INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

Wednesday June 27, IMCK organized a presentation and a discussion panel at Erbil based Aras Publishers for the new book 'Iraqi Treasures' (Kunuz al-Iraq), which explores the subject of the natural resources in the country. The discussion panel consisted out of Avin Omer, a member of the oil and gas committee in the Kurdistan parliament, IMKC-trainer, journalist and supervisor of 'Iraqi Treasures' Khaled Suleiman, and advisor for the region's cabinet of ministers Ahmed Mufti.  The discussion was mainly on transparancy. On the one hand journalists cannot get the information on oil issues because the Oil Ministry in Erbil does not have a spokesman and Minister Ashti Hawrami is difficult to catch for journalists. Also the year reports of the Ministry are in English, as are the oil contracts. Against that was said that journalists should learn languages, and that they have to work to get and understand information, and they have to work to get and understand

IMCK started on June 24 with a second workshop for journalists from Mosul. The workshop on news and feature writing will last for five days in Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan. International trainer Wendelmoet Boersema and local co-trainer Khaled Suleiman give the workshop to 18 participants from different backgrounds, such as Kurds, Arabs, Christians and Yazidi. The workshop aims to boost the expertise of attending journalists and to create an awareness of the role media can play within the complex situation of Mosul and of the consequences reports can have in the often intense situation. Mosul is the hotbed of Iraq, where Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and the different minority groups clash and where a big part of the city is under Islamic control. The terrorist groups are controlling a part of the province as well as the city. Journalists from outside do not go to this area. Mosul is a dangerous place for journalists. Many of them have to work incognito, always afraid of abduction and r

The Independent Media Centre in Kurdistan (IMCK) celebrates its fourth anniversary this year. In these four years IMCK has worked hard to professionalize the media sector in Iraq. Our mission: to bring about a professional media-sector that is capable of giving voice to the Iraqi people and providing them with truthful information.   Since its foundation IMCK has continually been training professionals in all main media sectors (such as TV, Radio, Press and Internet) on almost every imaginable subject, ranging from editing training for TV-items to trainings on how to report on national heritage and natural resources, such as oil and gas. Returning every year are trainings on the basics of journalism, photography and on the reporting on people. Besides trainings and workshops, IMCK has set-up a post-graduate course in journalism for young Iraqis called Media bo Khalk (Media for People). The course is unique in its kind: Media bo Khalk teaches its students from all ove

Photo stories to tell the story behind illegal immigration. That is the main idea of an exhibition by IMCK that was opened on June 20, 2012 by AP photographer Yahya Barzinji, in the Red Prison in Sulaymaniya. The exhibition was the result of a workshop on photo stories and illegal immigration, organised by IMCK and STATT in Sulaymaniya in May 2012. The participants of the workshop were asked to produce a photo story on the subject. The work of three winners is now to be seen at the exhibition room of the Red Prison. Yahya Barzinji talked about the importance of photo stories for Kurdish media. It is a form that is not used very much yet, but has the possibility to show often complicated subject in simple pictures. He offered the price of 500 dollars to the winner, Zmnako Ismaell, who made a photo story about a Kurd who got shot by the border guards when he tried to flee illegally to Iran, which resulted in him loosing a leg. The runner up was Halwest Azad, who made a black and

The third edition of IMCK's post graduate course Media bo Khalk/Media for People ended on Sunday June 17, 2012 with a ceremony at the Safeer Hotel in Erbil. The 22 participants of the course received their certificates out of the hands of Nawzad Hadi, the governor of Erbil, Sasan Awni of the KDP organisations bureau and Stephane Tellier of the French Cultural Centre. Governor Nawzad Hadi announced in his speech his support for the course, after IMCK directeur Judit Neurink explained how difficult it is to find the funding - while at the same time more than half of all the students of the different Media bo Khalk courses are now working in journalism. Of Media bo Khalk 3 already a number of the students found a job as a journalist with one of the Iraqi media outlets. Former minister of Anfal and Martyrs, Chnar Saad Abdullah, who now leads the KDP Organisations Bureau, talked about the importance of good media for parties in Iraq, while IMCK board member and former editor

Matthew Ference of the American Consulate in Erbil attended the closing session of Mosul Together, the workshop for TV-makers from Mosul at the IMCK training hall in Erbil, on June 14, 2012. Together with trainers Nynke la Porte and Mazen Tayar he offered the participants their certificates. The project was financed by the American Embassy in Baghdad. The second part of the project, for print journalists from Mosul, will start on June 24, again in Erbil.

