JHR Annual Report 2015

JOURNALISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Mobilizing Media. Changing Lives.

Trained

849

journalists in South Sudan, DRC, Jordan and northern Canada

REACHED

PRODUCED

JOURNALISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN 2015 157

stories on the Syrian crisis, indigenous issues, and protecting human rights in East Africa

15 MILLION PEOPLE

MISSION: VISION: JHR Annual Report 2015 | JHR Highlights

Empowering journalists to cover human rights stories objectively and effectively For everyone in the world to be aware of their rights

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THANK YOU

“I have learned how to identify missing elements in human rights articles. I have also learned how to defend my integrity as a journalist.”

– Jakita Catherine, Equator Broadcasting Company, South Sudan

THANK YOU For Journalists for Human Rights, 2015 has been an outstanding year.

I

t’s been a year of challenges, as journalists in programs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Middle East face down harassment, detention and worse.

And it’s been a year of triumph, as JHR successfully adapts its work across technological, language and cultural barriers – helping journalists raise their game, and helping communities solve their problems, from South Sudan to Sandy Lake.

The key theme? JHR is growing up. Our programs are maturing in size and ambition. And we are focusing and refining our work to do fewer things, better.

This means targeting places from the Middle East to Canada’s North, places where our programs have the potential to transform the way the media does its work, for the greater good.

With that maturity, JHR’s work is scaling – from one- or two-year pilot programs to multi-year initiatives that are national in scope.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | Letters

JHR’s work is unique. From Peawanuck, Ontario, to Yei, South Sudan, we are the only media development initiative that pairs rigorous journalism training with human rights awareness.

JHR aims to work itself out of a job. Our programs highlight long-term sustainability, from the first year. We work to ensure universities are teaching our approach, so we don’t have to.

In South Sudan, our human rights reporting curriculum is now pending approval at the University of Juba. And in Canada, curriculum that uses our approach to help journalism students do a better job of covering Indigenous issues is on the boards at Loyalist and Trent Universities and Ryerson University’s School of Journalism.

This means JHR’s work is directly in line with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s mandate: for Canadian journalism schools to do a better job of covering Indigenous issues country-wide.

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JHR has boots on the ground. Trainers work side-by-side with trainees, helping them build on their strengths while gaining a deep understanding of the challenges they face. These journalists work in places where, too often, reporting a story with integrity can land you in jail – or worse. When a JHR trainer recommends a trainee journalist for a grant, scholarship or award, they know – all too well – what has gone into that work, and how richly that person merits that recognition.

JHR’s work gets results. In Canada, JHR’s programming helped talented Indigenous journalist Jaydon Flett get her start in media.

Following a JHR internship, Jaydon was one of the youngest people to get a job at Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

In South Sudan, a story mentored by JHR South Sudan trainer Walter Onen put the misunderstood issue of child prostitution in the headlines, engaging authorities to work to solve the problem, despite the ongoing civil war.

And in Jordan, JHR’s work documented the dangers Syrian refugees faced when leaving the country. This helped thousands of Syrians find ways to leave Jordan legally – and safely.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | Letters

In story after story, program after program, the impact is powerful local reporting that opens up vital conversations on human rights issues.

And time after time, this reporting helps communities find local solutions to seemingly intractable problems – and changes lives. For the better.

None of this would be possible without you – our extraordinary community of support.

Some of you sponsor programs. Others buy tables or tickets for the gala. Others find ways to support us with a few dollars each month.

And thousands follow and repost our work on social media.

Without this support, JHR would remain a beautiful idea. With you, JHR becomes a vital and growing force for good. Thank you. Your support has changed lives. And with your continued and expanded support in 2016, just imagine how much more we are going to be able to do.

RACHEL PULFER Executive Director, Journalists for Human Rights

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VIEW FROM THE BOARD “To deny people their human rights,” Nelson Mandela once said, “is to challenge their very humanity.”

T

he evidence of that, in different but always unpleasant ways, is found in almost every corner of the world.

That is why our Journalists for Human Rights organization came into existence 14 years ago – and why, today, we are busier than ever.

The good news is that JHR has also been succeeding on so many fronts in 2015. We increased the scale and scope of our programs, added new locations to our ongoing operations, and continued to adapt and learn from those with whom we work.

As Executive Director Rachel Pulfer notes, we are now present everywhere from the Middle East to Canada’s North. Our greatest sources of pride are the people we work with in each location, as they move into leadership positions in their community. Our biggest victories come when we decide it is time to leave – because our services are no longer needed by our partners, who have taken matters in hand for themselves.

Our annual report profiles some of those people.

