It's a big year for sustainable development, with some important international summits - at the UN next week and in Paris in December. This means development issues will be finding their way into the mass media where they usually don't get much of a look-in.
This presents a challenge for writers and journalists who may not normally cover these areas. It's also a great opportunity for charities and non-governmental organisations, who work tirelessly on improving the lots of people all around the world but whose work often goes unnoticed.
The big effort this year is on agreeing international "sustainable development goals" (SDGs), which will focus the efforts in every country to make the world a fairer, more equal and better place.
David Thomas Media has been working with Stakeholder Forum and Civicus (based in South Africa) to produce guides that help journalists on the one hand and charities on the other. Greater understanding on both parts will help more accurate and more engaging reporting. And who could argue with that.
If you're a journalist and are scratching your head about all this, I would recommend these resources:
- A Journalist's Toolkit (PDF, from Civicus)
- Sustainable development goals: all you need to know (excellent summary from the Guardian)
If you're in a development charity or NGO, we've created a guide, site and audio podcasts to help you engage with the media:
- Engaging with the Media - online guide and podcasts
It's also worth reading this great advice from Will Tucker, also for the Guardian:
Now let's hope that these issues get much wider and more accurate coverage.
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