INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

Journalists from Iraqi Wasit (Al-Kut) province returned to Sulaymaniya for the last phase of the 'press and politicians' project IMCK organised. They stayed for 4 days for a number of workshops, hosted by Al-Jazeera journalist Hassan Rachidi and IMCK senior trainer Xdir Domle, and visits to politicians and media in Sulaymaniya. The workshops started on October 12, 2009. The journalists came to Kurdistan to meet up with politicians from Wasit who were also trained in this project, for a final conference on how press and politicians can work together. But for technical reasons their counterparts did not make the trip North. In stead of the conference IMCK offered the journalists additional information on how to work responsibly, and arranged a press conference for them at the Head Office of the Change List in Sulaymaniya. Also visits to Kurdish media were organised.

Politicians and civil servants from Wassit (Al- Kut ) traveled to Irbil for workshops on the relation between politicians and the press. Four trainers from the Netherlands will brief them on how important a good relation is between press and politicians, and how to get their message across. During the week they are staying in Irbil this group of 17 people from the Iraqi province of Wassit will also be in contact with Kurdish colleagues. Trainers are Gerrit Valk and Rian van Dam, who are conducting two workshops on the importance of improving the relationship with the press to reach out to the voters. Valk is on his fourth visit to Iraq. Rommert Kruithof and Liesbeth Groenendijk are giving all the participants a media training of a day, in which they are taught how to get their message across. Kruithof is on his sixth visit to Iraq. Both have done these trainings extensively for politicians, CEO's and top managers in the Netherlands. The workshops are mirrored on a...