From May 26 - June 4, 2021, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Central Asia Media Program held an introductory journalism skills training, an intensive five-day, online course for beginners, targeting individuals in rural geographies. USAID’s partner, Internews, organized the training in partnership with TBD Company from Kazakhstan and Khoma from Tajikistan. During the training that focused on strengthening journalism in rural Central Asia, 69 young professionals and students from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan learned about news content creation, fact-checking, and journalistic ethical standards.
In his opening remarks at the training, USAID Central Asia Deputy Regional Mission Director Peter Young, thanked the trainers for their dedication to the development of media and their willingness to share their knowledge and skills with novices in the field. He also stated, “Journalists play a critical role in a democratic society. They equip citizens with the information they need to make educated decisions and hold the government accountable to its citizens. Journalists have a professional responsibility to report news thoroughly and ethically.”
In his remarks, Marat Bigaliyev, Head of the Representative Office of Internews in Central Asia, added, “Traditional educational programs can’t keep up with constantly evolving modern media trends. To stay ahead of the competition in the job market, journalists have to invest in self-education.”
While the five-day course concluded on June 4, the educational process for these novice journalists continues. All participants will receive mentorship through June 26 to help them hone the skills they acquired during the training.
###
The USAID-funded Central Asia Media Program, implemented by Internews, aims to develop a more balanced information environment in Central Asia to increase openness among young people and adults to various ideas, opinions, and perspectives, and in turn increase their engagement in civic participation. USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. For more information on USAID in Central Asia, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/central-asia-regional, on the Central Asia Media Program, visit: https://ru.internews.kz/mediacamp/, Internews Global: https://internews.org/about-us, and Internews in Kazakhstan: http://start.internews.kz/.
###
Internews