As a 24-year-old foreign correspondent in Nepal, Cristi Hegranes realized the woman she was interviewing in a remote village would be better at reporting the story herself. After all, she had the history, the context, the language skills, and the access to sources. So Cristi returned to the U.S., quit her job and asked everyone she knew for $40. With the $10,000 she raised, she founded Global Press. Today, Global Press’ all-women reporting team spans more than 40 communities across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization works to reframe global narratives, boost local access to information, and repair the lack of gender and racial diversity in newsrooms.

We know there is a correlation between who works in the newsroom and who is quoted or featured in stories. Did you know that more than half of all international news is reported by men? And just 25% of all news sources are women? This means that when men dominate international news coverage, women show up only a quarter of the time. Who writes the story directly correlates to who is cited in it. Across the globe, women are under-represented. At Global Press, we intentionally employ women journalists to report the news because they rarely have a powerful presence in other local newsrooms in the communities where we work. By training and hiring women in these communities, we diversify the entire market. And by giving them the freedom to prioritize their coverage, they get to tell the stories they think are most important. What happens when you change the storyteller? You change the story.

Newsroom representation is the staffing strategy that we use in each Global Press bureau to ensure our reporters have diverse identities that mirror those of the people in their local community. 100% of our reporters are women and represent the communities they cover. We believe representative newsrooms are better able to prioritize accuracy and accountability to their local readers, so when recruiting we consider race, tribe, caste, generation, education, socioeconomic status and more. We intentionally seek people who face barriers to entry into journalism, including those in rural communities who lack Internet access, those in the LGBTQ+ community, or those with disabilities. Once we ascertain who we are looking for — those people who are historically absent from newsrooms in the community — we fill our bureau with people like them. They, in turn, fill their stories with people like them.

Where we choose to open Global Press news bureaus is one of the most important factors that contributes to our long-term success. In short, we look for global communities where people lack access to accurate information and existing media systems aren’t addressing the challenge. When determining new locations — from rural news deserts to cities under authoritarian control — we navigate different press freedom regulations, government structures, political systems and media landscapes. We do this so we can demonstrate that independent journalism can thrive anywhere.

We get asked all of the time why we don’t have bureaus in the United States. The answer is simple: Our mission is to produce exceptional journalism from the least-covered parts of the world. We’re transforming access to accurate information locally and elevating awareness and dismantling stereotypes globally. Did you know that our journalism is produced in each reporter’s local language and in English? This multilingual strategy enables us to serve the local, coverage-country audience as well as a wider international audience. Even though we don’t cover the United States, we do serve millions of people here. In fact, a survey we conducted in 2021 found that our U.S. readers — who comprise our largest audience — were looking for stories told by local reporters, those who lived in the community and had the access to report accurately. Two-thirds of these readers identify as members of diaspora, migrant or refugee communities and had significant connections to our coverage countries. More and more people living in the U.S. are turning to Global Press to get a more accurate, inclusive view of the world.

Global Press opens bureaus in four types of media markets (areas where people have access to certain media). They are: (i) Global News Deserts: Readers lack credible access to accurate information due to lack of news outlets; ongoing barriers to access, such as internet and electricity; and stereotypes perpetuated by parachute journalism. 40% of our bureaus are located in global news deserts. (ii) Saturated Markets: Readers lack credible access to accurate information due to an oversaturation of low-quality outlets that lack high standards for ethical, accurate news practices. 15% of our bureaus are located in saturated markets. (iii) Transitioning Markets: Readers lack credible access to accurate information due to recent transition into or out of political upheaval. Media systems lack high-quality standards and practices and therefore power and influence among citizens and policymakers. 30% of our bureaus are located in transitioning markets. (iv)Unfree/Authoritarian Markets: Readers lack credible access to accurate information due to government or other authoritarian forces that significantly limit press access and free expression. 15% of our bureaus are located in unfree or authoritarian markets.

Global Press operates one of the most robust editorial systems in journalism today. Our non-assignment policy ensures reporters have the freedom to report on what’s most important in their communities. Reporters work with a global team of editors who help craft the story to ensure it is impactful for both the local and the international reader. Then, members of our Global Press Accuracy Network fact-check, copy edit and publish the story in English and the reporter’s local language. We continue to evolve our editorial systems to produce immersive, collaborative, and engaging stories.

