U.S. SPONSORED MEDIA TRAINING GENERATES EXTENSIVE COVERAGE,

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000774

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - LLUFTIG, WHA/PDA - EDETTER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OEXC OPRC NS

SUBJECT: U.S. SPONSORED MEDIA TRAINING GENERATES EXTENSIVE COVERAGE,
EXPANDS EMBASSY MEDIA CONTACTS


1. SUMMARY: The Embassy sponsored Broadcast Journalism Workshops in
Suriname from October 12 - 21, 2006. The trainings, held in
Suriname's two largest cities, generated extensive positive media
coverage on TV and radio and in the newspapers. In addition, the
media training laid the groundwork for a subsequent visit to
Suriname's second largest city by EmbOffs, and in so doing deepened
and expanded the range of Embassy contacts and access. END SUMMARY


2. During his second visit to Suriname, Professor Stephen C. Coon,
International Communications Consultant and Emeritus Associate
Professor of the Greenlee School of Journalism, Iowa State
University, provided a total of 55 journalists in the capital,
Paramaribo, and Nieuw Nickerie, Suriname's second largest city,
basic skills training for radio and TV reporting. Journalists from
20 media outlets attended. Coon emphasized in particular the
importance of free press in a democratic society.


3. Thirty-one local journalists participated in the training in
Nieuw Nickerie. The three-day workshop included training on writing,
reporting, editing, interviewing, ethics, use of sound and pictures,
and identifying relevant stories. In Paramaribo, twenty-four
journalists participated in a four-day workshop officially opened by
Ambassador Lisa Bobbie Schreiber Hughes. At the end of both
workshops participants received certificates of appreciation from
the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo.


4. Mr. Coon's presence in Suriname received extensive media
coverage. A week before he arrived, his visit was announced in the
daily newspaper Times of Suriname. The opening and closing of the
Nickerie workshop appeared on all three local TV stations, and all
three also broadcast separate interviews with Coon. The opening of
the Paramaribo workshop was covered by two TV stations, ATV and RBN,
all four daily newspapers, and Radio Apintie, and ATV broadcast an
interview with Ambassador Schreiber Hughes. Photos from the closing
ceremony of the workshop in the capital appeared in three
newspapers. De Ware Tijd, the highest circulation paper in Suriname,
carried a full page interview with Coon in its Saturday, October 21
edition.


5. The media training in Nickerie helped lay the groundwork for a
follow-up visit by DCM and POL/PD Officer, who received broad media
coverage. Local TV covered courtesy calls on officials and EmbOffs'
tour of a rice mill and processing plant, carrying an 8-minute
interview on the evening news. Twenty-five journalists and
reporters attended a media roundtable, where copies of an IIP
publication, "Journalist's Handbook," were distributed to the
participants. Several interviews by the DCM and Pol/PD Officer
provided opportunities to clarify U.S. policies on trade,
investment, and support for stronger bilateral relations and
cooperation, and were covered in national newspapers the following
day. Journalists cited the high level of the delegation as a
positive indication of the Embassy's interest in Nickerie.


6. COMMENT: The level of professionalism among journalists in
Suriname is low. Problems include frequent misquotes, inaccurate or
contradictory reporting of facts, and poor sourcing of articles.
Training is necessary to improve Embassy access as well as to
improve standards. END COMMENT

Genton