asakiyume | Good news for IRIN

Earlier this year I talked about how IRIN, an award-winning, Nairobi-based news network that operated under the auspices of the United Nations, was going to be shut down. (Entry here.) I started a "Save IRIN" petition, and the petition and people's outcry did get a bit of coverage, but it was clear that willy-nilly, the UN was going to "spin off" the network, which would only survive if it got funding from somewhere.

Well, a funder has been found: IRIN made the announcement of its relaunch yesterday, saying

A new beginning starting January 1, 2015 will be made possible with an initial commitment of US $25 million, to be disbursed over several years, from the Hong Kong-based Jynwel Charitable Foundation. The new IRIN will be based in Switzerland, with support from the UK- based Overseas Development Institute’s (ODI) Humanitarian Policy Group. (Source)

Their relaunch video has the tagline, local voices, expert analysis:

"IRIN - The Inside Story on Emergencies" (Watch on Vimeo)

IRIN Teaser from New IRIN on Vimeo.

I'm glad IRIN will continue to exist; their reporting really is excellent. I wish they could have maintained more of their reporters on salary; going forward, it seems that most (all?) will now have "contributor" status ("A network of 150 contributors will be edited by a small team of specialists, analysts and reporters" --"What We Do"), which I imagine as being essentially freelance status. But that's journalism today, I guess, and I shouldn't let that fact dim the overall good news about IRIN's reprieve.