At Global Press, each reporter selects her own stories to cover, those that matter most to her community. This unique strategy ensures that our journalism is comprehensive and impactful. We tell high-quality, award-winning stories on health, climate, labor, human rights, migration and focus on consequence-driven issues that allow readers to understand complicated issues with deep context and nuanced analysis. Our stories appear in six different languages to ensure readers in all of our coverage communities can access them and to help elevate global awareness around our mission and model. Linguistic diversity is a tool we use to ensure we meet our goal of creating a more inclusive and informed world. All Global Press photographs are original and were taken by our reporters, all of whom are trained photojournalists. We are proud to include beautiful, impactful, representative photos with every story that we tell.

The Global Press Accuracy Network consists of talented professionals — editors, copy editors, fact-checkers, translators, interpreters — who ensure all Global Press stories meet the highest journalism standards. They prioritize accuracy above all else.

Global Press uses Google Analytics to track reach and engagement on Global Press Journal.com and Sprout Social to track social media reach and engagement. Data from both sources are transparently published at globalpress.co/explore/audience quarterly. Global Press has republishing partnerships with dozens of global media partners around the world. Together, our online partners reach more than 100 million people. Since not all partners share their analytics, to calculate our reach through their platforms we use a conservative estimate — 0.1% of their monthly page views. Global Press also prioritizes engaging local audiences through offline partnerships, like print newspapers, local radio stations, NGOs, and academic partners. These partners don’t offer us online analytics, but do play a pivotal role in our ability to increase access to information for people who need it the most. For example, a Zimbabwean radio station that is the sole information source for mining communities doesn’t have sophisticated audience measurement tools. But we know if even one miner hears our story about the dangers of using mercury in gold mining, it’s worth it. Our stories also find their way into textbooks, medical journals and government agency reports. We’ll never know how many people read them there, but we know that by offering them for free republication we greatly increase the odds that our journalism can contribute to building a more equitable world.

The Global Press Code of Ethics is a revered document, followed faithfully by all Global Press reporters, editors and accuracy network team members. Our Code of Ethics includes six important tenets: (i) Report and write with responsible empathy. Our reporters are members of the communities they cover. So making sure that sources have the right to recognize themselves in stories is our priority. (ii) Avoid all conflicts of interest — real and perceived. Local journalists are often perceived to have more bias than foreign correspondents or parachute journalists covering the same story. We don't believe this is the case. We take our commitment to conflict of interest seriously and provide our readers with high-quality stories that are free from bias. (iii) Serve and protect sources with professionalism. Just as we care deeply about the safety and security of our journalists, we care deeply about the safety and security of our sources too. (iv) Respect readers by maximizing truth and minimizing harm. (v) Practice excellent journalism by practicing responsible citizenship. At Global Press, we always follow the law when it comes to keeping our reporters safe and producing extraordinary journalism. (vi) Commit to rigorous verification, precise writing and dignified reporting. After all, dignity and precision are two of our central tenets and, combined with our commitment to verification, are also core concepts in our Code of Ethics.

The Global Press Style Guide, published in English, is a living document that sets standards for dignified, precise vocabulary to use when referring to the people and places where Global Press reporters work. Each entry is crafted with the assistance of Global Press reporters and editors. The guide contains hundreds of entries that were created according to these three principles: (i) Do not use words that force people to make assumptions. Phrases like ethnic and developing world, for example, don’t promote source dignity or reader clarity. (ii) Avoid labels. People should be referred to as people as often as possible. (iii) Precision is required for dignity. In 2022, Global Press unveiled a first-of-its-kind style guide in Spanish. The Guía de estilo de Global Press establishes rules for referring to people, places and issues that are often miscovered or undercovered by the media.

We know that exceptional employment leads to exceptional journalism. So, whether an employee lives in Washington D.C. or Democratic Republic of Congo, we pay strong wages and offer comprehensive health benefits, parental leave, unlimited vacation, professional development and access to our industry-leading Duty of Care program. Our team prioritizes dignity and diversity in our daily work. We’ve created systems and structures that enable collaboration across languages and geographies. In 2022, Global Press won a Gold Stevie Award for organization of the year and a Silver Stevie Award for woman-run workplace of the year. In 2019, we were named one of Inc. Magazine’s best places to work. Our team is always growing. Visit the careers page to check out our latest openings.

At Global Press we know we ensure diversity is a central aspect of employee recruitment and retention. We aim to help our audiences better understand our world and our place in it. This means that diversity is not just a nice-to-have, but necessary for truly representative coverage. We operate in six languages and do not require our reporters to speak English. It’s not just our stories that appear in local languages, but every policy, contract, and communication. We employ a network of interpreters and translators to ensure that reporters can fully express themselves. At Global Press we ensure that all jobs postings transparently share a salary range. Research shows that this is a simple step toward ensuring equity and fairness toward employees.

