Can you tell us about Studio Kalangou?
Studio Kalangou was created by the Hirondelle Foundation in 2016. Based in Niger, the studio produces news for partner media outlets. We currently work with 52 radio stations and seven television channels. We have our own website and also use new digital channels to distribute our content. Finally, we also broadcast on mobile phones via Airtel in particular.
How is your editorial team organized?
At the central level, we work with around 50 journalists and we collaborate with around 50 journalists throughout the country. This network allows us to be close to the Nigerien population, to be close to the local level and to gather local and verified information.
What types of content do you produce?
We have two hours of broadcasting time, which is divided between news programs in five languages (French, Hausa, Fulfulde, Tamashek, and Peulh), a major debate and discussion program called "Le Forum," and magazines. In terms of the topics covered, Monday is dedicated to justice issues, Tuesday to women, Thursday to the environment, Friday to art and culture, and finally Friday is dedicated to youth issues. We attract a large audience on Fridays with the program "Tous à la Fada," which is very successful. For this program, which is very popular with young people, we choose a theme for a discussion session.
What place is given to digital technology?
The analog era is over, and we are now in the digital age, but some professionals lack the technical skills to process and edit information. That is why we have chosen to commit ourselves to training our peers.
Our digital department is responsible for video content, as well as content distributed via social media and fact-checking. In our activities, we focus on training our journalists within the editorial team, but also at the level of partner media outlets that do not have many internal resources. In this way, we hope to contribute to the development of the Nigerien media ecosystem, particularly through the reliability of its expertise in the field of information.
How important is fact-checking to you?
The health context linked to COVID-19 has also prompted us to develop fact-checking training courses for several partner radio stations. The challenge was to train teams in fact-checking techniques in local languages. We are in a very complicated area from a geopolitical point of view, commonly known as the "three borders" area, where an uncontrollable amount of false information circulates. We must provide the necessary tools to give the population access to verified information. This false information is a scourge, but also a real challenge for local journalists.
The Hirondelle Foundation is also actively working to help us keep people well informed.
What are your ambitions for the future?
As a media outlet, our goal is to deliver verified and impartial information to all Nigeriens. Our content is very successful, partly because we address our audiences directly, young and old, female and male, through our programs and magazines.
In terms of our prospects for growth, we now want to consolidate our achievements and strengthen our position. We are the first African media outlet to have been awarded the Journalism Trust Initiative label created by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). This is a great media recognition for the work we have accomplished, but it also sets a high standard that we must meet. We must maintain the trust of our listeners, and we also hope that other African media outlets will be inspired by our model.