published january 25, 2021
With new awareness of who is telling the world’s stories, more readers than ever before sought out the powerful, poignant work of Global Press Journal reporters. We saw record readership across 191 countries throughout 2020.
For the last 15 years, Global Press has been blazing the trail of insistence that the world no longer needs foreigners to parachute in to cover communities they know little about. And 2020 highlighted the importance of our work, training and employing professional female journalists in the world’s least-covered places.
Few things were left unchanged by the turbulent 12 months of 2020.
So, our annual report looks different this year too. As you scroll through, you’ll learn about how our award-winning Duty of Care program kept our journalists safe and healthy. You’ll see how our style guide, which is rooted in the principles of dignity and precision, influenced hundreds of American journalists during the summer of racial justice protests. And we’ll look ahead, to share our bold plans for our work in a changed world.
As the calendar turns to 2021, we are embracing the upheaval.
In 2020’s wake, we are confident that local journalists across the globe will remain center stage.
Cristi Hegranes
CEO, Global Press
Publisher, Global Press Journal
Global Press Journal saw increased readership
across 191 countries in 2020.
Global Press Journal reporters confronted barriers to information and safe reporting access.
experienced a government-imposed
lockdown
were labeled essential workers but had their movement resricted
were not labeled essential workers and had their movement resricted
experienced transportation barriers, like a public transportation shut down
suspected exposure to COVID-19 while reporting but later tested negative
were exposed to other contagious
diseases
were
harrassed while
reporting
experienced a
physical injury while reporting
tested positive
for COVID-19
Throughout the year, we invested in the Global Press Wellness Network, a team of global mental health practitioners who serve our reporters with unlimited sessions, on demand.
We’re working to normalize conversations about stress, anxiety and trauma in newsrooms.
of Global Press Journal reporters say they plan to utilize the Wellness Network in 2021
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Photo by Prudence Phiri, Global Press Journal Zambia
Duty of Care is our holistic safety and security program designed to serve our unique network of female journalists who live in the communities that they cover.
For these journalists, extraction is never an option. Local journalists require a robust and inclusive security methodology that prioritizes the interconnectedness of physical, emotional, digital and legal security.
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Every reporter in our network experienced lockdown in 2020. In some places, where reporters were not classified as essential personnel their inability to report lasted weeks.
Reporters, trainers and members of the Global Press Accuracy Network take part in virtual trainings.
Global Press Institute, the training arm of Global Press, instituted a training in lockdown program, offering our reporters around the world the opportunity to learn while on lockdown.
Training highlights included master classes in fact checking and photojournalism and a newly created Reporting Climate Vulnerabilities training, designed in partnership with The Earth Institute at Columbia University.
Lalita Khanal, Global Press Institute Nepal Trainee, February 2020
But not everyone got to continue learning in 2020. The pandemic erupted with a new calls of trainees in Nepal was just halfway through our original 16-week training program, The Principles & The Practice. We’ve paused that bureau launch and all new launches until 2022.
From Haiti to Uganda, the murder of George Flloyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis ignited new conversation about racial justice and colonial histories.
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Photo by Marie Michelle Felicien, Global Press Journal Haiti
The Global Press Style Guide is a living document that establishes rules for referring to the people and places around the world where Global Press Journal reporters work. Each entry is crafted with the specific intention of promoting dignity and precision in the practice of international journalism.
An example entry from the Global Press Style Guide
race
Rule: Use precise references to a source’s ancestry when relevant to a story’s news value.
Do not conflate race with skin color or nationality. Instead, allow sources to self-identify. Capitalize skin color according to source preference. For general references to groups of people do not default to capitalization, use standard grammar rules for nouns and adjectives
Rationale: Precise references to diverse source identities promote reader clarity and source dignity
Rationale: Precise references to diverse source identities promote reader clarity and source dignity
An example entry from the Global Press Style Guide
Throughout the summer, journalists across the world, and especially in America, were reaching for words to describe unprecedented violence and the historic racial justice protests that followed.
In collaboration with The Poynter Institute, one of the world’s premier journalism institutions, Global Press hosted a webinar for more than 1,000 journalists and editors on the topic of writing about race with dignity and precision.
Since the webinar, dozens of newsrooms have adopted use of the Global Press Style Guide.