Rania Sarayrah, a journalist in Jordan, has focused on the great and often unknown dangers facing refugees from that country while in transit.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | Letters

Onen Walter Solomon, of South Sudan, has risen from tough beginnings to become an investigative journalist of some renown. Jean Shotsha, a student in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is a member of JHR’s youth network who is already earning widespread attention for the rigorous reporting he brings to his coverage of human rights. And here in Canada – where we have expanded our Indigenous Reporters Program – Pam Chookomoolin of the Weenusk First Nation of Ontario is studying the effects of climate change on Canada’s North, and the people who live there.

The tools for teaching and developing community leaders come from many places and people, including all who support our work. We are grateful for that, and your understanding that in an inter-connected world, we can’t just look away from problems. Our goal wherever we go is to shed light on injustices. Even as we do so, we always look to the day when we can pack up and go home – leaving behind a trained group of local heroes to pick up the torch and carry on.

Thanks to all who help us to keep that torch lit – and ready to pass it on.

ANTHONY WILSON-SMITH Chair of JHR Board of Directors

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A LOOK BACK

“I’m now a full-time reporter here at Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and I am deeply grateful to JHR for providing me the internship opportunity that got me here.”

– Jaydon Flett, Past JHR Intern and Reporter at APTN Winnipeg/Current Correspondent at APTN Saskatchewan

A LOOK BACK JANUARY Kayla Hounsell of CTV Atlantic was a JHR shortterm trainer for the South Sudan program. With her one-on-one training and mentoring, journalists, camera operators, editors and management were provided with the skills necessary to improve their human rights reporting.

JHR-trained students in the DRC produced 20 in-depth human rights stories covering human rights issues, including marginalized children born out of rape; children forced to beg and work to afford tuition; malnutrition; and discrimination against people living with disability.

FEBRUARY Newsroom and community reconciliation workshops were held in Thunder Bay, Sudbury, North Bay, Kenora, Sault Ste Marie, London, Hamilton, Ottawa and Toronto.

Global Toronto’s Ron Waksman delivered a workshop to media managers in South Sudan. The workshop brought together nine media houses and one civil society group.

MARCH The “International Criminal Court and the Fight Against Impunity in the DRC” forum in Kinshasa actively engaged students with the existing legal mechanisms addressing human rights issues.

Huffington Post Canada named the Indigenous Reporters Program one of the “Five Amazing Things Happening In Canada.”

APRIL Four JHR trainers were placed in remote reserve communities in Ontario: Stephanie Cram in Sachigo Lake First Nation, Ophira Horwitz in Sandy Lake First Nation, Brandon MacLeod in Weenusk First Nation, and Jack Locke in Fort Albany First Nation.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | A Look Back

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MAY The “Social Responsibility of Journalists” forum took place in Goma, DRC, to promote public dialogue among students, media, and members of civil society about the role of journalists and the strong need for ethics as the first step in sharing information with the public.

JUNE For the first time in the Maghreb, JHR worked with journalists from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Lybia and Mauritania to cover human rights issues more effectively in the region.

Kathy English, Public Editor at The Toronto Star, wrote an article about the role media needs to play in regards to Aboriginal issues, naming JHR “the most encouraging initiative I am aware of.”

JULY In Jordan, a series of workshops concluded with training 142 journalists and journalism students on covering human rights issues more effectively and ethically.

The forum in Kinshasa about “Media and Children’s Rights” was run by students to encourage a more active participation from youth by providing a platform to raise awareness about human rights issues.

AUGUST Sandie Benitah from CP24 traveled to Sandy Lake First Nation. She worked with the community and facilitated workshops about the impact of social media on journalism for the Indigenous Reporters Program.

A public forum was organized in Jordan with the participation of more than 15 journalists, CSO representatives, government officials and diplomats to discuss the citizen reporting mobile application, Maidan.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | A Look Back

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SEPTEMBER The final draft of the Journalists for Human Rights curriculum was submitted to the University of Juba in South Sudan. Once approved by the Senate, it will become a mandatory course within the university’s journalism curriculum.

JHR organized the first national Human Rights Reporting Award in Jordan. The competition was open to online and print media produced over the year preceding the ceremony.

OCTOBER JHR hosted its fourth annual Night for Rights Gala in Toronto, where more than 350 people gathered to raise funds and celebrate the power of human rights journalism. Mustapha Dumbuya, the JHR/Fisher Fellow for 2015–2016, was able to navigate the Sierra Leone travel ban and presented his story at Night for Rights.

JHR and the International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law published Understanding the Right to Freedom of Expression: An international law primer for journalists. The launch of this primer marked the first time a document has been developed for journalists to better appreciate and understand their right to free expression, and their crucial role in ensuring that right is respected worldwide.

NOVEMBER JHR-trained students produced 30 in-depth human rights stories, 10 of which were produced by students in Kinshasa and 13 by students in Bukavu and Goma.

DECEMBER JHR’s Buried Voices study mentioned in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Final Report – using JHR data on Indigenous representation in Canadian media to support its recommendations to improve future coverage.

