INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

On 16 April 2012 Arabic and Kurdish students of Media bo Khalk, the IMCK postgraduate course in journalism, had a field trip in Sulaymaniya. Most of the media are based in the cultural capital of Kurdistan. The excursion was organized to visit four media outlets, so the students could experience the real working atmosphere of media. They got to build on their network by meeting editors-in-chief and other people in the industry. And they learned about the challenges they might face as real journalists. It was a good experience for the students who will start their in internship in the beginning of May 2012 at a variety of media outlets. Media The group of seventeen journalists in training were welcomed by PUK Media, Awena newspaper, NRT and Kurdsat TV. The first visit was with Karwan Anwar, the editor-in-chief of PUK Media and vice chairman of the Journalists Syndicate in Sulaymaniyah. Karwan explained the workings of the PUK website, for example that they operate in fi...

Students of the TV-group of IMCK's post graduate course Media bo Khalk started on their first 'international week'. TV-maker Karin Greep, who has been part of the curriculum in the earlier versions of Media bo Khalk as well, came to Erbil to teach  them how to make news items for TV. Greep is an experienced journalist working with different TV stations in the Netherlands. The training started on Sunday January 7, 2012 at the training centre of IMCK in Erbil and will last for 5 days. International weeks, with expert trainers from outside Iraq, will be held regularly until the end of the course in May 2012 to offer knowledge and support the training by local Iraqi trainers.

Arabic and Kurdish songs, speeches, a short film and a short play featured at the official opening of the post graduate course in journalism by IMCK, Media bo Khalk/Media for People/Al Ilam al-Nas on November 14, 2010 in Erbil. The opening was committed by Nawzad Hadi, the governor of Erbil. He spoke of the importance of the capital of Kurdistan, and of good training for journalists. ,,We have learned that military rule on people is not successful and try to keep away from that. The role of the media as a fourth power is an important one to improve.´´ Dale Prince spoke for the Regional Reconstruction Team of the US Embassy about press freedom. ,,Prosperity without freedom is just another form of poverty´´, he quoted US president Obama. IMCK director Judit Neurink spoke about the task the new students have in front of them: to become professional journalists and play a role in helping Iraqs development into a democracy. Some of the students of this second version of Media bo Khalk, whic...

During an official ceremony in Erbil 16 participants of Media bo Khalk (Media for People, Al-Alam al-nas) were presented with their certificates. The sixteen have finished eight months of training in journalism, including internships at Iraqi media outlets. The ceremony was attended by members of the press, editors in chief, politicians, diplomats and others. KRG-minister of Culture Kawa Mahmoud held a speech about the importance of professional media for the development of democracy in his country. Ari Harsin spoke for KDP and mentioned how important it is for Kurds and Arabs in Iraq to work together, stressing the importance of projects like Media bo Khalk for the whole of Iraq. The chargé d´affairs ad interim at the Dutch embassy in Baghdad, Lars Tummers, explained to the audience that the Dutch are good at bringing quality media to other countries, and Michael Mussi, Provincial Action Officer at the US Reconstruction Team in Erbil drew a picture of the role of the media in a socie...

A unique project for Iraq will start in Irbil in August 2009. IMCK starts a journalism training for post graduates which will last for 8 months. At 'Media bo Khalq' 30 graduates from universities in the whole of Iraq, both Kurdish and Arabic, will be trained in Irbil to become a journalist. That was the message of a press conference by IMCK on Thursday June 18, 2009, at the Safeer Hotel in Irbil. IMCK-director Judit Neurink introduced lead trainer Khidr Domle and trainers Ako Muhammed and Goran Lohan to the press, and informed those attending about the details of the post graduate training. Next to local trainers, teaching in Kurdish and Arabic, international trainers will be invited to do workshops from time to time. Participants are asked to come forward no later then July 5. The best 30 will be selected on talent, curiosity and abilities. Twenty of them will get board and lodgings in the Safeer Hotel in Irbil, where the training will also take place.