International Journalist’s Network
Jan 26 2005
Diversity group focuses attention on Caucasus for 2005
A group that encourages conflict resolution and minority rights is
planning several events this spring for journalists in Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia.
In February, the London-based Media Diversity Institute (MDI) will
monitor 15 leading newspapers in the three countries. The institute
will examine the media’s coverage of topics such as refugees, the
disabled, and religious, sexual and ethnic minorities. MDI will
release a cross-regional comparison of the results after the study is
completed.
MDI also is organizing several team reporting projects for
journalists in the region. The first is scheduled for February 8 to
18 for eight Armenian and Georgian newspaper reporters. They will
travel throughout the two countries for two weeks, investigating a
diversity-related topic. One international and one local editor will
coordinate the team.
Similar team projects are scheduled for March 14 to 25 for
Azerbaijani and Georgian journalists; April 14 to 24 for Armenia,
Georgian and Azerbaijani journalists; and May 10 to 20 for Armenian
and Georgian journalists.
Journalists and NGO representatives can participate in one of several
media-relations workshops planned for the first half of 2005. Each
workshop will teach journalists the value of NGOs and how best to use
information provided by these groups. NGO participants will learn how
to gauge news value, and how to prepare news releases and news
conferences.
Media relations workshops are scheduled for February 25 to 27 in
Nagorno-Karabakh; March 1 to 3 for Armenians in Yerevan; April 5 to 7
for Azerbaijanis in Baku; April 5 to 7 for Georgians in Tbilisi; and
April 9 to 11 for Azerbaijanis in Ganja.
Three media management workshops – one each in Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia – are planned for March. This two-day program teaches
editors and managers of minority media outlets about research,
targeting content to consumers, marketing, distribution, revenue and
budgeting. MDI says the goal is to help minority media be more
financially viable while maintaining professional journalism
standards.
The workshops are scheduled for March 1 to 3 in Yerevan, Armenia;
March 3 to 4 in Baku, Azerbaijan; and March 7 to 8 in Tbilisi,
Georgia.
MDI also plans to release a new version of its `Reporting Diversity’
handbook this February in Armenian, Azeri and Georgian languages. The
manual includes sections on ethnicity, religion, gender, the
disabled, elderly people, refugees, sexual orientation and political
dissidents. Each section offers reporting tips and detailed analysis
of actual articles taken from newspapers from the Caucasus, Western
Europe and the United States.
For information on any of these upcoming events, visit
or contact
MDI at [email protected], telephone +44 20 73800 200, or fax
+44 20 73800 050.