With the funds raised during Night for Rights, three journalism workshops were held in Juba, where more than 40 journalists were trained on safety, security and human rights.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | A Look Back

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FROM THE FIELD

“Looking at these young journalism students trained by JHR, I still have hope for Congolese media. You can see a small light shining, a light from which our country can flourish. I hope they keep as journalists the ethical foundation that JHR has shared with them.”

– Professor Blaise On’Okunji, ISP-Gombe, Democratic Republic of the Congo

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 2015 trained

116

journalism students

REACHED

produced

120 stories

11,800,000 PEOPLE

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Shaping the future of Congolese journalism

J

ean Shotsha is a student in his final year at the Institut Facultaire de Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication (IFASIC) in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is one of two student members of JHR’s youth network who won the 2015 Student JHR Award. He won for a feature article showing how Congolese street children expelled from neighbouring Brazzaville are struggling for food in Kinshasa.

Jean was noted for his determination and commitment to JHR’s core goal: helping journalists emphasize human rights issues in daily coverage. “JHR has allowed us to make

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

the media different by focusing on human rights issues that are rarely covered in the local media,” he said.

With the JHR training he received, Jean managed to make a difference at Le Potentiel, a major newspaper published in Kinshasa that is noted for its editorial independence. JHR’s program assigned Jean to this newspaper for an internship in 2014. Jean immediately impressed his supervisors – and he credits JHR’s training for his success. “JHR helped me to produce the stories. Thanks to this experience, I can go and work from the field, contact people, and interview them in a professional manner,” he said.

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“JHR equipped us with the right tools to cover human rights issues. This is why I made an effort to show to the journalists, the senior editors and the owner of the paper that it is possible to cover these stories without fear of retaliation.”

Jean’s strategy proved to be a winning bet.

He pitched several stories, including a feature about homeless children in the capital. His story, “Supporting street kids in Kinshasa: action needed from City Hall,” was published in April 2015. It described the rising phenomenon of abandoned children in the DRC. After the story was published, Jean became the most productive and committed intern at the newsroom. “Several journalists and senior managers at Le Potentiel kept praising my stories and my work,” he said.

Thanks to his performance during the internship, Jean was the only journalism student in the

GOAL:

country that got to interview the President of the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audio-Visuel et de la Communication, the Congolese media regulatory body, on World Press Freedom Day in 2015.

He is also one of four student groups stemming from JHR Clubs who won the 2015 edition of JHR’s Student Scholarship. With this award, Jean and his colleagues produced a 26-minute documentary entitled “Congolese University and its branches of shame” – an extraordinary documentary that puts the spotlight on university students’ use of child slaves to care for their residence rooms. The documentary also covers the phenomenon of corruption at Congolese Universities by exchanging money or sex for grades.

“JHR’s work is key to help promote a culture of professional reporting on human rights issues here in the DRC,” Jean explains. “I will do my best to help make that happen.”

To enable journalism students to foster dialogue around human rights, democracy and good governance on campuses, in their communities and in the media, while building practical skills for their future careers.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

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JORDAN

JORDAN 2015 TRAINED

4,000,000 people reached

37

students/ 105 journalists/journalism civil society representatives

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

in-depth stories produced

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JORDAN A picture is worth a thousand words: how infographics helped Syrian migrants leave Jordan legally

R

ania Sarayrah is a journalist in Jordan and writes for the country’s leading daily newspaper Al Ghad. In February, she participated in JHR’s human rights and data journalism training. She then worked directly with JHR trainer Mohammed Shamma to produce several stories, mostly dealing with migrant and women issues.

Rania decided to cover the phenomenon of migrants and refugees seeking asylum illegally in Europe from Jordan. For her, it was a surprise to learn that Syrians, for instance, might wish to leave Jordan to settle elsewhere. The conventional wisdom amongst Jordanians is that Syrians are there either to stay, or plan to return to Syria once the war is over. Media

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

coverage describing Jordan as a transit country barely exists.

The reality is quite different. Many Syrians have sought asylum illegally by sea. Rania noticed that many of them take swimming classes in recreational and community centers in Jordan.

By talking to many Syrian migrants, she realized that most were not aware of the extraordinary dangers that such trips could entail.

To add context to her reporting, Rania approached ARDD-Legal Aid (Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development), a relief organization providing legal support to migrants and refugees. From them, she was able to collect a lot of data about transit routes from

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Jordan and the related dangers. With the help of infographics, she then produced a very compelling and in-depth report on this issue. It was published by Al Ghad in May 2015.

The impact was almost immediate. ARDD-Legal Aid and other organizations printed thousands of copies of the report. These were distributed in refugee camps to raise awareness of the problem, and Rania’s story was included in all their educational materials.

The government itself circulated memos and instructions among most town councils in Jordan, to encourage them to raise awareness locally.

As a result, many Syrians and other migrants – including Jordanians who also attempt to take the sea to go to Europe – sought legal aid in order to leave legally – and safely.

