OSCE Centre trains environmental journalists in Kazakhstan
KARAGANDA, Kazakhstan, 21 September 2012 – The fourth and final of a series of OSCE-supported training courses for journalists on environmental matters started today in Karaganda, central Kazakhstan.
Twenty-five journalists from Karaganda, Temirtau and Zhezkazgan will learn about environmental challenges their regions are facing, and receive training on how to improve environmental reporting at the regional and national level. The course includes an interactive component on the use of new media tools and investigative journalism.
“In supporting this activity, the OSCE Centre in Astana seeks to enhance journalists’ professional skills and legal knowledge to help them better cover environmental issues," said Alexander Peytchev, the OSCE Centre’s Economic and Environmental Officer.
“The Ministry of Environment attaches great importance to environmental education and public participation in environmental decision making. This event will increase the capacity of mass media to raise the awareness on challenges to environment and to support strategic national objectives in the move to green economy,” said Diana Mukanova, the Deputy Head of the Environmental Legislation and Legal Support Department of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.
“The shortage of interesting, demanding and appealing environmental topics derives from the formal attitude of media to environmental threats, low-level of competence or expertise, and fragmentary use of modern media tools. All these issues will be tackled by today’s workshop,” said Igor Bratcev, the Director of MediaNet, the non-governmental organization implementing the project.
Similar workshops were previously held in Atyrau, Pavlodar and Shymkent.
The training series was organized in partnership with the Environmental Protection Ministry, the MediaNet NGO, the International Centre of Journalism, regional administrations and the National Aarhus Centre Network.