Activity Details (ID# 13489)

Activity Synopsis

The general objectives of the seminar were to provide journalists and editors working for television stations of the Crimea region with practical training on the coverage of elections in accordance with the CoE standards (Recommendation No. R (99) 15 on measures concerning media coverage of election campaigns) in the perspective of the forthcoming Parliamentary elections in March 2006. 

The initiative for organising this seminar was taken during an earlier seminar in September in Kyiv. One of the participants from Crimea suggested organising a similar event in Simferopol in order to familiarise the regional journalists with the Council of Europe standards on the coverage of elections.
The preparations of the seminar by the local partners were very good. The first day of the seminar took place in a well equipped TV-studio. A director, producer and cameramen were available. This gave the trainers a unique opportunity to work with the participants in a professional environment.

The director and deputy director of Crimean National Television welcomed the participants and underlined the importance of this kind of seminar.

The first part of the programme was a presentation on the basic principles of covering elections with reference to Recommendation R (99) 15 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The studio setting provided the trainers many opportunities to involve the participants in this presentation.

The experts presented examples of formats for political TV-programmes in various countries and paid particular attention to programmes that do not concentrating solely on political affairs but also contain other items. This was followed by presentations with suggestions to organise political debates during election time that are attractive to the public. The result was a very lively and useful discussion.

During the afternoon session two Crimean politicians were available for interviews. Some participants were assigned to prepare a TV-show with them. During the preparation the trainers discussed presentation techniques with the participants.

There were two different tv-presentations, one by a student in journalism and one by an experienced TV-journalist. Both were analysed by the trainers, the politicians and the participants. The result was a very lively discussion and an extensive exchange of technical and practical advice.

The programme on the morning of the second day of the seminar with a presentation on ‘cross media development’. More and more media organisations start to combine all kinds of information technologies, including Internet and mobile telephones. The trainers showed some examples of the way mass media in Western Europe try to deal with new formats of presenting information about political affairs in an attractive way. The presentation raised a lot of questions and discussion.

After this presentation the trainers challenged the participants – divided into three groups - to come up with new ideas for attractive television programmes about elections and other political affairs. The results were – especially given the short time-frame – very interesting and creative.
 

The seminar was very successful and useful for the participants. The participants stressed the importance on holding seminars in the Ukrainian regions and not only in Kyiv, especially when topics such as elections are treated.

Two other seminars in the Kharkiv region will be organised in January 2006.
 

Journalists and editors working for television stations in the Crimea 

Mr David van der HOUWEN, Director of Streamline Communications, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Mr Gie Meeuwis, journalism trainer, Brussels, Belgium
 

Ms Lejla Dervisagic, Media Division, Directorate General of Human Rights