GOAL:

Rania continues to produce stories about refugees and migrant workers. “Thanks to JHR, I gained skills that let me present issues to the public in a very accessible way,” she said. “Infographics are direct and very simple to understand, and you don’t need to list data sets that many people would not understand.

As soon as we started publishing stories with infographics at Al Ghad, we noticed that there were many more hits and visits per day online. Also, several of my peer journalists started using my stories as a basis for further investigations.

“I am now very glad to see that we are not only a few journalists that cover human rights issues,” Rania went on. “Thanks to this project, we are many more, and much better equipped to do a more impactful job.”

To enhance the skills of Jordanian media to cover human rights issues effectively, foster a more informed public dialogue on human rights issues, and increase sharing of information on human rights issues through leveraging new technology tools.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

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SOUTH SUDAN

SOUTH SUDAN 2015 165

14

WOR K SHOPS

Trained

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

journalists and journalism students

Creating and introducing a new Rights Media course at the University of Juba. That course is going to be fully implemented over 2016.

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SOUTH SUDAN Working towards media freedom during a civil war

S

ince JHR’s first year on the ground in South Sudan, several moments and individuals stand out as emblematic of the young country’s true future potential.

Onen Walter Solomon is one of those individuals.

Born in 1980 in Pajok – a community in Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan near the border of Uganda –Walter encountered poverty, death and war at just three years of age. The Second Sudanese Civil War ran from 1983 to 2005. It was between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army.

In 1996, at the age of 16, Walter fled South Sudan for his own safety. He lived in

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

Kiryandongo Refugee camp in Uganda, surviving there until a peace deal was signed in South Sudan in 2005.

Walter returned home the following year, determined to further educate himself. His first introduction to journalism was a course at the Multi-Media Training Center in Juba, an institution run by veteran media professionals of the then Juba Radio.

Walter joined Journalists for Human Rights as a media trainer in Juba in 2014. In this role, he has been leading a new movement for media freedom. Workshop after workshop, journalist after journalist, Walter has been a key reason why Journalists for Human Rights has been able

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to train 165 journalists, 10 media managers and 10 high level officials within the Union of Journalists of South Sudan – through a civil war.

Together, Walter and Journalists for Human Rights saw the amazing talent of local journalists in South Sudan. Journalists such as Parach Mach, who at the time was working for The Juba Telegraph. A large issue within the media sector remains self-censorship. Mach had covered a story on how the conflict had left many children orphaned. In their fight for survival, they fell into child prostitution rings.

When the article was first brought to his senior editors, they had no interest in publishing the information, mainly due to fear.

GOAL:

However, through mentorship and guidance, Mach was able to show how all angles of the story had been covered with objectivity. Speaking with officials on both ends, as well as several survivors, his editors decided it needed to be published. The coverage has started a broader conversation amongst community members and officials on finding solutions.

Our collective goals over the coming years in South Sudan with our partners is to ensure this type of training continues and grows. And it is talented people like Walter, working with journalists like Parach, who will play a critical role in our future success.

To empower citizens with information by strengthening the skills of South Sudanese journalists and journalism students; while simultaneously creating meaningful dialogue between government officials and civil society groups.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

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CANADA

CANADA 2015 TH R O U G H 3 3 WO R KS H O PS

463 journalists and student journalists we trained

in non-indigenous newsrooms and journalism programs

14

reporters enrolled in a journalism or media program at a Canadian post-secondary school scholarships institution

workshops training

41

FA C I L I TAT E D

AWA R D E D for emerging Indigenous

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

577 individuals | 21

CANADA Bridging cultural barriers in the era of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

P

am Chookomoolin lives in Peawanuck – a community of fewer than 300 people of the Weenusk First Nation, 1400 kilometres north of Toronto.

In 2015, Weenusk First Nation took on a JHR trainer – one of four remote reserve communities to do so. Trainers live in communities for periods of up to eight months. They work with trainees like Pam to help them write and publish their own stories, both for community and wider audiences.

This remote reserve training is the bedrock of JHR’s expanded Indigenous Reporters Program, a Canada-wide JHR media development initiative. It aims to build a pathway of opportunity for Indigenous journalists freelancing from remote reserves through education opportunities to internships and jobs.

The end goal is to promote the quantity and

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

quality of Indigenous stories in Canadian media – and in so doing, foster greater understanding of Indigenous issues in Canada.

Pam joined the program in April in the hope of learning new skills and improving her writing.

She took a very keen interest in the program from the start, learning the basics of journalism.

By observing the relationship between journalism and storytelling, she caught on quickly.

By June, Pam had her first article and photos published in Wawatay News, one of northern Ontario’s most influential Indigenous-owned newspapers. The story was about her son Logan shooting his first two geese while hunting. It was a very exciting and proud moment for Pam to see her hard work and dedication turn into a published story.

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“It’s important to record news and events here in Peawanuck as a way to record the history of the place and the people.

