What is AlertNet?

AlertNet is a free humanitarian news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation covering crises worldwide. Our award-winning website provides trusted news and information on natural disasters, conflicts, refugees, hunger, diseases and climate change.

Who is it for?

AlertNet is for anybody concerned with human suffering: relief workers, donors, policymakers, researchers, students, journalists and the general public. The site attracts upwards of 12 million visitors a year.

Where does our content come from?

Our multimedia content comes from specialist AlertNet reporters around the world and our network of 196 Reuters News bureaux. In addition, a community of about 500 international relief organisations and 60 specialist news content partners contribute to the site.

Why AlertNet?

AlertNet was set up in 1997, in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwanda genocide and criticism of the slow media response and poorly coordinated activities of relief agencies. The site puts our strengths of speed, accuracy and impartiality at the disposal of the humanitarian community by offering a “one-stop shop” for crisis information.

Why us?

Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the world’s leading provider of news and information, believes in the power of trusted information. Our initiatives stand for more effective humanitarian relief, journalistic excellence, better governance and transparency and access to the rule of law. They are the embodiment of the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles of independence, integrity and freedom from bias.

The free services found on the Foundation’s portal site, Trust.org, build on the humanitarian information initiatives and journalism training programmes of the Reuters Foundation, established in 1982. Following the acquisition of Reuters by Thomson Corp in 2008, the Foundation was expanded to embrace the broader scope of the company.

What do we cover?

AlertNet covers dozens of emergencies on all continents, including many of the “forgotten” crises that rarely make mainstream headlines. We deal with sudden disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes as well as slow-burning, complex emergencies such as internal conflicts and food crises.

The countries we focus on tend to be low- or medium-income and thus likely to find that their capacity to handle large emergencies depends on international assistance.

Visit our Crisis Centre to explore humanitarian themes and find news, background, contacts and other resources on current crises.

The AlertNet community

The cornerstone of the AlertNet community is the AlertNet membership. Our members are non-discriminatory, non-profit civil society organisations that are actively involved in emergency relief.

There are currently nearly 500 AlertNet member NGOs from 95 countries worldwide. We regularly welcome new organisations into our global community, and are looking specifically to recruit new members from the global “south” to increase the number of grassroots, community organisations.

Benefits for members include access to free Reuters pictures for use in emergency appeals and opportunities to reach new audiences by publishing news, pictures and video directly onto AlertNet. Members can also post jobs and engage with media professionals worldwide through our Who works where directory.

For information on membership criteria, other membership benefits and how to apply, please visit the AlertNet members section.

News partners

Along with content from almost 500 NGO members, AlertNet provides live news feeds from around 60 content partners, including U.N. agencies, think tanks, academic institutions, map providers, rights groups and specialist news networks. For a complete list of content partners, view the source field on our news search.

AlertNet Climate

AlertNet’s Climate Change site explores how climate change is impacting the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. With a strong developing world focus and contributions from writers from around the world, it takes readers to the front lines of climate change with stories, blogs, videos and other resources on climate issues ranging from adaptation and food security to low carbon development and deforestation.

Emergency Information Service (EIS)

EIS is a free information service for survivors of natural disasters. It addresses critical gaps in the information chain when major catastrophes strike by deploying AlertNet reporting teams to disaster zones to disseminate fast, reliable information to affected populations in local languages.

First launched after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, EIS provides actionable information on everything from how to minimise disease risks to where to get medical help and how to trace missing relatives.

AlertNet for Journalists

In 2004, AlertNet conducted a major analysis of humanitarian crisis reporting in collaboration with Columbia School of Journalism. The result was the biggest survey yet of relations between the media and humanitarian relief agencies. AlertNet for Journalists acts on the report’s recommendations with a set of practical tools and services to help reporters, editors and fact-checkers cover difficult crises. These include interactive statistics, comprehensive crisis briefings, e-learning modules and a directory of aid agency press contacts on the ground.

Awards

AlertNet has won a Popular Communication award for technological innovation and a NetMedia European Online Journalism Award for its coverage of natural disasters. It has been named a Millennium Product by the British government, an award for outstanding applications of innovative technology.

Our Emmy-nominated Surviving the Tsunami multimedia documentary was feted by the U.S. National Press Photographer’s Association in its Best of Photojournalism 2010 awards. It was also a finalist in the 2010 Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma and named Best Web Special Feature by Editor & Publisher.

Thomson Reuters tradition, resources and network:

• 53,000 employees worldwide
• World-leading legal business, including 1,200 in-house attorneys
• Westlaw, the legal research service of Thomson Reuters, has a solid history in supporting pro bono causes, donating over $20 million in 2009
• Long expertise in media, information and technology development
• Reuters News bureaux in 196 countries
• More than a century and a half of experience as a global news agency