Reporting

January 3rd, 2012  |  By Mary Stucky

Optimism about Journalism in 2012

In a world that is more interconnected than ever before, there is no substitute for original, informed, unbiased reporting.   It’s hard work and requires smart, knowledgeable, courageous journalists immersed in the cultures where they are reporting.  Their stories are important to all of us — not just in the “developed world,” but especially to an audience in the countries about which they are reporting.

Many of the best of those journalists were born and raised in the countries where they are working.  They’ve received diplomas from the world’s finest academic institutions (ie Columbia University’s famed journalism masters from which graduates increasingly return to work in their home countries) and training through organizations like the International Center for Journalists, which, over 3 decades, has worked with tens of thousands of journalists around the world.

These journalists are our partners. They are not our fixers.  They are our equal partners in publishing and broadcasting jointly reported stories in the U.S. and in the countries where we are working.   Read the interview with Sarah Ooko on our homepage and you, too, will be optimistic about journalism in 2012.

November 14th, 2011  |  By Mary Stucky

Meet Journalist Sarah Ooko

Sarah Ooko

A big reason for the excellence of our East African coverage is Sarah Ooko, 27, a freelance journalist based in Nairobi. As a frequent contributor to The EastAfrican, Ooko’s stories are read throughout the region. When not reporting, she works at the Kenyan Alliance of Health and Science Reporters under another of her mentors, the Knight Health Fellow Rachel Jones. The work Ooko produced for Round Earth Media in partnership with Mary Stucky will be broadcast on NPR and other media outlets in the weeks to come.

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October 25th, 2011  |  By Round Earth Media

A Bias for Boys

In India, aborting a fetus based on its sex is illegal, but the practice is common due to a societal preference for boys. Up to 12 million abortions have occurred as a result of sex selection. Reporter Hanna Ingber Win gains unusual insight into this quiet practice and its implication for one family near Mumbai.
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October 25th, 2011  |  By Round Earth Media

Juries Come to Georgia Republic

In the Republic of Georgia in Eastern Europe for the first time ever (starting October 1, 2010), defendants have the option of being tried by a jury of their peers. This staple of the American court system was made part of the Georgia constitution six years ago. It’s only just now being offered on a limited basis. But as Mary Stucky reports, the United States has been part of a rather unconventional effort to get the country ready.

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March 17th, 2011  |  By Mary Stucky

REM Guidelines and Journalism Ethics

The goal of Round Earth Media is to produce objective, fact-based journalism. Our special niche is covering unexpected, surprising yet revealing lives and places that traditional media do not have the resources or inclination to cover, especially in the developing world. The global media outlets that publish Round Earth Media stories — for print, radio, video, web and television — rely on us for unearthing little-told issues and searching out news in overlooked parts of the world. We endeavor to provide independent journalism that is clear, fair and as truthful as we can possibly make it. Whether a blog post or a multimedia investigative piece, we cover stories responsibly. That marks the Round Earth Media brand.

Round Earth Media welcomes your pitches.  For our Pitch Guidelines, click here.

We also want you to know the ethical standards that govern our work. The Round Earth Media Policy on Ethics in Journalism is here.

June 22nd, 2010  |  By Mary Stucky

From a Friend of Round Earth

Elisa Bernick (at left) is one of those people who never had to be convinced about the importance of reliable global journalism. She’s a former radio reporter and video producer and the author of The Family Sabbatical Handbook: The Budget Guide to Living Abroad With Your Children. I’ve used the fabulous checklists in this book to plan for a reporting trip and it’s a great resource for anyone who lives or travels abroad. You can buy Elisa’s book through Amazon or intrepidtraveler.com. Elisa currently works as a writer for The Family Handyman magazine, a national DIY home improvement magazine published by The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. Here’s what she has to say about Round Earth.

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May 20th, 2010  |  By Mary Stucky

The Global Awareness Gap

Rob Scarlett (at left) is a businessman who has long been active in global economic development. Long before it became popular, he has been involved with international micro-finance/micro-lending initiatives, most notably ACCION. We are deeply grateful for his support.

My father’s international business career took me overseas from age 2; and for the ensuing years until I turned 16, my early view of the world was shaped by my immersion in a number of different cultures.

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April 18th, 2010  |  By Mary Stucky

Optimism from Sree

I’ve been a member of the South Asian Journalists Association for a while now – headed by the intrepid Sree Sreenivasan (at left) of Columbia University’s journalism school. Sree is a fascinating guy and he’s optimistic about journalism in the digital age. As am I.

Just a few things from an interview with Sree sent to me by great global journalist and author Mara Hvistendahl.

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March 23rd, 2010  |  By Mary Stucky

The Case for Context

Perhaps one of the most popular public radio stories of the last few years is “The Giant Pool of Money,” a program that actually explained the mortgage banking crisis and put it in context.

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Context. We need it. Here’s Matt Thompson (at left), one of my favorite thinkers in journalism today.

If you’re like most people, you have a certain amount of ambient knowledge that health-care reform is happening. You pay attention to headlines, and you see a lot of stories about Nancy Pelosi saying this, or Mitch McConnell saying that. You catch a line or two about it in a Presidential address. You’ve watched some headlines about it in the evening news.

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March 14th, 2010  |  By Mary Stucky

Does Mexican Food Deserve UN Designation?

chocolateLast month, Mexico asked the United Nations to designate Mexican food a “cultural patrimony” that must be protected. Mexican cuisine dates back thousands of years to the Mayas and their diet based on diverse varieties of corn, beans and vegetables. Traditional Mexican cuisine should never be confused with what passes for “Mexican food’ in many U.S. restaurants and fast food joints. This photo shows 2 young women in Oaxaca enjoying a traditional chocolate drink called chocolate atole. Photo: Ginny Grossman

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