The Belgian Consul in Amman, Lieve Decaluwé visited the IMCK office in Sulaymaniya, together with the vice-Consul at the Embassy of Switserland in Jordan, Martina Masat. They were briefed on the activities of IMCK, and the state of the website KirkukNow.com , which was set up by IMCK with financial help of among others the Belgian Embassy in Jordan. IMCK director Judit Neurink and vice-director Sven de Graaf gave them an update on the site and the situation for training journalists in Iraq.

Sunday June 10, IMCK organized a workshop consisting of five days on developing basic expertise in news-journalism in TV to improve the quality of journalism in Mosul. Nynke la Porte from the Netherlands was the trainer of the workshop in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. Mazen Tayar, a journalist from Basra, assisted as co-trainer. The practical focus during the workshop was on how to make a good news-item for television. In this workshop Mosul journalists of different backgrounds not only met each other and were introduced to some practical knowledge about journalism, but at the same time they were taught how to integrate different perspectives and sources in their reports. The workshop aims to boost the expertise of the attending journalists and to create an awareness of the role media can play within the complex situation of Mosul and of the consequences reports can have in the often intense situation. Mosul is the hotbed of Iraq, where Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and th

IMCK and STATT conducted a second workshop of a day on Feature writing in Erbil, on June 7, 2012, with Goran Sabah (in the picture) as one of the trainers, and Khaled Suleiman as the other  Around 12 journalists took part, to learn how to make a feature story, and at the same time be informed about the different aspects of illegal immigration. The theme of the workshop is 'leaving home', as many young Kurds decide to go to Europe to find a better life. Many now get stranded because asylum is only available for those who are in real danger. Information about the subject was provided by specialists from UNHCR and STATT.

June 6, IMCK started in cooperation with STATT two workshops on writing feature stories on illegal migration. The first workshop is held in Sulaymaniyah. Fifteen journalists attend the workshop. On June 7 the second workshop will take place in the capital of Kurdistan, Erbil. Many young people in Iraqi Kurdistan want to leave the country. But as visas are hard to come by, many use smugglers and buy passports with a visa. This illegal migration has many bad consequences. Both for the host countries and maybe even more for the illegal migrants. Besides the risk of being detained and deported, people risk to be trafficked for exploitation. Men and women can end up in illegal prostitution or laboured slavery. Therefore IMCK wants to inform Kurdish journalists about the problems. STATT is involved by providing experts on illegal migration, which provide the background information and expand the knowledge of the participants on the subject. Issues like data on illegal migration fro

International trainer Pamela Williams started, on Monday June 4, with the training of KirkukNow reporters. The message she delivers to the reporters is to focus on the small news. Not only big political issues are relevant to the people of Kirkuk. Rather the small news that's close to the people is often more interesting and has a bigger and more direct impact on the lives of the citizens. The workshop for the reporters lasts one day in the training hall of the IMCK office in Sulaymaniya. The rest of the week Pamela Williams will train the editing staff of KirkukNow. IMCK is trying to make the staff and website of KirkukNow more professional. In a previous training Marco Visser was a big help in updating the website. The next step has been made by training the reporters. KirkukNow is an independent news site for all people in Kirkuk and for everyone who is interested in unbiased news and information about Kirkuk province. KirkukNow reports in four different languages

IMCK's trainers in camera and editing, Beshad Anwar and Mustafa Qais started on Saturday June 2, 2012 in Erbil with a special workshop in the history of the mediacentre. They had the least participants ever in a workshop by IMCK. The workshop is meant for three Kurdish returnees, who will learn how to make a little movie about their present lives in Kurdistan. They are supplied with a handycam, and learn how to shoot good images and how to make a scenario. The training is financed and initiated by IOM, the International Organisation for Migration, in Erbil. After same days of training on the camera, trainer Salar Sultan will teach them how to make a scenario, after which they can take the camera home to start making the movie. The images will then be edited with help of the IMCK trainers. See our Facebook for more pictures.