Prague to host workshop on covering education issues

Journalists from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia can apply for a fully sponsored workshop on education policy, scheduled for March 23 to 25 in Prague, Czech Republic.
Transition Online (TOL), the Internet magazine and media development organization, is organizing the workshop. Journalists from non-EU countries, who need visas to travel to the Czech Republic, have until February 10 to apply. EU-based journalists have until February 17.
The journalists will learn about education issues in the region and get practical advice on how to cover them. The organizers will cover travel and lodging for 24 participants in the workshop, sponsored by the Open Society Institute (OSI) Education Support Program.
Working journalists should send their CV, a brief letter in English explaining why they wish to participate, and at least one published article to education@tol.org. Applicants should possess at least a basic knowledge of English.
For more information, contact Barbara Frye, Editor, TOL at fryeb@tol.org, telephone +420 222 780 805

TOL: http://tinyurl.com/b3t3t 
OSI: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/esp
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Exiled journalists’ group in U.K. launches support fund

Jan 30, 2006

The Exiled Journalists’ Network (EJN) has launched an emergency fund to support international journalists who land in the United Kingdom after facing political persecution in their home countries.
Network Coordinator Forward Maisokwadzo said the funds would help pay for legal support for destitute EJN members who are claiming political asylum.
The MediaWise Trust and the U.K. National Union of Journalists were among the backers who helped launch EJN in October. The network says its projects in the coming months will include an e-mail bulletin, previously published by the MediaWise Refugees, Asylum-Seekers and Media (RAM) project. The new bulletin will be produced for and by exiled journalists in the U.K.

For more information, contact Maisokwadzo at ejn@mediawise.org.uk, telephone +44-117-941-5889, or visit http://www.ramproject.org.uk

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Caucasus TV journalists cooperate on training project

Jan 30, 2006

Journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia will meet up in Tbilisi and embark on a cooperative project on issues related to diversity. The Media Diversity Institute (MDI) is organizing the program, scheduled for February 11 to 21. The participants will gather in Tbilisi, forming a cross-regional team that will fan out across Georgia or other parts of the region to cover a chosen topic.
The teams will work together to shoot and produce a 30-minute program. Afterward, MDI will make copies of the final product available to any TV station and each of the participants free of charge, in Russian, English, Armenian, Azeri or Georgian, according to demand. The training will be conducted in Russian, and knowledge of English is not required. MDI is fully sponsoring the project, including travel, lodging and a modest per diem.
To apply, send a letter of intent and CV to Lydia El-Khouri at lydia.el-khouri@media-diversity.org.

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Training in Romania to help journalists to cover conflict

Jan 30, 2006

Journalists around the world can apply for a training program in Romania on how to better understand the causes of conflict and ways to address it. Participation fees are lower for participants from Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia and Eastern Europe.
A program, “Reconciliation and Peacebuilding in Divided Communities,” is scheduled for March 6 to 10, in Cluj-Napoca. Transcend, a Romanian NGO dedicated to conflict resolution, is organizing the program in cooperation with Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania. According to Transcend, the training will help participants, including those working for the media, to address local conflict and encourage peace.
Because of visa regulations, there are two application deadlines: February 8 for those who need entry visas for Romania, and February 17 for those who don’t.
For participants from more developed regions, such as North America, the European Union, Southeast Asia and Oceania, the fee is EU€650 (about US$790). For those from Latin America, Africa, and the rest of Asia and Eastern Europe, the fee is EU€350.00 (about US$430).

For more information, contact Andra Tanase, Transcend training coordinator, at training@transcend.org, or visit http://snipurl.com/luux

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Environmental journalists to meet in Dominican Republic

Jan 27, 2006

Climate, water, health and economics are among the central themes of an international seminar for environmental journalists, to be held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Registration deadline: February 10.
The seminar is scheduled for March 19 to 25 and is intended for journalists and editors who cover environmental themes and have a good grasp of English. The purpose of the seminar is to help journalists make sense out of environmental research, which is often complicated or conflicts with other research.
The Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University in New York is organizing the seminar, in cooperation with the New York Times and the local Fundación Ecológica Puntaca. The registration fee is US$500, which includes lodging. Participants must cover their own airfare and personal costs.

For more information, contact Rebecca Johnson at rj136@columbia.edu or visit http://www.seriousaboutconservation.org