Keep on top of issues through NGOs and non-profits who work in your area of interest. They provide insights into stories that deserve more attention; they also give you a network of people who are engaged on the issues and will help you amplify your work. It’s important to keep a healthy professional distance, but don’t miss an opportunity to learn and under-reported issues or to engage your audience at an early stage.
Several of our projects developed through direct conversations with NGOs and non-profits. From human rights abuses in Ethiopia to the devastating floods in the Bihar region of India in 2007, it was thanks to strong communication with groups involve din the regions that we knew to tell these stories. Our reporting on water was also extended thanks to a media NGO that wanted to draw attention to the issue and invited us to join a workshop at the World Water Forum in Istanbul. The connections made through that exchange helped us develop an engaged community of individuals and experts who have contributed their own stories to the portal.
See our collaborative reporting project on reproductive health.