OSCE trains future trainers in rights and duties of journalists in Turkmenistan
On 6 November 2020, journalists, representatives of the Bar Association and the Supreme Court of Turkmenistan, as well as representatives of the Institute of State, Law and Democracy successfully completed an OSCE-organized advanced online train-the-trainer course on the rights and duties of journalists.
The event was held in two parts from 29 October to 6 November. Nine participants were selected from among the participants of the basic train-the-trainer course on the same topic that was organized by the Centre in Ashgabat two years ago.
“The OSCE participating States are committed to undertaking steps to ensure the freedom of journalistic profession. As Turkmenistan included training courses on the rights and duties of journalists in the National Human Rights Action Plan of Turkmenistan (NHRAP) for 2016-2020, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat offered its support in introducing such trainings in practice” said Natalya Drozd, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
The course aimed to prepare a pool of national experts to be able to deliver training courses on the rights and duties of journalists for court workers, lawyers and journalists as envisaged by the NHRAP.
“To be able to protect their rights, journalists need to have a good understanding of different aspects of media law and relevant practices, and it is important to address issues of journalists’ rights and duties that involve not only media professionals but other parties such as court workers and lawyers,” added Drozd. “This is why we invited both journalists and representatives of the court and bar association as future trainers.”
Two international experts from the United Kingdom and Kyrgyzstan provided in-depth information on professional standards in journalists’ work, legal and social status of a journalist, access to information and the concept of public interest. Participants analyzed cases of defamation and libel in the legal practice as well as legal and ethical standards of using sources of information in journalists’ work. Special emphasis was put on hate speech and discriminatory language in the media and the relevant legal regulations and solutions in the digital age.
The second phase of the course focused on training methodology, planning and selection of training materials and instruments. Future trainers learned about specific features of training versus teaching and discussed the theory of change and how to apply it to training courses.
International experts also presented a module of a training course they designed on the rights and duties of journalists for use by newly trained trainers. The module includes the structure of the training course, comprehensive theoretical materials and practical assignments as well as recommended methodology and handouts.