REGIONAL JOURNALISTS ATTENDING AN IWPR SEMINAR PLEDGE TO COOPERATE MORE CLOSELY

Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Feb 18 2009
UK

IWPR brought together journalists from all across the Caucasus to
seek ways of improving ties between them, in the first such meeting
since the Russia-Georgia war.

The seminar, Media and Conflict in the Caucasus, was held in Kiev,
Ukraine on January 27-29 and organised by the Institute for War and
Peace Reporting and International Media Support. Some 20 journalists
and editors attended, representing media outlets from the South and
North Caucasus.

The workshop was organised as a part of the Cross Caucasus Journalism
Network Project, a three-year programme funded by the European Union.

Journalists said they were pleased that their cooperation had not been
affected by the August war, when Russia helped drive Georgian forces
out of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and recognised their independence.

"I was actually a bit worried before I went to Kiev because this was
my first meeting with Georgian journalists since the war. I thought
that we could not find a common language but it turned out to be very
productive," said Anaid Gogoryan, a journalist from the Abkhazian
newspaper Chegemskaya Pravda.

"The most important thing about the seminar was that we now have an
opportunity to continue our cooperation across the borders," she said,
in words echoed by colleagues from Tbilisi.

"To be honest, when I came to the workshop I was worried, because I was
not sure if I could cope with my Abkhaz and Ossetian colleagues," said
Malkhaz Gagua, a journalist from the Resonance newspaper in Tbilisi.

The seminar featured three round-table discussions, centred on three
themes: media freedom in the Caucasus, coverage of conflicts and
ethnic/religious issues.

Participants regretted that media outlets often referred to people on
the opposite sides of the ceasefire lines as enemies, thereby keeping
the situation tense.

"Almost all media in the region are given to hostile rhetoric and
rash statements, which adds fuel to conflicts," said Murat Gukemukhov,
a freelance journalist from the North Caucasus.

"I think that this seminar and others of the kind to come will help us
find a common language and agree more or less acceptable terminology."

Editors discussed how they covered the conflict in Georgia,
their countries and other regions, and what difficulties they had
faced. The journalists worked in very dangerous conditions, while a
lack of experience in how to work in conflict zones undermined their
safety. Extensive government propaganda was also reflected in how
the war was covered.

"Very often in articles, Abkhaz government officials are referred
to as ‘Abkhaz aggressors’ or as ‘leaders of Abkhaz criminal gangs’,"
said Zurab Argun, an editor of Abkhazian TV station Abaza TV.

The participating journalists said they could only report from one
side of the conflict, and they agreed to cooperate in future with
colleagues on the other side of the lines.

For example, participants discussed a joint article by Georgian and
Ossetian authors entitled How the War in Georgia started, which was
published by the Caucasus Reporting Service and which was the first
article analysing the beginning of the conflict. It was cited by
several international publications.

"I think these sorts of articles are interesting for everybody,"
said Andrey Tadtaev, an editor from South Ossetia’s Osimform, winning
agreement from a Georgian counterpart.

"When the article is written right from the place where the fact
happens, it is always reliable," said Paata Veshapidze, editor in
chief of the Georgian newspaper 24 Saati.

Most of the editors said they were ready to print such articles in
their newspapers, and they discussed themes for further issues. They
also said they needed to increase collaboration when organising trips
to the conflict zones, and exchanged contact details to help joint
projects in future.

"A seminar like this is very important because so many different
people are gathered. I think it is especially important to meet
people from the other side of a conflict," said Lillit Asryan,
a journalist from Nagorny Karabakh, which is claimed by Azerbaijan
but ruled by Armenians.

"For me it was important to talk to the Azerbaijani
participants. People from my generation have never lived side by side
with Azeris and many young people therefore have a stereotypical
stance towards them because they don’t know them. If we meet more
people from Azerbaijan we can break down these stereotypes."

During the discussion, the editors received reports on the state
of the media in their regions and countries. The main weaknesses
identified were insufficient funding and pressure from the governments.

"In the North Caucasus the most independent is the Dagestani media,
but journalists are killed in Dagestan. Several cases have happened
recently. The situation in media organisations in Chechnya and
Ingushetia is even worse. Journalists in other republics of the North
Caucasus daily face difficulties in their jobs," said Alan Tskhurbaev,
a journalist from Vladikavkaz in the Russian region of North Ossetia.

The reports said that the governments in the Caucasus were putting
direct pressure on both editors and journalists, and that broadcasters
had had their broadcasting licenses suspended, and had had problems
with advertisers, who were reluctant to place advertisements with
non-governmental outlets.

"Almost every big company in Azerbaijan either belongs or is
connected to the government, that’s why opposition publications
have few advertisements," said Layla Amirova, an editor of Izvestia
in Azerbaijan.

The position was similar all across the region.

"The most popular television station in Armenia, A1, had its
broadcasting license suspended, and it can only apply for a new
one in two years’ time. It’s clear that the television station is
not going to broadcast during this period," said Karen Harutunyan,
editor-in-chief of the Capital newspaper in Armenia.

During the workshop, participants met Ukrainian experts and visited
one of the biggest and most popular newspapers in Ukraine Zerkalo
nedeli as well as the independent TV station TV5.
From: Baghdasarian