A lesson in reporting from hard areas

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 18 May 2012

Deutsche Welle, Germany, and the South Asian Media School conducted a 10-day workshop in Lahore on reporting in crisis areas. Television journalists from Swat, South Waziristan and Quetta received training in skills and safety for work in high-risk environments.

Summary

LAHORE: Deutsche Welle, Germany,in collaboration with the South Asian Media School (SAMS) conducted a 10-day workshop on “Reporting in crisis areas” for television journalists. The participants were from Swat, South Waziristan and Quetta. The dedicated journalists were eager and thrilled to be given this opportunity to learn. Since all of them work in a threatening and dangerous environment, they learned how to improve their journalistic skills and to stay safe while reporting in extreme conditions. The enthusiasm of the journalists, expertise of Deutsche Welle trainers and excellent course management by SAMS made the workshop a success. "These journalists were an amazing group. I was impressed by their intensity of motivation to learn,” Zoia Tariq, the SAMS Registrar said. “They were very clear about the pressure groups in their areas and were willing to share their issues. I hope that this training would assist them in reducing the risks, while doing some brilliant reporting."

KEY POINTS:

• Deutsche Welle collaborated with SAMS to run a 10-day workshop in Lahore
• The workshop focused on reporting in crisis areas and journalist safety
• Participants included TV journalists from Swat, South Waziristan and Quetta
• SAMS said participants showed strong motivation and shared local pressures they face
• Organisers said the training aimed to help reduce risks while improving reporting quality