When refugees arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos, they board buses bound for their next destination. Speakers blaring overhead tell them what will happen next. They learn how to get a ticket for the ferry, where to sleep, what questions to expect.
That information comes from Internews, an organization focused on independent media and access to information. Alison Campbell, senior director for Global Initiatives, caught up with Devex on a recent trip to San Francisco, California, to discuss the News That Moves campaign, which provides people traveling the Balkan route to Europe with the news they need to continue their journey.
“If we can infuse this social movement with higher quality information and make it more robust, it will be more resilient to outside shock, corruption, disruption, trafficking, distractions, etc.,” she said, tracing her finger toward Damascus, Syria, on a map illustrating the information services of News That Moves. “Information becomes a kind of glue that holds everyone together going right back to here.”
Read more #AcrossBorders stories:
► #AcrossBorders: Changing the migration narrative
► #AcrossBorders and origins: Can we get smarter at preventing people from fleeing?
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
