Activity Details (ID# 1592)

Activity Synopsis

To establish links and trust with Georgian TV senior management and staff from the news programme ''Moambe''. To discover the structure of the news operation and personalities involved. To tailor the course accordingly for new and established journalists working directly for the news programme. The priority was then to train some of the journalists and camera operators in better newsgathering skills for ''Moambe''. This was to fit in with the CoE’s stipulation that Georgian TV and Radio Broadcasting move away from being a state broadcaster to becoming a public service broadcasting corporation by the year 2005.
The approach was to:

• Establish team working (which was non-existent).
• Emphasise why a transition to Public Service TV will mean putting the viewers first
• Train the journalists to understand their roles and responsibilities and the need for balanced reporting
• Create an understanding of all the ingredients that go in to making interesting news programmes.
• Develop better filming and technical skills.

 

The course was attended by five journalists throughout and seven camera operators during the first week with nine different camera operators for the second week. Tamara Phakadze the News Editor attended the early sessions on theoretical aspects of news. Zenon Katsia, the channel's Art Director attended most morning sessions and Zaza Maisuradze, the Archive Director and camera operators’ supervisor, was present at all the sessions.

The course structure was based around a series of sessions which included workshops and discussions as well as practical exercises putting what the delegates learned into practise. The roles and responsibility of the journalist was at the forefront. Debates took place on « What is News » and « What is a good news programme ». The course also looked at the structure of news programmes and news stories. Writing to pictures was an important element. The journalists and camera operators were encouraged to work as a team. The operators were shown what was required in good newsgathering techniques, making it easier for journalists and picture editors to make interesting, informative news stories.
Practical exercises, including interviewing techniques, location filming, stand-uppers, led to more detailed work which involved filming news stories for transmission. Critical analysis of the journalists’ and camera operators’ work was crucial to achieving results.

The feedback was very positive. The Director General of Georgian TV, Zaza Shengelia said it was the best course of its kind run in the TV station at Tbilisi. Other journalists, the presenters and all producers requested similar training in the future. The delegates all agreed that the course has changed their outlook and improved their skills.

 

Contacts were established with the CoE office in Tbilisi, who gave information of the course on their website. The European Union delegation was also contacted and the British Ambassador and local DFID representative showed great interest in the activities. It was agreed by all these parties that they should try to work closer together to produce strategic training plans and monitor change within the Georgian Television’s news programmes.

Initially, it is proposed that a similar course be run for the remainder of the journalists and camera operators.

This should be followed by a structured approach to further training within the newsroom operation at Georgian TV and Radio Broadcasting. This future training should be planned over a period of time. The training should be completed within a 9 – 12 month period. It is felt that short visits by trainers during this period, rather then lengthy stays, will allow the Georgian news operation to implement what they have learnt without trainers standing over them, while monitoring could take place in the UK via normal satellite transmissions, to see if the training is taking effect.

The training should be directly targeted at improving of the news programme “Moambe”.
 

Young journalists and camera operators who already had real work experience in television news reporting.

 

Karol Cioma and Roy Saatchi