Authentic Storytelling

Our fundraising and communications will reflect our commitments to anti-racism, locally led initiatives, gender equality and equitable partnerships. We will use our platforms to show the actions led by local communities both during a crisis and as they recover, and the impact made by local organisations.

We will continue to show the harsh realities of poverty, conflict, hunger, and natural disasters because humanitarian crises should not be sanitised. But we’ll avoid exploitative imagery that portrays people as helpless victims. We will give credit to partners where it’s due.

We will strengthen efforts to make all our storytelling ethical and safe, based on informed consent and accurate representation. We’ll amplify the stories people want to tell rather than merely speaking on their behalf. We’ll preserve the authenticity of a story all the way through our editorial process, from the gathering of words and pictures to editing, production and publication.

We will stop using jargon that confuses our audiences, our colleagues, and the communities where we work. We’ll use plain words that can be easily translated from English or French into different languages and readily understood by all.

We will regularly review our words and pictures, creating a culture of anti-racism, reflection and learning. As language evolves, we’ll invite views from colleagues and local organisations, and remove words that have become outdated or offensive.

We will use language and imagery to inspire wider cultural change. We’ll co-produce stories, photographs and video with local organisations and talent. Wherever possible, we’ll put local people at the centre of the story.