Strengthening Free and Independent Media in South Sudan (i-STREAM) Award No: AID-668-A-13-00005 Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Progress Report October 2014-September 2015 Prepared for: United States Agency for International Development/South Sudan C/O American Embassy Juba, South Sudan Submitted: October 30, 2015 Prepared by: Deborah Ensor Chief of Party Internews in South Sudan PO Box 425, Plot 48 Block 1 Korok The authors’ views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................... I ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................... 2 A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 1 B. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS ............................................................................................................. 2 Eye Media ......................................................................................................................................2 THe Radio Community (TRC) ...........................................................................................................3 Training .........................................................................................................................................4 Humanitarian Information Service (HIS) ..........................................................................................5 Communicating with CommunitieS (CwC) .......................................................................................6 PartnerS and Sub-grants .................................................................................................................6 C. PROGRAM CONTEXT ............................................................................................................ 7 Political LandScape .........................................................................................................................7 Media LandScape ...........................................................................................................................8 Security Situation ......................................................................................................................... 11 D. OBJECTIVES, INTERMEDIATE RESULTS, AND FY2015 ACTIVITIES .................................................... 15 Objective 1: Strengthen autonomouS, journaliStic profeSSionaliSm and facilitate the development of an inStitutionally well-managed and financially Self-SuStained, independent media in South Sudan15 Objective 2: Promote a freer and open media environment througH improving the normative-legal- regulatory conditionS and Supporting media inStitutionS ............................................................... 36 Objective 3: More effective South SudaneSe media capacitieS to raiSe tHe quality, quantity and self- SuStainability of development communicationS by the South SudaneSe media acroSS democracy- building, peace, economic growth, Social, Health and other key iSSueS ........................................... 55 E. INDICATOR PROGRESS ........................................................................................................ 81 F. ATTACHMENTS ................................................................................................................. 92 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AA Albany Associates AECOM Architecture, Engineering, Consulting, Operations and Maintenance (Technology Corporation) AMDISS The Association for Media Development in South Sudan ARS Audience Ratings System BBC MA BBC Media Action BBTT Boda Boda Talk Talk CDAC Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities Network CRN Community Radio Network (now known as TRC – The Radio Community) CoP Chief of Party CSJ Conflict Sensitive Journalism CSO Civil Society Organization CwC Communication with Communities EM Eye Media FPU Free Press Unlimited IDP Internally Displaced Person i-STREAM Strengthening Independent Media in South Sudan MDI Media Development Institute MES Monthly Establishment Surveys MSWG Media Sector Working Group NBA National Broadcaster’s Association NEF National Editor’s Forum NG National Geographic NPA Norwegian People’s Aid POC Protection of Civilian Camp PSA Public Service Announcement SOP Standard Operating Procedures SPLA Sudan People’s Liberation Army SPLM Sudan People’s Liberation Movement TRC The Radio Community UJOSS Union of Journalists of South Sudan UN United Nations UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization UNICEF United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNMISS United Nations Mission in South Sudan A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The i-STREAM program is a USAID-funded project to strengthen the independent media sector in South Sudan. The goal of the five-year, $75 million program is to: strengthen a free and independent media in South Sudan, with an emphasis on the independent radio sector by supporting the transition to self- sustainability of five currently funded USAID-supported local partner radio stations and focusing on improving the professional preparation of journalists, the economic self-sustainability of media houses, the enabling environment for a free media, and the support institutions for a freer media. i-STREAM seeks to strengthen professional media capacities, industry association building, and solidarity across South Sudan’s developing media sector. The i-STREAM program views media development as a holistic process that encompasses a number of key interlinking factors that together enable a healthy media system: the production and distribution of quality content, the financial sustainability of media outlets, a fair and predictable legal environment that encourages their development, and the existence of strong support institutions that can advocate on their behalf. When the current 5-year i-STREAM project was awarded in October 2013, Internews was operating five stations supported by USAID, including Eye Radio in Juba, Central Equatoria state; and four community radio stations, one each in Warrap, Unity, Upper Nile, and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states. We have additionally established a news service in Abyei, funded by the US Special Envoy’s Office. However, just months after i-STREAM began, serious conflict erupted in South Sudan. On December 15, 2013, tensions between factions loyal to President Salva Kiir, of the Dinka ethnic group, and those aligned with his former Vice President, Riek Machar, of the Nuer ethnic group, exploded into fighting on the streets of Juba. South Sudan’s dramatic return to war has torn communities apart, putting an estimated 4.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, causing the internal displacement of almost 2 million people, the deaths of tens of thousands, and a food crisis of epic proportion. As the conflict unfolded, Internews responded immediately, implementing at full capacity the majority of activities planned for within our agreed objectives. We maintained, and even ramped up, broadcasting at all five stations (and stayed on air until the last possible moment as two stations – Nasir and Leer – were destroyed in the fighting). The content has remained reliable, accurate and peaceful, and provided a critical service to the people of South Sudan. We have remained on target with activities including the growth and support of Eye Media, the partnership with the University of Juba, and activities around media law and regulation. At the same time, Internews immediately sought solutions to the ever-increasing information needs of the population with a series of new activities. We established four Humanitarian Information Services (HIS) – called Boda Talk (BBTT) - (two in Juba, one in Malakal in Upper Nile, and ne in Bor in Jonglei state), and two mobile “radio-in-a-box” stations: one in Mingkaman, south of Bor, in Lakes State, and in Malakal in Upper Nile State, specifically serving internally displaced peoples (IDPs). The community stations, HIS and the mobile radio stations have a combined total audience of actual listeners of up to one million, and are now the most trusted source of information in their communities. While activities related to Eye Radio, the Radio Community (TRC), and the Humanitarian Information Service (HIS) represent a significant bulk of program efforts, the i-STREAM approach recognizes that these efforts do not take place in a vacuum, and can only fully succeed when linked to the wider media climate. INTERNEWS FY2015 Annual Report CA# AID-668-A-13-00005 OctoBer 30, 2015 1 Use or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the cover sheet of this report. i-STREAM also recognizes the importance of not just providing support to targeted outlets, but also ensuring that the sector as a whole – including individual journalists at risk – receives the attention it needs to protect members of its community and empowers them to serve their audiences, safely and with credibility. As such, activities in FY2015 included a suite of activities addressing the media laws, security of journalists, extensive research on the sector, and a robust small grants program which supports local partners through a variety of media programs, including newspapers, drama