Media Training Workshop combines Iraqi,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006912

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR STATE FOR DAS CHENEY, NEA/PD MACINNES,
BOURGEOIS, IIP/T/SV CARMEN APONTE AND SCOT TERRENCE;
NEA/ARN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SCUL OEXC OIIP JO
SUBJECT: Media Training Workshop combines Iraqi,
Palestinian, and Jordanian journalists


1. Summary: In support of the MEPI goal of
encouraging a professional and independent media, PA
Amman, in cooperation with PA Jerusalem and Baghdad
organized a three-day workshop (October 6-8) on
"Relations between Journalists and Media Officials."
Boosting PA Amman's ongoing media professionalization
goals, the program strengthened interviewing, research
and other media skills among Iraqi, Palestinian and
Jordanian journalists. It built linkages between PA and
the young journalists and raised their awareness of the
need to avoid polemics and strive to give their
audience an objective picture. The Iraqis especially
complained of the skewed picture of their country's
reconstruction as presented by Al-Jazira and other
regional media intent on accenting the chaos and
violence while ignoring the real progress that has been
made. Twenty mid-level journalists (5 Iraqis, 6
Palestinians, and 9 Jordanians) took part, representing
a wide range of dailies, weekly newspapers, television,
radio and internet-based media outlets. End Summary.


2. Description on Activity: Drew Sullivan, who took
time from training journalists in the Balkans to direct
this workshop, and Nidal Mansour, Chief Editor of an
independent weekly and director of the Center for
Defending and Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ),conducted
a 3-day workshop organized by PA Amman in cooperation
with PA Jerusalem and Baghdad. Twenty Jordanian,
Palestinian, and Iraqi mid-career journalists
representing print, TV, radio and internet media
outlets took part. The title of the workshop was "The
Relationship Between Journalists and Media Officials",
but topics covered also included international
standards of fairness and accuracy, the responsibility
of journalists to tell the truth or to protect the
community, as well as the use of the Internet as a
research tool. The workshop included a session with a
former Jordanian Minister of Information who was able
to give the government perspective, as well as
practical exercises, where a Jordanian parliamentary
deputy gave a mock press conference and participants
were assessed on the strength of their performance at
the conference and the stories that they wrote about
it.


3. Date: October 6-8, Fiscal Year: 2003, quarter: 4.


4. Justification and objectives: The Jordanian media
suffer from a lack of professional development
opportunities, among other difficulties. Very few
working journalists in Jordan have had formal training
of any kind (e.g., a formal journalism curriculum in
school),and media organizations are not generous
regarding training opportunities for employees.
Consequently, Jordanian journalists often lack what are
viewed as basic reporting skills, hindering their
ability to play a more positive role in this developing
society. This state of affairs proved applicable to
Palestinian and Iraqi media outlets as well. The
quarterly series of media training workshops begun by
PA Amman in FY 2000 has attempted to address some of
these issues. In this program, the journalists spoke
of difficulty in distinguishing between their duty to
their readers to report the whole truth, and their duty
to the "community," (which could at times be very
narrowly defined) to protect it from revelations that
might undermine order. They also lacked the techniques
that would enable them to gain maximum benefit from
press conferences or other forms of media availability.


5. MPP objective and audience reached: Promotion of
democracy and freedom of expression by enhancing the
professional skills of junior and mid-career
journalists in the three countries.


6. Result/impact: Through group exercises and open
discussion, workshop leaders Sullivan and Mansour
engaged the participants in theory (international
standards of accuracy and fairness),awareness building
(the need for background research, and the possibility
of subject-focused feature type reporting as an
alternative to event-led reporting),as well as
practical skill-building (mock interview with present
parliamentary deputy). In the practical exercise, they
were assessed on their ability to report on the
interview that they had conducted, with emphasis on the
need to avoid editorializing or pursuing a
prior agenda.


7. Material developed by post: Post provided
participants with one article recommended by Mr.
Sullivan, on "loosening lips," meaning techniques of
extracting information from reticent officials.


8. Non USG source of in-country funding/in-kind
support: None


9. Quality of U.S. support and IIP offices involved:
We received excellent support from Pamela Mills and
Nabeel Khoury, and extend a special thanks to Jennifer
Bochner for her excellent work and unflagging energy in
helping post put together this ongoing and valuable
series. GNEHM