One day we will look back and have an actual place to find our stories and share them with our future generations.”

– Pamela Chookomoolin, Peawanuck, Ontario

Her friendly, personable nature made for strong interviewing skills, and she quickly put those to the test. She scheduled and initiated an interview with a senior representative of a company doing environmental reclamation work. While she was admittedly nervous, Pam conducted a solid interview. She learned from the experience and has consistently improved her interviewing skills since.

She also continues to write and take photos of her community, local events, and news.

Pam went on to have 13 written, audio, and photography pieces published, including a story and photographs published in Ontario Out of Doors magazine.

In the long run, Pam would like to start a podcast interviewing series, recording conversations with locals and visitors of Peawanuck. Her writing, interviewing and photography skills continue to improve and she remains very dedicated.

She has also been at the forefront of creating, designing and maintaining the local news and stories website Pehtahbun Peawanuck Dibajimona. She has, further, trained as a journalism trainer with JHR and continues to work with the journalism group in Peawanuck.

GOAL:

Pam is now partnered with JHR trainer Brandon MacLeod on a story about the disproportionate effects and unprecedented rate of change that Canada’s North is experiencing due to climate change.

At a time when Canada is grappling to understand and find better solutions to ongoing systemic issues in First Nations reserve communities, the country needs voices and viewpoints like Pam’s more than ever.

To increase the quality and quantity of Indigenous stories and voices in Canadian media, and to build a pathway of opportunity for Indigenous journalists from remote reserves to find jobs in the media industry, by providing educational and internship opportunities.

JHR Annual Report 2015 | From the Field

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JHR CHAMPIONS

“When you give, you are not only investing in 50 journalists, or 100 journalists, but rather you are investing in millions of innocent people…”

– David De Dau, Executive Director, Agency for Independent Media, South Sudan

DEREK AND ADRIENNE FISHER Adrienne is a librarian at Upper Canada College. Derek owns a technology company supplying fundraising software to non-for-profit organizations across North America. Both are long-term supporters of JHR.

Q. |

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH JHR?

We’ve been involved with the Gordon Fisher Journalism Fellowship at Massey College for more than 20 years. During the 2008 global financial crisis, the Commonwealth Press Union went bankrupt and we lost the conduit to prospective candidates. Fortunately for us, JHR stepped in and is now the organization that gets the word out in Africa. The number and quality of candidates has never been better and our relationship with JHR has opened our eyes to the great work it is doing.

Q. |

WHAT DRIVES YOU TO SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS JOURNALISM?

The Fisher Fellowship has always been about educating journalists from places where basic human rights are not understood and/or are suppressed. By opening a single person’s eyes to what is possible, connecting them with a network of like-minded peers, and giving them

JHR Annual Report 2015 | JHR Champions

some tools and confidence, the journalist is empowered to better report on human rights and good governance.

Q. |

WHY IS THE WORK THAT JHR DOES SO IMPORTANT TO YOU?

We think JHR’s programs have a huge multiplier effect. Their on-the-ground work trains journalists to report on human rights in a way that leads to real, sustainable change. We believe that JHR’s training is the “gift that keeps on giving,” a gift that has the potential to change the lives of millions.

Q. |

WHAT EXCITES YOU THE MOST ABOUT JHR MOVING FORWARD?

We love that JHR recognizes that a job well done means they can withdraw from places where they have been successful, and direct their efforts to other countries in need. And not just in Africa, but also in northern Canada. Providing Indigenous Canadian journalists with training will allow them to report more effectively on issues that are important to their communities.

And we are very excited to learn that the 2015– 2016 Fisher Fellow, Mustapha Dumbuya will be working as a trainer for JHR in South Sudan!

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MUSTAPHA DUMBUYA Mustapha Dumbuya is a journalist from Sierra Leone. He was trained by JHR, and went on to report on the Ebola crisis as a producer for BBC Media Action. Mustapha was the 2015–16 Gordon N. Fisher/JHR Fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto, and will be the new International Trainer for the South Sudan project.

Q. |

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE JOURNALISM?

I grew up in Sierra Leone where I saw firsthand how misinformation and indeed a total lack of information was used to fuel the war in my country. The massive scale of human rights violations – especially those of women and girls – during the war was what ignited my interest in pursuing a career in the media and hope of creating positive change in the lives of my people, through the provision of accurate and unbiased information that will help them make decisions on issues that affect their lives.

Q. |

HOW DID THE JHR TRAINING HELP YOU IN SUBSEQUENT WORK WITH BBC MEDIA ACTION AND THE EBOLA CRISIS? The JHR training taught me how to investigate and report on human rights issues and prepared me for more tough assignments in my career. At the BBC Media Action, I had the opportunity to share the skills I had acquired from JHR trainings to colleagues across Sierra Leone. During

JHR Annual Report 2015 | JHR Champions

the recent Ebola outbreak, there were many human rights issues that most media institutions ignored due to the State of Emergency that was proclaimed by the President of Sierra Leone, but my human rights journalism background helped me to bring some of these issues in the spotlight.

