The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Internews COVID-19 Webinars

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"The COVID-19 pandemic is transforming the information and media systems of every society it touches."

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic, Internews, a global media organisation dedicated to improving the health of information environments, together with a range of partners has been conducting webinars to guide journalists across the globe in reporting on matters related to COVID-19.

Webinars have involved experts from Internews, including Internews' Earth Journalism Network, and other media and health organisations such as the Asian Center for Journalism, the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and BBC Media Action, as well as local media organisations. Webinars cover a range of topics and geographic locations across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Eurasia and North America, and are conducted in English and local languages.

Webinars that have taken place so far have been made available online and cover the following broad categories:

Responsible Reporting and Combating Disinformation - Examples of webinars include:

  • Discussion on Community Engagement and the Role of Media in Rwanda
  • The Role of Media in Addressing Stigma
  • How the Media Can Remember Gender

Health and Safety - Examples of webinars include:

  • Reporting During COVID-19: Physical Safety and Risk Mitigation Strategies for Community Engagement
  • Staying Safe: A Guide for Journalists Covering COVID-19

Journalism from Home - the Challenges of Reporting Remotely - Examples of webinars include:

  • Mobile Journalism during the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Ethical and Accountable Publication of Journalistic Content on YouTube Channels

COVID-19 and the Environment - Examples of webinars include:

  • Spotlight on Climate and Environmental Justice
  • COVID-19 and the Environmental Crisis

Humanitarian Information for Refugee Communities - Examples of webinars include:

  • Migrants in Thailand: Information Needs, Flow and Access
  • Communicating with Communities

Webinars in Russian - Examples of webinars include:

  • The Science Behind the Virus, and What Tricks Statistics Can Play with Journalists
  • What Does COVID Mean for Small Media Outlets?

Publishers

Publication Date
Languages

English, with some webinars in Russian, as well as local languages

Source

Internews website on September 23 2020. Image credit: Tedward Quinn on Unsplash

PDFLink
To find out about upcoming webinars, visit the Internews website.
Click here to access the full list of recorded webinars and talks.