INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

The second part of the workshop to improve the media of the KDP organisations for students, youths, scientists and women has been finalized on the second of April 2012. In total twelve participants received an IMCK certificate.  IMCK offered two workshops of three days in Erbil to make the media of the KDP organisations more attractive for the target groups they are meant for. During the first workshop the focus was on the current quality of the publications, and to asses what the participants needed. Through giving them tips and lectures IMCK improved the skills of the attendees for the second workshop. The second set of three days was conducted to evaluate the changes since the first workshop.   IMCK's senior trainers Khidher Domle and Ako Mohammed worked with the participants on improving the quality of stories, and choosing stories that are more interesting for their readers. One of the KDP-participants said: "I learned the importance of short-news, journal...

February 29th International trainer Rommert Kruidhof from the Netherlands started training officials of the Kurdistan Democratic Party on their presentation in the media. His training contained very practical exercises in how to communicate with media-reporters and in what way to present oneself professionally. The training took place for two days in Erbil, a stronghold of the KDP.

Social media have become an important part of communications on different levels. That is the reason IMCK-trainer Sardasht Aziz started a 3 day training for the Popular and Vocational Organisations board of KDP, on February 21, 2012 in the training hall of the Safeer Hotel in Erbil. Participants are involved in communicating between KDP organisations like the students union, the youth and the women union, and their members. They will learn that Facebook, Twitter and different Google services can also be used for this communication. Time will also be used to inform the participants about safety on the internet, as hacking is a big problem in Iraqi Kurdistan. See Facebook for more pictures

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...

Hawlati was the last newspaper Dutch trainer Nynke La Porte visited during her 6 day tour of Kurdish media for IMCK. She informed her Kurdish colleagues on how to report during and before elections, especially when a new opposition group joins the election race. She finished her tour on June 11. Journalists of Hawler newspaper, Kurdsat TV, Barzan newspaper, Zagros TV, Awene newspaper and Hawlati newspaper all went to the streets to ask people who they would vote for, and why. They found many people expected to vote for the new Change List, and the ruling parties KDP and PUK would be losing seats in the Kurdish parliament. Also, the subjects people found interesting, differed from what some journalists expected. Voters are mainly concerned about jobless youth, failing justice, water, electricity and roads. Safety is hardly an issue for voters in Kurdistan.