A new chapter
Today marks a new beginning for IRIN. No longer part of the UN, we’re an independent non-profit news and information service providing the inside story on emergencies.
Our goal remains the same: compelling coverage of the causes and effects of humanitarian crises, as well as the responses to them.
The scale of suffering, abuse and injustice around the world is outrageous. Hard to contemplate, it’s often easier to just shut it out. We get that.
We want to make a difference with fair and balanced news, analysis and comment. But not in a boring, preachy way. We want our coverage to renew your sense of urgency and empathy, to celebrate survival and solutions against the odds and to castigate the unjust and indefensible. We intend to take advantage of our independence to be sharper, fresher and bolder than before.
It will be a gradual process as we try out new approaches, formats and delivery platforms to grow our audience and impact. Some of the excellent IRIN team are staying on, keeping the best of the IRIN tradition alive. But new people and new ideas will fundamentally shake up the way we report and interact. You’re part of it. Join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook. Let us know what you think at feedback@irinnews.org. Spread the word: we’re hiring. If you’re an email subscriber, you don’t have to change anything, your preferences remain as you set them up.
We thank our donors and partners and the nearly 20-year support of the UN for this chance at a new beginning.
A few basics: we’re setting up robust governance structures to preserve editorial independence. Our headquarters is in Switzerland, while keeping our footprint in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. We will need to carry advertising and sponsorship to complement grants from donors and foundations. We will almost certainly change the brand, to signal a break with the past. There’s plenty more, but I’ll leave it there for now. Read more about our transition here.
For now, best wishes and looking forward to hearing from you,
Ben Parker
Chief Executive Officer
IRIN
www.irinnews.org
https://twitter.com/benparker140
