Good News

Dear Reader,

Welcome to The International!

In recent years, the phrase “objective journalism” has become somewhat laughable. So has the idea of journalistic integrity. The service of keeping the public informed has turned into the business of reporting for ratings. News outlets are now owned by corporations with implicit interests in maintaining the status quo. And reporters who aspire to objectivity seem to slip into stenography, dutifully reporting whatever government officials say without finding corroborating evidence. They no longer have a chance to put as much energy into seeking the truth.

The major factor contributing to these relaxed standards is that everyone is media-savvy now. Publicists and PR firms have made press coverage a game. Government officials know how to spin a story. And reporters, eager for access or to be “embedded,” no longer hold governments and organisations accountable. That the American people were made to believe that Iraq has WMDs is the most classic example of journalistic failure and public disservice by the field.

It's time for the field of journalism to demand more of itself. Just as the advances in medicine have called for more complex debates in medical ethics, the advances in media knowledge require journalists and news outlets to raise their standards of journalistic integrity. Readers need more than facts; they need context.

Enter The International. We are committed to bringing you in-depth analysis of important world events in a neutral and conscientious manner that allows you to consider differing perspectives. We promise not to engage in demonising or victimising language, and we believe great journalism has the power not only to hold organisations accountable, but also to empower individuals to action. This is journalism for the 21st century: neutral, conscientious, and transparent.

In fulfilling this mandate, we adhere to a set of core principles:
• Analyse the root causes of events and highlight possible solutions with neutrality and contextual understanding.
• Report on the interests and needs of varying parties in a dispute. We believe there are usually more than two actors in any dispute, all of them with some conflicting interests as well as some common ground. (More about this later.)
• Give readers an understanding of varying perspectives and cultural differences in approaching an issue.
• Report on developing issues before they turn into conflicts, thereby stimulating preventive action.
• Hold organisations and governments accountable by asking thought-provoking questions.

So, how exactly do we implement such ideals? Well, our reporters go through extensive training in un-learning a lot of journalistic “tricks” that sensationalise stories and then learning how to report the same event in a way that opens a door in readers' minds. We also incorporate scientific knowledge from sociology and psychology to accurately represent groups and to use the power of media to educate and inform effectively. For example, we don't believe in referring to any conflict as one between two ethnic groups; who can claim that all Israelis behaved in one manner and all Palestinians in another? Instead, we break the conflict down into the multiple conflicting parties: the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, Israeli human rights workers, Palestinian refugees, etc. All these parties have a stake in peace, but also conflicting needs and interests, sometimes with the same groups with whom they would normally be lumped together. We believe our readers are intelligent enough to understand such nuances and desire the kind of journalism that pushes them to reconsider their own views.

The International applies these principles of integrity and ethical reporting to six specific topic areas: politics, commerce, environment, health, culture, and rights. However, our topic areas are not only ways of classifying articles, but they have overarching goals as well. Our politics section seeks to resolve conflict, particularly by discussing proposed and viable solutions. Our commerce section is aimed at eradicating poverty, either through reporting on innovative practises or shedding light on unfair or detrimental ones. Naturally, our environment section is committed to ensuring sustainability, and our health section to preventing illness; however, both of these sections also seek to convey the macro- and micro-level repercussions of environmentalism and health initiatives. My favourite section, culture, highlights the contributions of a particular culture to the world at large while helping readers understand the reasons and implications of cultural differences. And last but not least, our rights section is committed to reducing inequality by bearing witness to injustice while maintaining our journalistic neutrality.

In our free mini-issue, we have chosen two stories from our Rights and Commerce sections to give you a small taste of our innovative reporting style and in-depth analysis. Ashlee Godwin's piece on the CIA's alleged use of torture and rendition highlights the domestic and international implications of the recent decision by the US Attorney General to launch an investigation into the charges. The article also allows readers to consider the varying perspectives on the legal quagmire that will likely occur if President Obama fulfills his promise to close Guantánamo Bay.

In our Commerce section, Christopher R. Federici examines how minerals far less exotic than diamonds are financing wars and violence throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tantalum oxide ore, or coltan, is a core component of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices, and a growing shortage of the material is allowing the rebel groups and militias that control coltan mines to profit immensely from the demands of technological industries in Europe, the United States, and Asia.

After reading these articles, I suspect you'll want to read all of our thought-provoking articles in full. If so, please consider subscribing to The International. Your support will help ensure our talented reporters can continue to cover important world events, like the recent surrender of insurgents in Nigeria, the dual environmental crisis facing Bangladesh, the need for affordable HIV drugs in developing countries, and the thriving Iranian film industry in the face of continuing government censorship. I should also mention that, as a social business, The International uses all of its revenue to benefit the public with increased access to ethical reporting; none of our profits are distributed to investors or owners. So log on to our website – http://www.theinternationalonline.com – to subscribe. Your mind and conscience will thank you for it.

You can also let us know what you think of our free mini-issue by clicking on the Contact link at the bottom of our website and sending us your comments. We'd love to hear from you.

Happy reading!