AMMAN -- Independent evaluators have named the Amman-based Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) network as a "success story" among nine regional media projects funded by DANIDA, the Danish development corporation, an ARIJ statement said.
The team of evaluators, who focused on media projects set up by the Danish-Arab Partnership Programme launched a decade ago, ranked ARIJ as "the leading project in terms of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability".
"ARIJ may not have turned into a super model yet, but it is on its way, and it is certainly a success story," Joachim Raffelberg, a member of the evaluation team, told a regional review workshop in Cairo this week, the statement said.
The five-month external evaluation was conducted by Media Consulting Group and Transtec Project Management, according to the network.
ARIJ Executive Director Rana Sabbagh said the evaluation provides a push for the network "to make sure in-depth reporting" takes root in the region despite legal, political and professional challenges.
"The findings of the evaluation team reflect the personal and professional commitment of the board and staff of ARIJ, and the will of brave ARIJEAN journalists, editors and media professors to a free and independent media which can assume the role of the fourth estate to promote accountability, transparency and justice," the statement quoted her as saying.
"These professionals have gone out of their way to make this 'mission impossible' a success," she noted.
ARIJ was founded by a grant provided by the Danish parliament and administered by the Copenhagen-based International Media Support. Other leading donors include the Swedish International Development Cooperation, Foundation for Open Society and Norway, the statement said.
ARIJ trains journalists on basics to investigative journalism in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, Yemen, Bahrain and Tunisia.
"ARIJ has also supported the creation of eight investigative reporting units in regional media to ensure sustainability," the statement said.
© Jordan Times 2013
