.

This CIMA's Insight by Jeffrey Ghannam, an expert on news media in the Middle East, argues that traditional efforts aimed at building sustainable media systems and institutions have had to give way to the more pressing needs of these crises.