OSCE helps train court reporters in Kazakhstan
The first of two OSCE-supported three-day training seminars for court reporters concluded in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 20 May 2017.
Some 15 journalists from across the country enhanced their professional skills in legal reporting, with a focus on making court reporting more interesting and establishing good co-operation with judicial authorities. The participants also discussed the role of social networks in covering court cases, ethical norms for court coverage, protection of personal data and best international practices regarding the openness of courts and communication between the courts and media. They engaged in practical exercises including a mock press conference.
The seminar was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in co-operation with the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, the Guild of Court Reporters and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and led by Supreme Court judges, practicing lawyers and journalists from Russia and Kazakhstan. The event is a follow-up to seminars held in March, June and September 2016 with the aim of promoting professional court journalism in Kazakhstan by establishing a pool of court reporters.
A follow-up event for a different group of reporters will be held in Almaty from 18 to 20 August 2017.
The seminar is part of the Office’s long-standing efforts to promote the host country’s judicial reform efforts and increase the efficiency of interaction between the judiciary and the media.