Saturday, June 22, 2013

Campaign: News Stories That Are Changing Our World

By M H Ahssan / Hyderabad

Impact journalism is about complementing everyday reporting with stories about solutions. In an initiative driven by India News Network (INN) and 21 other international media groups are celebrating the first Impact Journalism Day today by publishing stories of hope and change.

Readers all over the world today are hungry for stories with a difference. Stories that bring hope and concrete solutions, at both local and global levels. They are looking for signs of change they can identify with. Change that will make them think… and act.
The media has a key role to play in this – to alert us about problems AND share solutions. This is called Impact Journalism. 
   
Stories like these are often hard to find. As the proverb says, “a falling tree makes more noise than a growing forest”. That is why INN is working with the media to track down stories that are changing our world. 
    
We invited editors of major newspapers to give more space to these inspiring initiatives. Twenty-two papers said yes, and today, the special pages they are dedicating to solutions will reach up to 50 million readers in 20 countries. Others are keen to join us and we hope 100 newspapers, TV and radio stations will participate in the next edition. 
    
This has been a collaborative effort.  INN team prepared a package of original articles, and the newspapers in turn reported on innovative projects in their own countries. The editors then made a selection for their own readers. 
    
We at INN hope the page you are about to discover will be the start of a long adventure. Once this campaign is over, we will bring together our partner editors to share best practices and develop future collaborations. 
    
The media are on board. Now what about us? Are we, ordinary readers, doing our bit to share solutions? A father complains his son is falling behind at school and losing confidence in the future but then he realizes he’s the one who comes home at night moaning about problems at work, the financial crisis and po litical scandals. 
    
In other words, it’s up to each one of us to pass on news that could inspire others and give them hope. So once you have read these pages, why not show them to your children, friends or col leagues? Why not use the social networks to share a video or an inspiring project you discovered on the INN website? Why not become a force for change yourself, by talking about solu tions? Thank you and welcome aboard! Write your views, opinion or feedback to editor@indiatell.org

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