Q. |

WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE FELLOWSHIP?

The fellowship was a huge breath of fresh air after reporting on the Ebola crisis, and all its restrictive measures, for a year. It was a blessing! It gave me the opportunity to take a break from the daily life of a journalist to become a student again.

The most exciting thing was the freedom to study whatever I wanted, and the opportunity to network and broaden my social and professional contacts.

The travelling opportunity has broadened my horizons and deeply influenced my worldview.

Q. |

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME BACK TO JHR AND HOP ON BOARD WITH THE SOUTH SUDAN PROJECT? My decision to work with JHR in South Sudan was influenced by my belief in the organisation’s approach to media development. Having had a first-hand experience of JHR’s training in a postconflict zone, it’s been a long time desire to give back to an organization that has given me, and so many of my colleagues in Sierra Leone, so much.

The South Sudan project presented the perfect opportunity to do this. | 26

POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS

“CTV sends great journalists to work with JHR overseas and without exception they all return to us as better journalists and, in the best sense, different people.”

– Lisa LaFlamme, Chief Anchor and Senior Editor, CTV National News

Sandie Benitah is with Ophira Horwitz, community trainer in Sandy Lake First Nation.

CTV

S

andie Benitah is the social media genius behind CP24. Among other things, she runs @CP24, the most-followed Twitter handle in Canadian media.

Since 2014, JHR has partnered with CTV, which owns CP24, on a program to send top journalists with significant expertise to contribute to our projects around the world. When Sandie was selected to spend a month with JHR, she was very clear where she wanted to contribute – on JHR’s Indigenous Reporters Program, mentoring Indigenous youth in a remote reserve community.

In August 2015, Sandie travelled to Sandy Lake First Nation, pop. 2675, 450 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. She conducted workshops with youth across the community on how best to use social media as a reporting and publishing tool, and also worked with the trainees at the Lac Seul Training Centre for Excellence.

“Working with and mentoring people in Sandy Lake as a JHR representative was one of the most productive experiences of my life,” said Sandie on

JHR Annual Report 2015 | Power of Partnerships

her return. “Although isolated, people who live in Sandy Lake are articulate, intelligent and incredibly active in their community. They are the ideal group of journalists – they just need the opportunity to become one, and JHR affords them that.”

The program with CTV got its start in 2013, shortly after senior editor and news anchor Lisa LaFlamme went to Goma, in eastern DRC, with JHR to work with female journalists there. It’s an incredible chance for some of Canada’s top journalists to lend targeted expertise to JHR programs.

Since then, CTV has sent three expert trainers overseas. The first, Ethan Faber, the managing director of CTV Vancouver, went with us to Sierra Leone. CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell headed to South Sudan in January 2015. She worked with journalists at CitizenTV and reported back the kinds of challenges they faced on a daily basis. Sandie went to Sandy Lake last summer.

And, looking ahead to 2016, Kayleigh Ambrose heads to JHR’s Middle East program to lend her substantial technical expertise to our data journalism initiative in Jordan.

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GLOBAL NEWS CTV’s program powerfully reinforces the superb work launched by Global News’ expert trainer initiative, championed at Global by JHR board member Troy Reeb. Global’s 2015 expert trainer with JHR was Ron Waksman, senior director of online news as well as editorial standards and practices. He went over to South Sudan in February to deliver much-needed training workshops to a set of media managers drawn from JHR’s network of partners. The training helped further JHR’s sustainability strategy for the Sudan program – ensuring managers are equipped with the skills necessary to sustain

their operations, and hence sustain the impact of the JHR training their staff receive.

Global News has also provided fulsome support to the Indigenous Reporters Program, taking interns drawn from our network of Indigenous journalism talent. For periods of three months at a time, Global newsrooms from Halifax to Saskatoon host and integrate Indigenous interns, giving them a foot in the door of media, valuable experience and clips, and the opportunity to assess what a career in media is actually going to be like.

Jaydon Flett, Past JHR Intern and Reporter at APTN Winnipeg/Current Correspondent at APTN Saskatchewan

APTN In this, Global is joined by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), who have taken on an average of four interns a year. The APTN partnership has been particularly successful, with several JHR interns receiving job offers upon the completion of their internship. The 2015 cohort of interns included Jaydon Flett, who arrived in the APTN Winnipeg newsroom at just 19 years of

JHR Annual Report 2015 | Power of Partnerships

age. Jaydon proved her journalistic chops in short order – making her one of the youngest people ever in the newsroom. JHR is enormously grateful to Global, APTN, CBC Aboriginal and Wawatay Native Communications Society for their incredible support of this critical initiative, and excited to welcome the Toronto Star and the Tyee to the project in 2016.

