OSCE Centre organizes Internet training course for Kazakh regional journalists

ALMATY, 29 March - Forty Kazakh regional journalists took part in Internet training courses organized by the OSCE Centre in Almaty on 25 and 26 March in Pavlodar and on 28 and 29 March in Taraz.

The two-day events were organized together with the Taraz-based Forpost Media Centre and the Centre for the Support of Regional Journalists in Pavlodar.

"Access to information is a key aspect of media freedom and journalists' ability to use Internet resources contributes to their professional development," said Ambassador Vikki, the Head of the OSCE Centre.

Although the Internet is widely available in the capital, Astana, as well as in the largest city, Almaty, other regions of the country have limited access. In an effort to improve this situation, the OSCE Centre in Almaty last year helped open two Internet cafes for regional journalists in Taraz and Pavlodar to provide journalists with free access to the Internet and other computer resources.

The training courses were conducted by experts from the International Research and Exchange Board/Internet Access and Training Program. More similar courses are planned later in the year.