INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

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 ...

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.

IMCK opened the website Nature Now  for the best stories that were the result of the Environment workshop that took place in October. IMCK trainer and independent journalist Khaled Sulaiman is in charge of the editing. The second part of the workshop will start on November 12, 2012 at Nature Iraq's Eco Camp near Sulaymaniya, with the 15 best participants of the first one. The workshops, which are a cooperation between IMCK and Nature Iraq, are made possible with funding of the American Consulate in Erbil.

The group of young female starters that is following a six week course in basic journalism at IMCK in Sulaymaniya started on August 12, 2012 on TV. During two weeks they will be taught how to use the camera and edit their material, and how to make a news item for TV. The week started with lessons on using the camera by IMCK trainers Beshad Shwani and Mustafa Al Qais. Shwani is an experienced cameraman who worked with different Kurdish media and now is with NRT. Al Qais has been co-training with IMCK on a number of workshops and is involved in the IMCK post graduate training Media bo Khalk. New photo's of the course can be found on Facebook . The course is supported by the German Consulate in Erbil and the Iraqi First Lady Hero Khan (Ibrahim).

International trainer Julia Shaw started a 3-day interview training for presenters and reporters of Kurdish TV stations, on August 2, 2012. Thirteen journalists from different stations, amongst them KNN, Azadi TV and Speda are participating. Shaw is an experienced and award winning radio- and TV-maker who worked for the BBC radio and TV and has been training in different courses, mainly in Great-Britain. The workshop will be very practical and focus on how to conduct the different kinds of interviews: for collecting information, for news reports and on background.

The workshop for women starters in journalism of IMCK went into its third week. The young female participants returned on Saturday July 28, 2012 to the IMCK traininghall in Sulaymaniya to learn more about working for print media, with IMCK-trainers Khaled Sulaiman and Ako Mohammed. The course will focus this week on how to write different kinds of articles and how to make a (news)paper. At the end of the week a paper will be produced with their work. The course is made possible through funding from the German Consulate in Erbil and the Iraqi First Lady, Hero (Khan) Ibrahim. More photo's of the course on IMCK's Facebook page .

July 15, IMCK started its second week in the training of Kurdish female graduates in the basics of civil and professional journalism. Fifteen participants attend the second week that focuses on how to use Internet and social media in a professional way. Also attention to the use of infographics will be given. Khaled Suleiman and Internet-expert Sardasht Aziz are the trainers during this workshop. Last week the participants got an introduction to the basics of journalism and what news is. Media in Iraqi Kurdistan need more female journalists. They are needed to make the media more interesting for the big target group of women that are hardly reached now. Even though women make up the majority of all Iraqi's, they are hardly to be seen in the media. The training will last for six weeks with a focus on different subjects. The training started with a week on news and basic journalism, and will be followed by a week on print-journalism, two weeks for TV-journalism, a week t...

July 8, IMCK opened a starters' course in journalism for fifteen Kurdish female journalists in Sulaymaniya. IMCK wants to teach young, female Kurdish graduates the basics of civil and professional journalism in a post graduate training specially organized for them. Media in Iraqi Kurdistan need more female journalists. They are needed to make the media more interesting for the big target group of women that are hardly reached now. Even though women make up the majority of all Iraqi's, they are hardly to be seen in the media. News is mainly about politics, and if not, about subjects that are of interest to men. Women news in Iraq is often news about honour killings, violence against the family, the plight of widows - or perhaps about a famous singer. The fact that women play also a professional role hardly gets any attention. That political decisions also have effects for women, is neglected. Stories about business women or the career chances of young women are not found ...

Photo stories to tell the story behind illegal immigration. That is the main idea of an exhibition by IMCK that was opened on June 20, 2012 by AP photographer Yahya Barzinji, in the Red Prison in Sulaymaniya. The exhibition was the result of a workshop on photo stories and illegal immigration, organised by IMCK and STATT in Sulaymaniya in May 2012. The participants of the workshop were asked to produce a photo story on the subject. The work of three winners is now to be seen at the exhibition room of the Red Prison. Yahya Barzinji talked about the importance of photo stories for Kurdish media. It is a form that is not used very much yet, but has the possibility to show often complicated subject in simple pictures. He offered the price of 500 dollars to the winner, Zmnako Ismaell, who made a photo story about a Kurd who got shot by the border guards when he tried to flee illegally to Iran, which resulted in him loosing a leg. The runner up was Halwest Azad, who made a black and ...

The Belgian Consul in Amman, Lieve Decaluwé visited the IMCK office in Sulaymaniya, together with the vice-Consul at the Embassy of Switserland in Jordan, Martina Masat. They were briefed on the activities of IMCK, and the state of the website KirkukNow.com , which was set up by IMCK with financial help of among others the Belgian Embassy in Jordan. IMCK director Judit Neurink and vice-director Sven de Graaf gave them an update on the site and the situation for training journalists in Iraq.

June 6, IMCK started in cooperation with STATT two workshops on writing feature stories on illegal migration. The first workshop is held in Sulaymaniyah. Fifteen journalists attend the workshop. On June 7 the second workshop will take place in the capital of Kurdistan, Erbil. Many young people in Iraqi Kurdistan want to leave the country. But as visas are hard to come by, many use smugglers and buy passports with a visa. This illegal migration has many bad consequences. Both for the host countries and maybe even more for the illegal migrants. Besides the risk of being detained and deported, people risk to be trafficked for exploitation. Men and women can end up in illegal prostitution or laboured slavery. Therefore IMCK wants to inform Kurdish journalists about the problems. STATT is involved by providing experts on illegal migration, which provide the background information and expand the knowledge of the participants on the subject. Issues like data on illegal migration fro...

