IRIN Evaluation Report - March 2003
by Graham Mytton & Sharon Rusu

Summary of the Findings of the Electronic Survey of IRIN Users

20. The main findings of the E-Survey are summarized below:
    • Users gave IRIN a high rating in all major factors by which a humanitarian news agency can be best assessed - with very high scores for Credibility, Relevance, Timeliness and Depth of Coverage and Detail.
    • 89% gave IRIN's Credibility a score of 4 or 5 out of 5. The equivalent figures for Relevance, Timelines and Depth were 89%, 84% and 67% respectively.
    • More than two in three IRIN users recall recent stories (and gave examples) that they had seen first on IRIN.
    • Three in four IRIN users believe that it had information that other agencies and sources did not have, and were able to give several recent examples.
    • Nearly two in three IRIN users thought that the agency provided views of events, people and organisations that were not otherwise available, and were able to provide several recent examples.
    • Significantly, media users were the most likely of all to view IRIN as an original and exclusive source for some stories. Four out of five Media subscribers believed IRIN provided exclusive information.
    • Most IRIN users work in the field of humanitarian relief and related activities - in NGOs, government service, the UN and its agencies, the media, private companies and in teaching and research.
    • IRIN users report very regular use, with 94% having read IRIN content within the previous week, 72% within the previous day.
    • IRIN material is used in a wide variety of ways and for a variety of purposes. In most cases, users wish to keep up to date with particular countries, areas or stories. Many also use IRIN for background material about crises.
    • More than half IRIN users regularly pass content on to others, thus considerably expanding IRIN's reach.
    • Most IRIN users - 73% - also visit the IRIN website, although not nearly as regularly as they read or use the email service. The most frequent users of the website were users who work in the media.
    • One in four IRIN users had visited the IRIN website within the previous week.
    • Most IRIN subscribers use the Internet as a news source. The BBC is their most used Internet source for world news. The prime source for humanitarian and development news for most respondents was IRIN, and it came far ahead of any other source.
    • Few respondents (only 17%) were willing to answer a question about the annual value to them of IRIN's services. The median figure given by those who did reply was $100.
    
    

    Interviews

21. With the number and range of stakeholders interviewed and the fact that responses differed sometimes widely between groups, a decision was taken to refer wherever possible to the interview respondents according to their professional affiliation: Media, UN, NGO, donor/government and academic. The interview results below begin with media respondents and thereafter chronicle responses from what is loosely defined as the 'humanitarian community' of UN, NGO, donors and academics.

    Media Users' Views of IRIN

22. We interviewed 31 journalists and editors in the UK, the US, Switzerland, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa. About 7% of IRIN's subscribers work in the media. But their strategic 'gatekeeper' role means that they can play a multiplier role in making IRIN material available to a much wider public. Of the 31 interviewed, 12 worked for news agencies of various kinds and used IRIN among other material in their output. The remainder were in various broadcast and print media, some with solely domestic audiences, while others had audiences in many parts of the world.
23. Prominent among interviewees were representatives from media that specialise in development and emergency news from Africa and/or Asia. The thirty-one were not representative of the media as a whole, but of those who actually use IRIN or might be expected to do so. It is instructive to categorise them into these four categories:
    • International News Media addressing audiences in different countries either directly or indirectly.
      Examples: BBC World Service, Reuters, Channel Africa, and AllAfrica.com. There were 10 in this category
    • Advocacy News Media - those that provide services to ameliorate present imbalances and barriers in communication in less developed areas.
      Examples: Pambazuka, Alertnet, InfoSud, Media Action International. There were 8 in this category.
    • Domestic (IRIN Coverage Areas) News Media addressing audiences in areas about which IRIN reports.
      Examples: The Monitor in Zambia, Daily Nation in Kenya. There were 9 in this category. The BBC Somali and Swahili services and the Swahili service of Channel Africa are also included here since they operate very much like domestic news media, addressing audiences in the same target areas.
    • Domestic (Other Areas) News Media in Other Areas - mainly Europe, addressing domestic audiences there.
      Examples: BBC TV News, Basler Zeitung. There were 4 in this category.
    • Additionally three training institutions were visited in Zambia, two of them involved in training journalists and the third in training for emergencies.
    
    

    IRIN Products and Users

24. The IRIN products or services used most by all kinds of media were the daily stories on the four African regions. Some receive these by email; others go to the web pages. Some use both. Because there are interesting and important differences in the way IRIN is used by media in the four categories, they are reported separately in this section.

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