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A LOOK AHEAD

“The idea of engaging our younger generations in spreading awareness about human rights is only to be praised. The sooner they get informed and engaged with human rights, the better for our society.”

– Jonas Tshombela, President of the Nouvelle Société Civile Congolaise

A LOOK AHEAD

J

HR has pioneered and refined a radical grassroots approach to media development in some of the most hostile and challenging environments imaginable, over thirteen years of operations. As we approach our fourteenth year and beyond, we are now expanding our programs across countries and scaling our impact around the world.

The Indigenous Reporters Program will extend across Manitoba and Saskatchewan for 2016 and 2017, respectively. We plan to send trainers to remote communities in both provinces and offer educational opportunities and internships to young Indigenous talent, while continuing to deliver workshops on best practice for Indigenous coverage in newsrooms across Canada. We are also working with Trent and Ryerson Universities and Loyalist College to scale our vocational training documents to course curriculum. This puts our program directly in line with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report’s recommendations for media in Canada.

Thanks to Global Affairs Canada, JHR’s program in South Sudan is scaling from a threetrainer pilot project to a multi-year, nationwide program. This phase of the project prioritizes

JHR Annual Report 2015 | A Look Ahead

working with media and officials, as well as training journalists and journalism students on human rights reporting.

The Middle East program is targeting a regional expansion, consolidating in Jordan and running pilots in Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco. The focus is on introducing data journalism for more effective reporting and accountability.

We will continue to work with the DRC program as we aim to have it be its own entity, and have already secured initial funding for JHR-DRC to move ahead with elections coverage from the National Endowment for Democracy.

Finally, JHR, along with University of Witwatersrand, Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship, and Ryerson University will launch a pilot project in South Africa, the Lab for the Future of Entrepreneurial Journalism. The Lab is designed to be a Silicon-Valley-style incubator and accelerator program to support African media entrepreneurs, connect them to like-minded tech developers, mentorship, financing and future media partners – and in so doing tackle the challenge of the broken media business model.

Exciting things are in the works – stay tuned!

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DONORS & SUPPORTERS

“By supporting JHR, you are helping us create the change we want to see in the world.

Without your generosity, none of the extraordinary projects or achievements outlined in these pages would have been possible.

For that, we are enormously grateful.”

– Rachel Pulfer, Executive Director, Journalists for Human Rights

DONORS AND SUPPORTERS CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE ($50,000 +) Flatley Family Foundation Delaney Family Foundation PUBLISHER’S CIRCLE ($10,000 – $49,999) Accenture Bell Media Inc. CBC Derek and Adrienne Fisher Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. MASTHEAD SUPPORT ($1000 – $9,999) Bay Tree Foundation Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada Blakes LLP WCPD Foundation APTN BMO Financial Group National NewsMedia Council Rogers Communications The Globe and Mail Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. Torys LLP Ryerson University Ann Rauhala Dawn Cuthbertson

Ipsos Reid LP Bealight Foundation Hal Jackman Foundation Massey College PriceWaterhouseCoopers Canada Foundation TD Bank Financial Group Marci McDonald and Clair Balfour Chad Rogers Stikeman Elliott LLP Masai Ujiri Necessary Illusions Superior Plus Corp Kayla Hounsell The Alva Foundation Lisa LaFlamme JHR Carleton University – Student Chapter Alethea Au Angela El-Bardeesy Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship National Public Relation Stronach Consulting Corporation Janice Neil Dawna Friesen Deb Matthews Mohammad Al Zaibak Nancy’s Very Own Foundation William D. Martin

JHR Annual Report 2015 | Donors & Supporters

MEDIA MOVERS ($1 – $999) Ben Peterson* Karim Bardeesy Alexandra Henderson Brandy and Nate Olfert Anthony Wilson-Smith* Barbara William David Walsh Gil Silberstein Jim Little Michael McLean Stewart Najla Al Zaibak Rachel Pulfer Torstar Corporation Troy Reeb* Wojciech Gryc* Steven F. Rosenhek Claire Hastings Danny Glenwright Greg Crompton Jacky Habib Suanne Kelman Catherine Cano* Charles Beer Darrell Bricker David Pryce Ivor Shapiro Jane Davenport John Fraser Kathleen Wynne

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Kevin Donovan Michael Penny Michel Cormier Robert E. Johnson Shaw Communications Inc. Judith Rae Kathryn Sheppard Sarah Andrewes Bryna Hallam Graham F. Scott Ward Smith Ali Richmond McKenzie Ross Paul Knox Xueting Zhao Jennifer Hollett Nana-Aba Duncan Derek DeCloet Jane Hilderman Shuah Roskies Women’s Executive Network Foundation Francis S Carbonu Kwawu Adam Radwanski Fiona Conway Michele Chiasson-Suart Udai Srinivasan AOL Canada Austin Delaney Bill Roberts Carley Fortune Charlie Foran Danielle Groen David Estok David Goldbloom Dominique Rajotte Don McCurdy Eamon Zekkou Emilee Irwin Emily Bala Eric Sorensen Fadi Yaacoub Frances Lankin George Browne Gerald Fillion Howie Bender Iris Fischer Jennifer Beaudry Joanne Burghardt Joanne De Laurentiis Joanne Kearney John Hinds John Wright Jonathan Whitten Jordan Benadiba Jordan MacInnis