Global Press aims to employ reporters over many years. After they graduate from training, 100% of them are offered employment with Global Press to produce stories. As of January 2023, among our current reporters, the average tenure is 7.05 years.

Global Press has 14 employees in the U.S. Their average tenure is 3.9 years.

Duty of Care is a holistic safety and security program designed to meet the specific needs of our local women journalists who live in the communities that they cover. For these journalists, emergency extraction is never an option. They require a robust and inclusive security methodology that prioritizes the interconnectedness of physical, emotional, digital and legal security. At Global Press, Duty of Care is implemented in three distinct ways: (i) About 20% of the Duty of Care program is implemented in training. We teach our reporters life-saving skills like emergency first aid, surveillance detection, their digital security toolkits, legal law labs, and more. (ii) About 75%, the vast majority of Duty of Care, is implemented in day-to-day policies and procedures. By taking important steps — like checking networks to following travel policies and protocols — our reporters are able to keep themselves, their colleagues, their sources, and their families safe. (iii) About 5% is crisis response. We spend so little of our Duty of Care time and energy on crisis response because we spend so much time and energy on mitigating the risks as often as we can. Every day, from Mexico to Mongolia, Zimbabwe to Democratic Republic of Congo, Global Press reporters take extraordinary risks to bring you stories that no other reporter can. But to produce this world-changing journalism, our reporters need to know that we care about their safety and security above all else. At Global Press, our Duty of Care program is interwoven into both our ethos and operations. In 2020, the program received the Chester M. Pierce Human Rights Award from the American Psychiatric Association for its “extraordinary efforts to prioritize the mental health of journalists around the world.” In 2022, it was named one of Fast Company’s World-Changing Ideas in the enduring impact category.

Journalists, on average, experience higher levels of stress and anxiety than most other professions. Yet mental health conversations are still taboo in the news industry, and mental health resources are limited in most Global Press coverage communities. But at Global Press we work to normalize conversations about mental health in newsrooms. Based on our team member’s role and location, Global Press offers a suite of wellness services. Across the world, reporters have access to the Global Press Wellness Network, made up of mental health and wellness professionals who are selected and vetted by Global Press and offer their services in every local language. Reporters access the services through a confidential system that matches them with a counselor and provides them with free and unlimited sessions. Full-time, U.S.-based team members have access to a platinum PPO plan that offers robust mental health support. In addition, Global Press pays for all team members to access counseling through Talkspace, which includes two live sessions with a counselor each month and unlimited messaging with a counselor between sessions. Members of our regional editorial teams who are based around the world and members of the Global Press Accuracy Network (fact checkers, copy editors, translators and interpreters) also have access to Talkspace, including the same live counseling and messaging plan. Every team member also has access to robust psychoeducation and wellness resources. The Global Press Wellness Network hosts quarterly workshops for all team members on key topics specific to the challenges of our work, such as moral injury and secondary trauma. These live workshops are available in six languages quarterly. Team members also have access to a wide range of courses, workshops, meditation and other wellness services via Talkspace.

Global Press News Services (GPNS) is the products and services division of Global Press that brings 17 years of expertise in dignified and precise journalism, media training in 40+ global communities, a one-of-a-kind global photo archive, and the industry-leading Duty of Care program to other organizations around the world. As the B2B division of Global Press, GPNS offers access to three key products and services: (i) lobal Press Style Guide: Workshops and language audits (ii) Duty of Care: Roadmaps, implementation plans, consultations, and risk assessments (iii) Photo Archive: Photo licensing and curation services.

Global Press is supported by donations from individuals, foundations, and revenue earned from Global Press News Services. We remain grateful to our longtime funders for their continued support of our work.

Global Press is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. As an independent journalism organization, we follow these key principles when accepting funds of any kind to ensure our journalism stays ethical and exceptional: Global Press does not accept anonymous major gifts or grants. Global Press does not accept funds that seek to influence our news coverage. Global Press does not accept funds that seek to use journalism as a means to a different end, like influencing political systems. Global Press does not accept funds from any government source. Global Press does accept funds from mission-aligned people and institutions who value dignity, diversity and access to accurate information.

You can: (i) Donate online, (ii) Sign up to receive our monthly impact newsletter “Global Press Bulletin,” (iii) Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, (iv) Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thank you for your interest in supporting Global Press!