UNDP Mongolia Media Coverage | 1997 - 1999

As head of communications for UNDP/UN Mongolia, I cultivated a good relationship with local and foreign media. This had many benefits for the mission, including extensive coverage of Mongolia and the UN's work. A small sample of the stories this relationship generated were published in the book In Their Own Words: Selected Writings by Journalists on Mongolia, 1997-1999 (ISBN 99929-5-043-9). Rather than having a confrontational relationship with the media, we found facilitating a constant flow of information back and forth led to many great stories, great adventures and the opportunity to meet highly talented journalists and other media professionals: all to the benefit of the UNDP Mongolia Communications Office. 

In Their Own Words was published in 1999 by UNDP Mongolia.

Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine and is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind. It chose my photo taken in the Gobi desert for its profile of the Internet revolution in 1998.

I am pictured speaking with Mongolian Members of Parliament in 1997.

"Communications Co - ordinator David South ( right ) meets regularly with the Communications Team : from left to right , Ms Saruul , UN Infoshop librarian , Ms Oyuntungalag , UNDP Communications Officer and Ms Bayasgalan ..."

Other Resources

Today's journalists have to contend with a very different world to what existed in the mid to late 1990s. The ubiquity of electronic devices - and surveillance - means it can be risky and even dangerous to contact sources using these tools. A free guide is available to help journalists protect themselves and sources. Written by a journalist, the Online Privacy Guide for Journalists 2017: A Guide for the Savvy Journalist in a World of Ever Decreasing Privacy, can be found here: https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/online-privacy-journalists/. For an explanation of the difference between a VPN (virtual private network) and a proxy, this short video from ExpressVPN on YouTube can help: What's the difference between a proxy and VPN?.

Various search engines also offer to hide your search. They include: 

Startpage.com

Privado.com

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