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...

May 8 and 9, IMCK will start in cooperation with STATT a photography workshop on illegal immigration in Sulaymaniya. Many young people in Iraqi Kurdistan want to leave the country. But as visas are hard to come by, many use smugglers and buy passports with a visa. This illegal immigration has many bad consequences. Therefore IMCK wants to inform Kurdish photographers, journalists and bloggers about the problems, and organize a documentary festival and a photo exhibition on the subject. The photography workshop will be the first step in the project on illegal immigration for Kurdish media. Photographers have been invited to participate on how to make a good photo story. Eddy van Wessel , a Dutch photographer who has won international prizes, will come to work with fifteen participants from Iraqi Kurdistan. IMCK tries to improve the quality of the media in Iraq. STATT will be involved by providing experts on illegal immigration, who will provide the background...

On 29 April 2012, IMCK started with the first day of the workshop for journalists, photographers and cameraman to become good trainers in their line of field. Belgium trainer Gie Meeuwis came to Sulaymaniya to share his knowledge on how to train students on topics related to journalism. Gie Meeuwis is an experienced journalist and has been working as trainer of journalists since 1995. Seven participants from different media attended the course. During the course the focus was on how to set up a training for adult students. Gie Meeuwis gave the participants guidelines in how to get their knowledge across, how to evaluate themselves and their future students, and steps in what is important in setting up a training. The training of trainers course will continue for the next two days. See our Facebook for more pictures of the first day.

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...

    In close cooperation with the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil, IMCK has organized two workshops of a day to inform journalists about the Kurdish Iraqi heritage, and to stimulate them to think about the subject in a journalistic way. On the 4th of April, Director of the Suleymaniya Museum gave a lecture and IMCK trainer Khidher Domle gave a training on the importance of the historical heritage for journalists. How to report on the national heritage, how to find out what is still left and where, how to find out what the policy is of the authorities in Kurdistan, how to inform the public about the importance of their national heritage and about the ways to stop buildings from crumbling still more. For more pictures visit our Facebook .  

Copy rights are a problem in Iraq, as nothing has been arranged by Iraqi law. International copyright laws are not adhered to, local ones are not implemented well. That has serious consequences for photographers selling their work. For that reason, IMCK has organized on Saturday 17th of March in coordination with IMS and the photography agency Metrography in Sulaymaniya, a conference on copyrights and photography. The day was led by IMCK-trainer Khaled Suleiman and Metrography Director Kameran Najam. Member of the parliament Saman Fawzy spoke of the existing laws in Kurdistan on copyright and photographer Chris de Bruyn gave some practical advice in dealing with copyright with international agencies. The conference did not end with talk only, a committee will be formed to research how a change in Iraq and Kurdistan can be established.

Editors in chief of Iraqi media visited on March 14th the workshop 'Women on the front pages!'. IMCK and international trainer Harriet Salm presented a two newspapers (with two front pages) in Kurdish and Arabic covering only women issues made by the female participants. The main goal was to convince and make the editors in chief aware of the importance of women issues on the front pages of newspapers. Women as an extra target group (almost 60 percent of all Iraqi's is female) can be the cause of an increase in revenues by selling more copies. The editors in chief or representatives present on the last day of the workshop were Karwan Anwar (PUK media), Cheman Musa (Avro), Abdul Razaq (Paymner), Luqman Ghafur (Kurdistani Nwe) and Adnan Said Husen (Rudaw). After seven days of training thirteen female participants were rewarded with an IMCK certificate. They learned how to write for a broader public, and how to recognize women stories that are worthy of the front...

Journalists and security police, they both work for the Kurdish people, was the message IMCK director Judit Neurink delivered to middle management of the security police (assaish) in Sulaymaniya on March 13, 2012.The role of journalists is to inform the people, like the role of police is to protect the people. About forty heads of units and departments from Sulaymaniya province were present during the lecture at the headquarters of assaish in the centre of Sulaymaniya. Neurink, who was seconded by IMCK's Saman Penjwini, talked about the roles of both police and press in a democratic society, and about the regulations put down in the press law on how journalists should be treated. Preventing them from taking pictures or making interviews is not in accordance with that law. IMCK is working with the Kurdish Syndicate of Journalists and assaish to improve the awareness about the safety of journalists. Part of this is the orange Press jacket that has been presented, and the dev...

Editors in chief of Kurdish media and their representatives met at the Culture Cafe in Sulaymaniya to discuss how to keep journalists safe during demonstrations. IMCK organised the session on February 15, 2012 to reduce incidents that involve journalists, with in mind the expected protests to remember the unrest that started on February 17 of last year in Sulaymaniya. Last year almost 300 incidents involving journalists were reported - the real number is higher, as even during the meeting journalists reported incidents that they had not mentioned before. Both the Kurdistan Syndicate of Journalists and the Metro Centre Defending Journalists were present. IMCK implored editors in chief to instruct their journalists not to be part of demonstrations, but to stay out and report from the side lines. It also produced special orange PRESS jackets to make journalists more visible during unrest, so they will not become the target of violence by police, as happened in the past. Inte...