INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

The first part of IMCK workshop on Knowledge Awareness of Oil and Gas finishes in Kalar Ali Ghazi from Nature Iraq explains how oil and gas impact on the environment and IMCK journalism trainer Khaled Suleiman helps the journalists develop story ideas.   Part 2 of the workshop is in Sulaymaniya in December.  Experts on  oil and gas will give information to help journalists become more specialized on the topic. 

Journalists specializing in reporting on oil and gas begin a four day training workshop in Kalar. Each day an expert gives a presentation on   the topic, and journalists work to develop story ideas . Journalists are from the main TV Radio   Newspapers and Internet websites in the Garmiyan Region, Sulaymaniya and Erbil. Today they learn how oil fields are developed and oil is taken from the ground. The workshop   is supported by Western Zagross.

Journalists from (Baghdad, Thi- Qar, Basrah, Wasit, Karballa, Diwanyah, Diyalla, Anbar, Najaf, Kirkuk and Mosul) meet together to form the final storymaker group in Iraq. The group have learn how to report on their smart phones and are already preparing sto ries for the Storymaker and social media platforms. During this next month they will work with IMCK  trainers to improve their journalism.

The second group of  17 journalists from all over Iraq completed their training today with IMCK. Trainers Khalid  Suleiman, Munaf Ghanim and Ahmed Jobori worked with the journalists for the past five days helping film and edit reports, make photo stories and audio reports on the Storymaker App. Mustafa Al Ani coordinated the workshop and joined the trainers to instruct on filming and editing techniques. The App was developed by IMCK’s Dutch partners Free Press Unlimited with a Californian  group of software programmers and is a response to the Arab Spring of 2011.  With the smart phone App journalists can report from their mobile phones and securely upload their stories.  This gives great flexibility to  report in areas of conflict, in difficult situations and also in everyday news gathering. Photographer Kamaran Najim, Head of Metrography, Iraq’s first photo agency,  inspired the journalists to take  creative photos and make good photos stories. At the clo

IMCK and Statt run a series of workshops on Illegal migration from Iraq   and the effects on the families left behind. 50 thousand Iraqis have been refused asylum in Europe with nearly 13 thousand Iraqis applying for asylum in 2012   in the EU   (UNHCR data) . IMCK trains journalists to practice responsible, ethical journalism and to broaden their news agenda to write about a broader range of topics.    There will be a prizes for the best stories produced from the workshops. In the first series of workshops,   ended today,   participants came from Sulaymaniya, Chomchomal, Ranyia, Qaladzia, Arbat and Saed Sardq.   The workshops are supported by Statt   Consulting who provides an expert trainer to give information about illegal migration.   IMCK social media trainer teaches the participants how to use the internet and social media for   news sources and IMCK lead journalist trainer Khallid Suleiman works with the journalists on how to make interesting storie

IMCK's latest training in social media comes to an end today. 15 participants from all over Iraq - Anbar, Babylon, Karballa, Kirkuk, Wasit, Mosul, and Baghdad traveled to Sulaymaniya to learn how to use the internet and social media for serious journalism.   Security is a big feature of the workshop - how to use facebook and twitter safely and professionally to gather news and to broadcast news.  The training is supported by Hivos, the Dutch humanist international development organisation.   Participants came from print and online media, civilian journalists civil society organisations.  Mustafa Al-Ani co-ordinated the training and the two trainers - Bahar Jassim and Mustafa Saad both trained by IMCK supported by Hivos, led the three day workshops. The partipants presented  IMCK with a plaque of appreciation. IMCK Director Julia Shaw closed the workshop and presented the certificates.