Improving the quality of regional media coverage for the forthcoming presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan and strengthening professional media in Central Asia was the overall objective of the four-day training course on Media and Presidential Elections which took place at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The course, which concluded a series of training courses on Media and Elections, was organized by the OSCE Academy in cooperation with the Swiss-based consultancy network Media4Democracy. Andre Loersch, a Swiss journalist and independent media expert, conducted the training. Among the participants were journalists and editors from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, mostly recruited from the previous regional training courses on Media and Elections in Bishkek, Osh and Khojand.
The course combined lectures and practical exercises to further prepare regional journalists and editors to cover the upcoming presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan by providing substantial knowledge of the role of media during elections and basic rules and principles of modern journalism. Experts and practitioners were invited to provide different perspectives on the current political situation in Kyrgyzstan and the role of the media during elections in Central Asia. The course included presentations from Valentin Bogatyrev, the Director of International Institute for Strategic Research, Emil Juraev, a Professor of International Relations at the American University in Central Asia, Shamaral Maichev, a media commissioner, David J. Mikoz, the Chief of Party of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), and Jeff Fischer, the Director of the Centre for Transitional and Post-conflict Governance (CTPCG). The following topics were covered during several training sessions:
· Media and Politics – The Role of the Media in Democracy
· Political Advertising during Presidential Election Campaigns – Rules and Procedures: A Comparative Analysis
· Laws and Legal Regulations on Media during Elections in Central Asia
· Jurisprudence: Conflict Cases in the Field of Media during Elections in Central Asia
· The “March Revolution” in Kyrgyzstan: An Analysis of the Post-election Events
· The Role of International Organizations in Kyrgyzstan: Neutrality or Involvement?
· Basic Principles of Quality Journalism (objectivity, balance, non-partisanship)
An extensive practical exercise provided the participants with the opportunity to practice and further develop core skills of journalism by writing analytical articles, discussing issues related to the current political situation in Kyrgyzstan. In two final training sessions, Andre Loersch and the course participants analyzed the articles according to the basic principles of quality journalism. Throughout the training course, the journalists and editors learned how to improve and develop their writing skills, collect and analyse information. The knowledge and practical skills they acquired will help them to perform their duties in their respective countries. All participants rated the programme highly and called for it to be continued. They praised the high-quality trainer, the OSCE Academy and the initial group discussions. The training course gave them the opportunity to contact their colleagues, share their experience and good practice, and create a network for future activities and exchange of information.
The OSCE Academy in cooperation with Media4Democracy plans to continue this training series in 2005 and 2006. The new training programme will focus specifically on Media and Democracy. An “Autumn School” on Media and Democracy is planned for October 2005. Training of trainers on Media and Democracy is scheduled for February 2006. The objective of the training is to enable the participants to conduct training courses for Central Asian journalists, editors, and media owners by providing appropriate training methodology, interactive training techniques, and communication and presentation skills. A final training course should take place in April 2006.
