Reporting Through Tears

VOA Horn of Africa & VOA Somali Services get the news out on homeland’s drought and famine

Drought and famine in the Horn of Africa continue to dominate VOA’s headlines. Nowhere is the story more personal than inside VOA’s Horn of Africa and Somali Services. Composed almost entirely of Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Somali natives, both Services broadcast directly to the drought’s epicenter. Their close ties to the region lead other VOA language services to seek them out for information and perspective.

The region’s worsening situation challenges the staff members to maintain their fact-based approach to covering this news, while at the same time keeping their views to themselves. Though they are successful, the emotions they feel for their homeland still linger.

“It’s definitely a story you carry around with you all day,” says VOA Horn of Africa Service Chief Tizita Belachew. “But you must respect your audience by simply giving them facts so that they form their own opinions.”

Photographs, video, audio, and links to aid agencies combine with daily news updates to form “Drought Strikes the Horn,” VOA’s special report on the East African drought. The multimedia report aims to not only inform the more than 4.6 million people affected by the drought, but also to help direct individuals to take action and help. With versions in English, Amharic, Somali, Tigrigna, Swahili, and Afan Oromo, VOA is making sure that news of the drought reaches the largest audience possible.

(Source : What's Up Inside VOA)