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IRIN Evaluation Report - March 2003
by Graham Mytton & Sharon Rusu
Executive Summary - Continued
IRIN and Connectivity
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As with the previous criterion, high connectivity was viewed by many as a strength of IRIN in that it made connections with the various agencies involved and was comprehensive in this important respect as far as media users are concerned. The humanitarian community shared this view. High connectivity was especially important in terms of developing an expert network of informateurs, building relationships with donors, UN, NGOs and civil society based on trust and shared humanitarian values. The evaluation found that IRIN had characteristics of both knowledge and learning networks. Its move into PlusNews and radio was viewed by the evaluation as a positive indicator and demonstration of its awareness of the importance of its network advantage.
IRIN and Sustainability
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The issue of sustainability was not something that seemed especially relevant to media users, except in the sense that IRIN's disappearance would be regretted to a greater or lesser extent by all active users, and that IRIN had proved its value in its reliability and effective use of the material it collected and disseminated. By contrast, the vast majority of the humanitarian community observed that were IRIN no longer available it would have an immediate effect on their daily work as IRIN occupies a unique niche that is not easily filled. The humanitarian community found IRIN, with its use of humanitarian sources to report on humanitarian issues and themes, a source vital to support for strategic planning, programmes and substantive monitoring and reporting on humanitarian issues. Moreover, were IRIN's customized e-mail delivery system to disappear it would drastically reduce the immediate availability of information and analysis on important humanitarian issues. Finally, the majority advised that IRIN was in itself so clearly needed that funding for IRIN was viewed as integral to positive humanitarian outcomes not the least information support for coordination.
IRIN and Governance
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Only a very few media users had any view on the governance criterion. There does not seem to be much direct contact between media users and IRIN. But none of the users interviewed made a point about this or wished to change the relationship. On the other hand, the humanitarian community clearly linked IRIN's excellent products with good management. A number pointed out that the IRIN Readership Survey strongly supported this view. Others pointed to the fact that IRIN management had managed, in a short time, to develop IRIN as an authority in the humanitarian news area. The community as a whole shared this view. Thus, the issue of governance for the humanitarian community was directly linked to strong and effective leadership in the management of IRIN.
IRIN and Editorial Independence
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The important issue of editorial independence came up several times during the study and deserves special mention here. IRIN, although part of the UN system, is not subject to the same constraints to which other information providers in the UN are subjected. This independence sometimes sits uneasily within the UN system, but is essential for IRIN to function as a reliable and credible source of information. As the e-survey shows very clearly, IRIN's stories are trusted and relied on by the great majority of users. It is especially significant that users who work in mainstream media, who it needs to be remembered are trained to be sceptical of any information coming from a sponsored or official source, place a high level of trust in IRIN's credibility. Some did question whether IRIN needs to continue to sit within the UN system. When pressed on this issue, none of the media users interviewed could come up with any clear examples where the UN status of IRIN had compromised IRIN's editorial independence. But they raised the issue as one of principle and wondered whether circumstances might arise that would, because of internal UN pressure, lead to the suppression or amendment of stories. But no examples of such interference were noted or raised. Everyone agrees however that IRIN's credibility is high and must be maintained. We observed that IRIN operates in every way as a news agency committed to accuracy and comprehensiveness in the reporting of news with a humanitarian focus and context. It is obviously vital that this should continue.
Conclusion
- Our study found overall that IRIN reporting had clear benefits for the majority of its subscribers. IRIN saved time, was easily personalized and was given high scores for credibility, relevance and influence. Its products and services were described as providing timely, in-depth analysis and detail of coverage on humanitarian issues. IRIN products are used for a wide variety of purposes: funding, policy, security or programming decisions, but most often for updating, background briefings on crises areas, and forwarding to others, which latter activity is highest amongst NGOs, businesses, and UN, and least among media and academic users. Nearly two in three IRIN users thought that the agency provided views of events, people and organisations that were not otherwise available. Most importantly, the evaluation found that IRIN content informs the decision-making of a wide range of stakeholders. This alone is so compelling an attribute that it places IRIN in a position of unique value and demonstrated competence as an essential element in humanitarian coordination efforts.
Continued?
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