03.06.2014 Improving the skills of reporters and editors at the TV station 24 Vesti and the radio network Kanal 77, was the main objective of the workshops held during the weekend of May 31st to June 1st, 2014.
The workshops organized by Transparency International-Macedonia are part of the Support to Independent Media in Macedonia project, which is being implemented in cooperation with the British-based NGO, Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS), and is financially supported by the European Union.
In this workshop, our experts Marina Tuneva from Skopje and Martin Huckerby from London worked with the journalists and editors from 24 Vesti on topics such as choosing the right angle in reporting an event and informing about announcements made by official sources. Other topics included writing techniques, and exploring some hypothetical scenarios for a TV story, with particular emphasis on the use of images and video. One section of the workshop was devoted to an analysis of the main newscast on TV 24 Vesti. The analysis was mostly concerned with the general content of the news, however, one of the stories broadcast was analyzed in detail.
With reporters and editors from Kanal 77, the experts looked into potential criteria for selecting relevant facts when building a story on a hypothetical scenario. Additionally, the participants talked about the need for simultaneous media platforms, such as social networks, as well as the use of smart phones as a journalistic device and a multi-purpose tool for the recording and transmission of journalistic content.
The participants in the workshop worked through an exercise recommended by the Council of Europe, where journalistic content is produced by three groups – fact-collectors, moderators and an editorial team – in a laboratory setting.
The workshops were held in Skopje and Stip. These two workshops completed the first part of the training phase of the project. A new round of workshops for participants in this grant program is planned for July, in which issues specific to the needs to each medium will be addressed, in order to help build a platform for investigative journalism to flourish in Macedonia.