Our reporters covered the global implications of America’s racial justice movement. Fresh conversations about colonial pasts and racial inequities crescendoed.
The Global Press Style Guide is a living document that establishes rules for referring to the people and places around the world where Global Press Journal reporters work. Each entry is crafted with the specific intention of promoting dignity and precision in the practice of international journalism.
These are stories that only local reporters can tell.
When colonialist Cecil John Rhodes died, he asked to be buried in Zimbabwe’s sacred Matobo Hills. Local people are renewing the debate over whether the polarizing politician deserves to stay.
Uganda’s rural schools are turning away from English-only instruction as mother-tongue language learning grows in popularity. But the practice faces bigger hurdles in urban classrooms.
At Global Press, we intentionally hire female reporters from diverse backgrounds. Why? These reporters have access to diverse sources, nuanced story angles and detailed data that create a comprehensive narrative of places often relegated to rote stereotypes of war, poverty, disaster and disease.
*Represents Global Press team members in 2020, according to a self-reported diversity survey.
MORE DIVERSITY STATSIn 2020, there was much talk about the lack of gender diversity in mainstream COVID-19 reporting. At Global Press, our coverage of the pandemic showcased our commitment to diversity.
Female sources
Female experts
Local experts
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Photo by Fortune Moyo, Global Press Journal Zimbabwe
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Photo by Mar García, Global Press Journal Mexico
Too often, global news is only reported from major metropolitan areas. Our commitment to diverse, comprehensive coverage includes a commitment to reporting from high-value news locations urban and rural areas, small and large.
Number of Bureaus by area population
As markets crashed and donor priorities naturally shifted to the unimaginable events of 2020, like many organizations, Global Press had a difficult Spring and Summer. In May, we revised our annual budget goal down to $3M. But throughout the year donors and partners recognized the powerful reporting and unique impact Global Press was having in the difficult global moment.
$250,000 and above
Emerson CollectiveFondacion CHANELHewlett FoundationLuminateMacArthur FoundationOpen Square FoundationYellow Chair Foundation
$100,000 - $249,999
Anne and Greg Avis
Emily Kaiser and Gene Bulmash
Humanity United
Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
$50,000 - $99,000
Channel Foundation
U.S. Charitable Gift Trust
$5,000 - $49,000
Auriga Foundation
BOMA
Cloud Mountain Foundation
Dan and Gail Austin
First Dollar Foundation
George Kaiser Family Foundation
Michelle Swenson and Stan Drobac
Mize Family Foundation
Seattle Foundation
Simone Otus Coxe
Stewart R. Mott Foundation
Taube Family Philanthropies
Tecovas Foundation
This year, Global Press celebrates its 15th anniversary. This milestone is particularly meaningful as our commitment to dignity, diversity, transparency and excellence resonate with a growing audience.
Here’s a look at how we’ll continue our bold mission in a changed world:
Photo by Dolgormaa Sandagdorj
Global Press Journal Mongolia
Global Press Institute has been conducting in-person trainings around the world since 2006. We’re working to virtualize our award-winning Duty of Care and other training programs to ensure our reporters have access to powerful learning opportunities when we can’t be together in person.
Photo by Françoise Mbuyi Mutombo
Global Press Journal DRC
Our reporters and a bigger-than-ever team of expert editors will be bringing you even more stories in 2021. Don’t miss the all-new Global Press Journal, which features new cross-border curations on the homepage about resonate topics like climate, civil unrest and healthcare innovation.
Photo by Ena Aguilar Peláez
Global Press Journal Mexico
Global Press News Services now offers all-new products and services. From Duty of Care consultations to customized style guide scans and workshops, we’re bringing the best of Global Press to other organizations around the world.
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Photo by Myagmarsuren Battur
Global Press Journal Mongolia
From building Global Press Journal sites in French and Spanish to growing our syndication network, we’ll serve even more readers in 2021. And, we’ll study them too! We’ll be diving deep into audience research to study trust opportunities and biases of news produced by women of color.
global press journalThank you for making Global Press Journal a staple part of your news diet in 2020. Thank you for valuing diversity in journalism and understanding the pivotal role that local reporters play in helping us understand the world, and our places in it.
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