While creating content, we collect information from different sources. The information we use must be accurate and credible. Any false information may damage the credibility you have built. Regardless of the size of your team, the scope of your project and the context you work in, it’s a good practice to start collecting, listing and arranging the sources of information you’ll use to produce and update content. Don’t underestimate this passage: an initial effort to verify and organize your sources can save time later. A practical way to arrange your sources is by topic or sector.
To select the topics and sectors of interventions that are relevant to you, refer to the Information Need Assessment and/or to the periodical surveys to your audience: those tools reveal which topics are essential to your clients. You should focus your content production on those indicators.
Getting Started
First, make a list of the most valuable content topics for your clients. (Examples: Healthcare, Shelter and accommodation, Refugee status and Asylum, Job and recruitment, School enrollment, etc.)
Next, add information sources together. For example, the following table shows a sample of how you can keep tracking the information sources.
| Source Type | Category of Information | Source | Verified Contact | Trustworthiness | Comments |
|
Local NGO |
Livelihood | - | - | - | - |
| International NGO | Protection, legal, documentation orientation | IOM | phone, email, web, address, etc. | Reliable | For example: Follow up, challenges, who is assigned with this task |
| UN Agency | Shelter & accommodation | - | - | - | - |
| Local Authority | Resettlement | - | - | - | - |
| National Authority | Healthcare | Ministry of Health | - | Reliable | Ex: looming vaccination campaign; to follow-up |
| Army/Armed Group | Security | - | - | - | - |
| Media | News & information | - | - | - | - |
Once you have identified the main topics/sectors of intervention, you can pair each source to the category it belongs (as per table above).
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IMPORTANT: We recommend cross-checking the information with at least two credible sources. It is always a good idea to cross-check the validity of the information before you publish it. For example, you refer to UNHCR for refugee registration place and time, but UNHCR may change the date and place while you are creating the content. Providing back-dated information will create suffering for your audience and damage your credibility. |
Finally, you should consider all the different actors and stakeholders that have a role into
- the decision-making process (e.g., national and international institutions, ministries, members of the judicial system, political parties)
- implementation of laws or security management (e.g., army, armed group, militias, local and national authorities)
- humanitarian and social assistance (e.g., local NGOs, INGOS, UN agency, social services providers, groups of advocacy and lobbying, local and national movements)
- information landscape (e.g., national media, local media, regional and international media, media from country of origin, social media relevant groups, digital influencers, diasporas-born media )
- any other source that can help you create an exhaustive picture of the topics your public is interested to.