By Lisa Robinson
Rioting in Athens in early December prompted non-stop coverage from multiple television channels in the country. Greek audiences were obviously hungry to know where and why the rioting was happening, how extensive the damage was, and how long it might continue. In Athens at the time, I watched BBC and CNN for the english headlines, but eagerly flicked between at least three Greek TV stations with ongoing footage of the previous nights’ events.
During the week of the riots, Athens was hosting the Global Forum for Media Development where, my colleagues Imogen Wall of the BBC World Service Trust and Mark Frohardt of Internews were, coincidently, raising discussion about the crucial role of information for people affected by disasters (pdf).
As previously reported on this blog, too often humanitarian responses fail to meet the demand for information from affected populations. Local media and information infrastructures in developing countries are often weak to begin with, inhibiting the kind of widespread coverage taken for granted in Athens.
The conference discussions raised a number of comments from attendees focusing on the role of local media, in some ways oddly disconnected from events outside the conference centre on the streets of the city.
The director of Panos London emphasised the need for a code of conduct and questioned how ‘information’ might be defined, especially in politically sensitive areas.
Others reiterated the delicate balance between providing information to affected populations and politics. They questioned the role of the state in providing life-saving information, especially in contexts where governments retain a firm grip on media outlets.
Gavin Rees from the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma emphasised the wellbeing of reporters, who are often reporting under severe stress and shock. He urged organisations to take this into consideration when planning responses.
At a panel discussion at the Overseas Development Institute in London a few weeks earlier the focus was on how information and communication could be mainstreamed within the humanitarian sector, while this session offered useful follow on discussion specifically about the role of local media.
Audiences in Athens that week expected to see the riots in the media and to publically discuss the moving events. Why wouldn’t audiences facing tragedies anywhere else in the world expect – and deserve – to receive the same?
For more on information in emergency response, please see the BBC World Service Trust policy briefing (pdf).
