IMS annual report 2022: Collaborating for good journalism

As our annual report shows, the value of collaboration in a crisis became acutely apparent in 2022. IMS responded rapidly when one of our partners in Ukraine had to relocate its operations to Lviv, relocating more than 126 staff to ensure continued broadcasting. Through partners, we were also able to help media outlets forced into exile from Afghanistan, Myanmar and Syria. Meanwhile, our support for partners in Somalia helped them publish life-saving coverage during a drought and a cholera outbreak.

The strength of building up relationships, establishing coalitions and working with many stakeholders makes it possible to tackle a multitude of issues, from advocating for journalists’ safety through national human rights institutions in Asia to tackling disinformation in Ukraine by bringing media, governments and tech companies to the same table.

Ultimately, of course, what every relationship has in common is a human connection. Reaching out may help keep hope alive when physical and operational threats loom everywhere. That kind of thinking has been at the heart of everything that IMS has done for over 20 years – because media development is an act of collaboration. Collaborations that ultimately make it possible for local media and journalists to be the ones to report on their reality, be it the conflict in Ukraine, environmental hazards exacerbated by climate change or the reality of displaced people in Burkina Faso.

As we look to an uncertain future, this approach will better prepare us for the challenges we already see – the rapid emergence of AI, the shifting fault lines of our increasingly multipolar world – and the ones we cannot. In this light, working together isn’t a choice. It’s a necessity. This year’s annual report, which highlights our and our partners’ work in 2022, celebrates just that.