Kate Underwood Kris Reyes Lianne George Mackay Taggart Madia Javid-Yazdi Marci Ien Margaret Atwood Marie-Paul Rouleau Mary Gazze Matt Garrow Matt Guerin Maxime Chagnon Michael Kurts Michael Omelus Nancy Epstein Natalie Turvey Neville McGuire Pat Perkel Rhona Wolpert Robert Bruser Robert Quaiff Rosealine Edeh Ryan Cripps Ryder Gilliland S. Rinaldo Sandie Benitah Shannon Hosford Stephen Meurice Tamar Satov William E. Burt Reshmi Nair Scott Clark Fenwick Asif Nawaz Emily Mathieu Jennifer Proudfoot Andrea Baillie Andrea Cardillo Andrea Lynett Anna Luengo Belinda Alzner Charles Messina Damon van der Linde Daniel Madge David Scanlan Doriana Temolo Gordon Beal Jacqueline Thorpe James Cowan Lesley Fraser Marie Beyette Mike Colledge Patti Tasko Rachael Borlase Rachelle Younglai Ramsey Ida Sasha Emmons

JHR Annual Report 2015 | Donors & Supporters

Scott Deveau Sean Simpson Stephanie Ditta Sumran Bhan Tara Brautigam Tina Romito Tobin Lambie Ali Rahnema Michelle Singerman Alex Munroe Alix Taggart Jennifer Brigden Mara Gulens Tim Borlase Jack Locke Jacqueline Boughner Jeremy Dickson Laura Schweiger Lee Pitts Olivia Fazekas Wendy Metealfe Brodie Fenlon Gale Bourjot Kallan Lyons Don Byng Sarah Pollock Miles Kenyon PROGRAM SUPPORT Accenture Bell Media Inc. The Ontario Trillium Foundation The RBC Foundation The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation The Donner Canadian Foundation The Shaw Foundation Canadian Commission for UNESCO National Endowment for Democracy Flatley Family Foundation The Canadian Embassy in the DRC The US Embassy in the DRC The US-Middle East Partnership Initiative United Nations Democracy Fund Canadian Embassy to Morocco and Mauritania Canadian Embassy to Tunisia Canadian Embassy to Algeria Canadian Embassy to Lybia * JHR Board of Directors

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

“JHR is the best thing that has ever happened in my professional career!”

– April Johnson, past JHR Scholarship Winner/JHR Intern at Global News and APTN

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION December 31, 2015 2015

2014

$606,023

$525,050

Accounts receivable

$27,480

$52,066

Prepaid expenses

$68,628

$18,148

$702,131

$595,264

$12,907

$12,887

$715,038

$608,151

$41,539

$41,997

$559,896

$488,482

$601,435

$530,479

$9,731

$9,453

$103,872

$68,219

$715,038

$608,151

ASSETS Current Assets: Cash

Capital assets

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS Current Liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Deferred revenue

Deferred capital contribution Net Assets: Unrestricted

JHR Annual Report 2015 | Financial Statements

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STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND NET ASSETS December 31, 2015 2015

2014

$696,926

$498,502

Foundation donations

$479,797

$403,227

Donations and contributions

$302,818

$234,245

$1,479,541

$1,135,974

International projects

$666,280

$701,902

Project support

$122,365

$94,411

Fundraising

$155,994

$153,395

$15,819

$29,679

$481,453

$156,623

$1,977

$4,802

$1,443,888

$1,140,812

Excess (deficiency) of revenue over expenses

$35,653

($4,838)

Net assets, beginning of year

$68,219

$73,057

$103,872

$68,219

REVENUE Government grants

EXPENSES

Professional fees National programs Exchange losses 32% | Foundation Donations 21% | Donations and Contributions

47% | Government Grants

Net assets, end of year

EXPENSE ALLOCATION 2015 9% | Admin 11% | Fundraising

80% | Charitable Projects

REVENUE ALLOCATION 2015 32% | Foundation Donations 21% | Donations and Contributions

47% | Government Grants

9% | Admin JHR Annual Report 2015 | Financial Statements

11% | Fundraising

The numbers are: Page 36

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WWW.JHR.CA | INFORMATION@JHR.CA | @JHRNEWS phone: 416 . 413 . 0240 | fax: 416 . 413 . 1832 147 Spadina Avenue, Suite 206, Toronto ON M5V 2L7 Journalists for Human Rights is a registered Canadian Charity #860372853RR0001