INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

The website Kirkuk Now received a Certificate of Honor from the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) for the objective way of covering the news, stories and the activities in the city of Kirkuk. On November 7, 2012, Mohammed Najem, branch manager of IRCS-Kirkuk, presented the certificate to Kirkuk Now, as the site is “working to accomplish the principles of the charity organization and the principles of the Iraqi people”.  KirkukNow.com is set up by the IMCK, and it congratulates editor in chief Salam Ibrahim and his staff with the prize. Before the site got another Certificate of Honor from the Olympic Committee in Kirkuk, praising the website for being the front runner in covering news events of the province.  Kirkuk Now is the first and the only independent website in the city of Kirkuk that covers the news events and civilian stories in all the different languages of the communities.

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...

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...

International trainer Marco Visser works with the staff of KirkukNow  to update the website where needed. He spends two days with the editors of the site, starting on May 16, 2012. Visser helped in 2011 to set up the website, which is informing all Kirkuki's about what goes on in their city. The site publishes news about the Kirkuki's in the different languages of the city, plus English. The website is amongst others supported by Hivos and the Arab Human Rights Foundation.

Reporters of Kirkuk Now on December 15, 2011 were offered a day of training in the training hall of IMCK in Sulaymaniya. In the morning IMCK senior trainer (and director) Judit Neurink worked with them on the questions of 'what is news', 'what news is interesting for the readers of KirkukNow.com' and 'which sources do you use to make a good item for the site'. In the afternoon photographer and photo-editor Julie Adnan informed them on the use of pictures. What can you do with pictures on the internet, what not? What is copyright? She was assisted by Nwenar Fatih, who is an editor and photographer for KirkukNow.

Editer-in-chief Salam Ibrahim of Kirkuk Now called his reporters from Kirkuk for a meeting to the IMCK office in Sulaymaniya. Kirkuk Now is the first independent website for Kirkuk, set up by IMCK. During the meeting on Thursday 15 September, 2011, eleven reporters were present. They discussed the achievements of Kirkuk Now so far and talked about possible improvements.

The team of Kirkuk Now on Saturday April 16 launched the news website in Kirkuk, to media, ngo's, politicians and others. The presentation was organised especially for Kirkuk, to give the website as much attention as possible. Project manager Jantine van Herwijnen and leading consultant Shwan Mohammed joined IMCK-director Judit Neurink (and Saman Penjwini from IMCK) on stage to give the most important details about the website, and to ask the Kirkukis to share their information with the Kirkuk Now team. KirkukNow.com provides the people of Kirkuk with independent news and information on what is happening in their city.

The first independent news website for Kirkuk, KirkukNow.com, was officially launched on April 14, 2011. During a press conference in Sulaymaniya, IMCK senior trainer Khidher Domle spoke about 'a dream come true'. Leading consultant of Kirkuk Now is Shwan Mohammed; he spoke of a website that creates a bridge for all Kirkukis. IMCK director Judit Neurink called the website 'from Kirkukis, for Kirkukis', as they will be invited to react, give their news and send their pictures. Pictures which show 'Kirkuk as you see it' will be placed on the website, next to news from the city and concerning the city. Kirkuk Now is published in Kurdish, Arabic, Turkmen and English, to provide all people in Kirkuk with the same information. The setting up of the site is possible thanks to funding by the Dutch ngo Hivos, the Belgian and the British government. For Kirkuk, the launch of the site will take place on April 16, 2011.