About Us
Mission | Partnership Opportunities | Program Goals | About our Literacy Initiatives | About Citizen Journalism| Our Governing Body
Mission
The Press Institute is an international nonprofit organization and citizen journalism initiative. The Institute was founded on the belief that journalism is an empowering tool that can bring voice, strength and light to issues that are hidden and people who are oppressed. It is in this vein that the Institute trains people in developing countries to serve as reporters in their own communities.
Who, What, When, Where, Why?
Who: The Press Institute seeks to provide strong, ethical journalism education to people throughout the world. We recognize the unique social position and distinct advantages of providing education and skills training to women in developing countries. However, we also believe that by training men, women and youth to produce solid journalism in their home communities, we create exceptional journalism that is rich with the necessary social, historical and political contexts that bring great meaning and consequence to our work.What: The Press Institute offers journalism education via our original, ethics-based curriculum. We provide stand-alone journalism courses and comprehensive programs that feature everything from Journalism 101: The Principles & The Practice, to in-depth reporting methodology and subject reporting courses including Reporting HIV/AIDS, Reporting Community Development, and Reporting Gender-based Violence. The Press Institute partners with NGOs, schools, and governments throughout the world in order to offer our comprehensive journalism programs. We believe that people everywhere live freer, fuller lives when provided with greater access to information.
When: Partnerships and new Global Training Sites launch many times per year.
Where: The Press Institute is currently training more than 50 women and 30 youth reporters around the world. From Nepal and Kenya to Mexico, Nairobi, Israel and the Philippines, The Press Institute seeks to bring strong journalism education to people everywhere.
Why: As with many international development efforts, the WHY is the most important and the most difficult of the heuristic's questions. At The Press Institute, we aim to provide education and skills training not in a vacuum, but rather as part of a long-term program that offers gainful employment to the individuals who take part in our programs. Journalism is an empowering profession that requires its actor to ask difficult questions and seek hard truths. We do not take this responsibility lightly. As such, each of our reporters are bound by a strict code of ethics that strengthens the work they produce and provides their communities with accurate, fair coverage of issues and events that most deeply impact their lives. In order to bolster community development and also raise global awareness of the important stories Press Institute reporters cover, The Press Institute works with our partners to make multiple publishing outlets available, including an online newswire, hard copy newspapers and magazines, radio coverage, community forums and more! In the end, we believe that through brave reporting and an unending quest for truth, our mission and endeavors will bring us all one step closer to the great goal of human understanding.
Partnership Opportunities
The Press Institute seeks to establish meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships with organizations, schools and governments throughout the world. By operating via a partnership structure, we offer in-country organizations the opportunity to offer our Journalism training programs to more people at a substantially lower cost.
How do partnerships work? International NGOs, schools, media outlets, and development agencies interested in offering a Journalism program should contact The Press Institute right away! We have a proven program model that delivers fast, effective editorial and journalism training in conjunction with community media development. We offer joint fundraising programs so that new Global Training Sites can get up and running quickly with long-term viability. In addition, we also offer an online training module that is available for purchase. Whether you represent an INGO, school or are an individual interested in developing Press Institute Global Training Sites in your community, we are ready and willing to work with you! Our goal is to provide strong, ethical journalism training to people in developing or remote communities in order to strengthen community, raise awareness about crucial societal issues, increase and encourage literacy, and provide empowering, gainful employment to individuals who choose journalism as a path to uplift themselves and their communities.
Program Goals
The goals of The Press Institute are three fold. First and foremost, we seek to provide gainful and empowering employment to people in developing countries. Second, we aim to disseminate information and news stories about important issues within the communities where we work. Third, all of the stories and photographs produced by Press Institute reporters and partners are published locally and internationally and are available to other news outlets interested in reprinting the timely and important content generated by our reporters.
Our Literacy Initiatives
The Press Institute believes that education and access to information are basic human rights. So, in addition to our journalistic pursuits The Press Institute also works with partner organizations to develop and enhance literacy trainings in the communities where The Institute operates. We believe that an increase in literacy combined with the production of ethical, thorough journalism will allow people everywhere to lead freer, fuller lives.
About Citizen Journalism
Citizen Journalism allows ordinary people to play active roles in collecting, reporting and writing about important news and information. The Press Institute is a citizen journalism initiative, which means that we train ordinary people in the developing world to report on important issues within their own communities. What sets us apart from other citizen media initiatives is our rigorous, ethics-based curriculum. Press Institute reporters constantly strive for in-depth, fair coverage on difficult, under-reported, or often-misrepresented issues. Reporters and editors are bound by a strict code of ethics.
Our Governing Body
The Press Institute is governed by a diverse group of men and women from all over the globe. Members of the Board are experts and pioneers in the fields of journalism, online technologies, media development, gender justice, anthropology, law, finance, and international relations. Board Members are called upon to provide budgetary oversight, development assistance, fundraising assistance and general counsel that will increase the strength and capacity for growth and excellence of all Press Institute activities. To learn more about our board members, Click here.
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