Since May 10 to May 19 in Armenia a team reporting project on covering national
minorities was implemented. The project was organized by London-based Media
Diversity Institute jointly with Yerevan Press Club and Internews Armenia public
organization. The event was held under the South Caucasus program of MDI, “Minority
Empowerment and Media Development”, supported by the European Commission and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Assistance to the implementation
of the team reporting project was also provided by Eurasia Foundation. The trainers
on the project were Nick Nugent (media consultant, UK), Harutiun Mansurian (producer,
Internews Armenia), Elina Poghosbekian (Editor of YPC Weekly Newsletter) and
Natia Abramia (producer of Georgian “Rustavi-2” TV channel), and its participants
represented broadcast media of Armenia and Georgia.
In the first two days, May 10 and 11, seminar “Covering Diversity: How to Make
a Difference” was held, where interactively the principles of diverse coverage
of various minorities and vulnerable groups of the society was discussed. The
practical continuation of the seminar was the film on national minorities, basing
on stories prepared by Armenian and Georgian participants of the team reporting
project. On May 19 this 23-minute film, called “Our People”, was demonstrated
followed by a discussion.
On May 13 “Azg” daily was published with a supplement “Stalin’s Bitter Heritage”,
another joint journalistic product created under the same South Caucasus program
of MDI. Yet this time the team consisted of representatives of print media of
three countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia (the project itself was implemented
on April 10-24). The 8-page “Stalin’s Bitter Heritage” featured stories by Armenian,
Azerbaijani and Georgian journalists on the life of ethnic minorities in South
Caucasus. Such publications will also be issued in Georgia and Azerbaijan in
national languages of the countries. The Editor of the Armenian version of the
insert is Alistair Crighton (media consultant, UK); the executive editor is
Tatul Hakobian (observer of “Azg” daily).
