The Announcement of Launching “Expanding Public Dialogue on Human Rights Issues” Project

<div><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) in collaboration with the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) announced the start of a new project titled &ldquo;Expanding Public Dialogue on Human Rights Issues&rdquo; based in Amman.<br /> <br /> The project, which is supported by US Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), aims to expand citizen and state dialogue on human rights, gender and freedom of expression through strengthened media in the MENA region. It will mentor and train journalists, journalism students and representatives from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the power of data to help make this dialogue more effective and informed.<br /> <br /> Designed and managed by JHR, Canada&rsquo;s leading media development organization, and implemented by JMI, the two-year project will engage two more local partners: Community Media Network (CMN), a media and community radio organization and the Center for Defending<br /> Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ), a regional press freedom organization based in Amman.<br /> <br /> At the core of the project is the use of data journalism tools to run major investigations on human rights issues. This initiative will be supported by the use of a citizen reporting crowd-sourcing tool developed by CMN &ndash; the first in the Arab world &ndash; which will help a more informed and participatory public dialogue on these issues. CMN will publish the findings of these investigations in reports.<br /> <br /> &ldquo;Data journalism helps tell compelling stories through the power of data. This project will support journalists doing that through training and tools that will help them in several ways,&nbsp; including tracking more closely a breaking story and reaching out to the public through doing snap polls, gauging civil society&rsquo;s mood about key issues&rdquo;, explained Ms. Rachel Pulfer, executive director of JHR.<br /> <br /> On the research and training side, &quot;the project&nbsp; will develop curricula to increase data-driven reporting on human rights, as well as monitoring media coverage of human rights issues&quot;, said Dr. Bassim Tweissi, the dean of JMI.<br /> <br /> Lastly, the communications training for CSOs and public engagement elements of the project will be facilitated by CDFJ.</div>