Support Media Reform and Strengthening Conflict-Sensitive Reporting
As Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities turned on each other in a dramatic outbreak of ethnic violence in 2010, and thousands of people fled their homes, the rest of Kyrgyzstan struggled to gather any credible information about these events. Television stations in Osh and Jalalabad were attacked by the angry mob, and local journalists could no longer do their job in the atmosphere of terrorising violence. In the meantime, Bishkek-based media, including NTRK, the state broadcaster, struggled to achieve professional balance as they faced a challenge of reporting about the ethnic conflict in the South. Due to the resulting information vacuum, rumours circulated between the two ethnic groups and the rest of the country fuelling anger and further violence. Now, as the country recovers from this traumatic experience, Internews and, in partnership with Deutsche Welle Akademie (DWA), seek to engage the local media community in the reconciliation and reform process.
Supporting the reform from state to public broadcasting
A process has been launched to reform the state broadcaster NTRK into a public broadcaster. A key objective of this project is to provide assistance to the NTRK during this reform process, including training of the management staff and the modernization of the newsroom.
Strengthening the capacity of journalists in Kyrgyzstan working for different media sectors in conflict-sensitive reporting skills
Internews and DWA are working with two Press Centres and regional journalists in other locations identified in previous projects. Local journalists working out of Press Centres are trained on-site and also contribute to the continued Door production, a regional news exchange television program.
A dedicated Internews producer and editor work with them to package their stories into a television magazine for broadcast on NTRK and other regional private stations. This creates an ongoing process of on-the-job training and mentorship for regional journalists. Internews and DWA are also seeking to train local journalists from both private and public media organisations in conflict sensitive reporting and to provide online distribution & promotion of inter-ethnic dialogue.
The principal group of beneficiaries are the consumers of radio and television programming; ordinary citizens of Kyrgyzstan who get their news from the media and who benefit from improved quality of media coverage. This is especially true for NTRK, whose footprint reaches around 4.5 million people.
The project also benefits public and private media outlets (NTRK, Channel 5, Stan TV, NTS and Piramida in Bishkek, as well as Keremet, DDD and Osh TV in Osh, among others); Press Centres in Osh & Jalalabad; over 60 radio and television journalists in Kyrgyzstan and approximately 30 youth leaders, bloggers and activists.
The project empowers journalists and media management at both the state public broadcaster, NTRK, and the private sector to face the challenges presented in Kyrgyzstan in the aftermath of the violent overthrow of government in April 2010, deadly clashes in Southern Kyrgyzstan in early June 2010 and historic parliamentary elections in October 2010. At NTRK, the trainings and coaching elements help to ensure a smooth transition from state to public broadcaster with a strategic plan for the future. The training elements focused on conflict sensitive reporting equip journalists with the skills to provide their audience with conflict-sensitive reports on the situation in Kyrgyzstan that adhere to international standards of professional journalism.
