They are the most active participants of IWPR programme “School of Analytic Journalism CABAR.asia”.
Six journalists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan explored the experience of work of Georgian media in the Sova.news online outlet and Studio Monitor, an investigative journalism organisation.
In editorial offices, they worked on their analytic articles, each of which raised one urgent issue in Central Asian countries and explored how Georgia solved such issues.
Tourism development, working with wayward youth and digital government are some of the topics that are covered by journalists. All articles will be published on the website of cabar.asia. Some of them can be read with a tag “training in Georgia”.
In addition to the training, journalists took part in the international journalist festival ZEG – Tbilisi Storytelling Festival, where journalists, producers, media experts, chiefs of media from the United States, Europe and Georgia took part to discuss the latest trends in media and their application in their work.
During the festival, Central Asian journalists took part in several workshops related to storytelling, solution-based journalism and preparation of documentaries.
Georgia was selected for training for a reason. It is the leader in the post-Soviet territory in the freedom of speech and has been known for its thoroughgoing reforms in law enforcement, economy and public administration. At the same time, interethnic issues, conflicts after the collapse of the USSR, economic issues make Georgia much similar to Central Asia.
A Tajikistan-based journalist of CABAR.asia, Guzal Makhkamova, said the freedom of speech made it possible for the Georgian media to cover any topics they wanted to cover, which improved the role and influence of the media on the solution of urgent issues.
“As soon as I get back, I am going to write a story about domestic violence in the format of solution-based journalism, which I learned about during training. I liked the format because in this case journalists focus on the problem itself, not just describe it,” Guzal Makhkamova said.
“The Tbilisi Storytelling Festival has reminded me of personal story that is important in journalism. The session on the solution-based journalism was the most unforgettable experience because it offers a way to make our profession even more useful and gives an opportunity to see its outcome,” Bermet Ulanova, a Kyrgyzstan-based journalist of Kaktus.media, said.
For other feedbacks of participants please see this publication.
Young analysts from Central Asia, who are the participants of the School of Analytics CABAR.Asia programme, took part in the training in Georgia in June 17 to 22 along with journalists.
The training was organised jointly by IWPR Central Asia and IWPR Caucasus offices. During the training, IWPR Caucasus organised discussion on the topic “The role of media and civil society in solving urgent issues in the countries of Caucasus, Central Asia and Eastern Europe”, which was held with participation of Georgian journalists and activists.
The journalists brought by IWPR are the active participants of the IWPR programme “School of Analytic Journalism CABAR.asia”, who actively published their materials on the analytic platform www.cabar.asia, took part in IWPR events and applied their knowledge in their editorial offices following the intensive training last June.
The similar approach applies to the young analysts of Central Asian countries.
This activity is part of the three-year project of IWPR on raising the new generation of journalists and analysts who would publish quality articles covering topics relevant to their countries, contribute to their solution and regional integration.
The second School of Analytics CABAR.asia was held this April for young analysts, and the second School of Analytic Journalism CABAR.asia is in progress in Almaty from June 28 to July 5. The most active and productive analysts and journalists will go to the training to one of the countries of Eastern Europe in 2020.
