Journalists from 11 Arab news agencies took part in a workshop on elections reporting delivered by Thomson Reuters Foundation in April, which focused on fair and balanced coverage of elections and the role of the media in informing voters.
The 12 participants honed their writing and reporting skills through exercises tailored for the region and which were based on elections that have taken place in countries such as Iran, Egypt and Iraq.
The five-day workshop, held in Lebanon in cooperation with the Federation of Arab News Agencies, concentrated on the elements of fair and free elections and how the process can be abused as well as the credibility of the media and safety of journalists.
The participants -- who included journalists from Gulf Arab, North African and Middle Eastern states-- were engaged and enthusiastic. They showed an eagerness to benefit from guest speakers Mariam Karouny from Reuters, Andrew North from the BBC and Yara Nassar from the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE).
Karouny and North shared their experience in covering elections in Iraq in 2005 and 2009, while Nassar explained LADE’s role in monitoring elections and media coverage of the process in Lebanon.
Course trainers Samia Nakhoul and Ghaida Ghantous also focused on objective and accurate reporting, sourcing, and ethical and legal dangers through exercises, interactive lectures and Power point presentations.
Journalists from the news agencies of Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen took part in the course, which was held at the Foundation’s training centre in the American University of Beirut.
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