Solutions journalism for local and multimedia information in Haiti

This training session, in partnership with FOKAL (Fondasyon Konesans Ak Libète), which was held via video conference with the coach Eric Le Braz, focused on the production of multimedia reports from the community, covering the news specifically from the angle of impact and/or solutions journalism, with the aim of highlighting the responses of local populations to the problems they face.

After a call for applications in 2019, the workshops were initially postponed due to the political and social movements in Haiti and then the global health situation related to Covid-19 in 2020. The training, which was supposed to take place face-to-face, was therefore finally organised via video conference.

Raising awareness of solutions journalism

The journalists were introduced to multimedia reporting techniques related to the issues faced by the populations of the Haitian provinces, be they societal, cultural, health-related, economic or environmental. The one objective is that for each problem, the reports produced show and promote positive outcomes or solutions.

The topics of the reports, such as the restoration of a stretch of road by a women’s association in Léogâne or the fight against deforestation in the Forêt des Pins, were fleshed out and reworked.

Field reporting and support for the production of stories

At the end of the workshop, the participants implemented their reporting project with remote support from the coach and financial support from FOKAL. Social tensions due to the complex electoral situation, as well as the deteriorating security situation in Haiti, have made travel difficult in recent weeks, but journalists are continuing to work on their stories throughout March, for publication in the first half of April.