Activity Details (ID# 20470)

Activity Synopsis

The training aimed at improving the professionalism of senior, managerial-level journalists in the run-up to the 2008 Armenian Presidential elections and to raise their awareness on the relevant Council of Europe standards (cf. e.g. Recommendation No. R (99) 15 on measures concerning media coverage of election campaigns). 

The seminar was staged over two days. On the first of these days, the participants were given an insight into the democratic responsibility of the media during election times. The trainers put a focus on the principles that should guide journalists during the coverage of elections and election campaigns: public information, awareness of candidates, awareness of issues, accountability of parties/candidates and involvement of voters.

The second half of the opening day was taken up by a session intended to stimulate the participants’ editorial planning in order to try to take it beyond candidate appearances, rallies and press conference. The intention was to assist them in improving the planning of their coverage and also to ensure that there was a degree of public engagement in the process. The participants were asked to debate in detail the “real issues” prevalent in the nation at this time and thereby highlighting the key public concerns and the needs of the voters.

On the second day, trainers and participants discussed some of the main ethical dilemmas faced by journalists during elections, with real examples of situations from elections across the globe. These examples were analysed from legal and ethical perspectives.

There was also analysis and discussion of dilemmas that had emerged in other recent elections in Armenia and these were then placed in the context of the relationship between journalists and editors and whether journalists felt that they were able to operate free of political or commercial influence.

There was subsequently a follow up session on editorial development which focused on finding innovative ways of covering the election campaign and of stimulating ideas.
 

At the close of the seminar all of the participants were given an opportunity to discuss the work that they had done during the seminar. Everyone spoke positively about what they had picked up, they showed good will, ambition, enthusiasm, openness. Most participants said that they would try to take what they had learned during the seminar back to their newsrooms, others were afraid that that there would be many difficulties in trying to implement some of it because of financial and political pressure on their work.

Two more trainings for Armenian journalists on the professional coverage of elections in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan to assist Armenia in the run-up to the February 2008 Presidential Elections, including a seminar scheduled to take place after the elections to assess the performance of the media in the coverage of the election campaign.
 

The participants were media professionals mainly journalists and local TV or radio anchors. 

Mr Ashok Ahir (UK) Executive Editor, Politics, BBC Wales, and Mr Ronan Brady (Ireland), Journalism Lecturer & Freelance Journalist 

Ms Anna Ghukasyan, assistant to the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in Armenia.