Internews Tajikistan

Internews Tajikistan is convinced that free, stable, fair civil society cannot exist without independent and strong mass media. To that end, its main activity involves supporting young independent mass media created in Tajikistan - in large part through face-to-face training sessions. For example, Internews Tajikistan - within the framework of United States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s 4-year Drug Demand Reduction Program (DDRP) - has conducted several seminars and training sessions for journalists, producers of industrial departments, and representatives of NGOs and broadcasting companies in Tajikistan. These interactive sessions have drawn on information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as video as a stimulus for discussion about how to write articles about drug users. In the sessions, concrete tips are highlighted, such as how to develop and structure a script for maximum communication impact. Experts in reporting have conducted the trainings, which focus on such topics as "mass media and drug usage reduction: increase of awareness and development of skills." One component of the training exposed participants to specific strategies for developing informational materials (e.g., pre-testing (what is it and why it is important?), methods of pre-testing, how to determine whether materials are easily readable, and how to design and conduct simple, effective testing surveys, etc.). A specific focus of this training has been on helping Tajik NGOs learn how to work collaboratively with the mass media.

Some of these training sessions have focused on specific types of media, with the intention of fostering local media participation in investigative programmes on drug addiction among youth broadcast by the local TV station SIMO ("The Light at the End of the Tunnel" and "Ten Questions about Drugs which Children Ask"). In addition, again as part of the USAID-funded DDRP, Internews Tajikistan conducted 28 on-site trainings on medium-specific themes, such as "Socially Significant Programming on the Radio", "Production of Documentary Films" and "Socially Significant Programming on TV." Such on-site trainings were organised for young collectives who are eager to increase their ratings, but who do not have positive experience in producing social programmes. A follow-up seminar was designed to help journalists obtain skills to create multidimensional, complex and thought-provoking stories on drug-related issues, especially with regard to vulnerable populations; training included interactive discussions with participants about DDRP standards and approaches, documentary film production, scriptwriting and budgeting guidelines for film production, and so on.

A key strategy underpinning these sessions is the role of participants in shaping the scope and content of the discussion. For instance, at the seminar that featured presentations of scripts for television and radio advertising jingles prepared by Internews Tajikistan staff ("The Standards and Approaches of DDRP for Mass Media Organization" - December 12-13 2005), participants were asked, "What do you like in this script; what don't you like?". One attendant's honest comments led organisers of the seminar to open themselves to new possibilities in terms of activating journalists - getting their attention on the problem of drug addiction and strategies for preventing HIV/AIDS. Participants themselves offered to divide into two groups (supporters and opponents of the scripts under consideration) in order to develop their own version of each script. "At the end of the seminar we had ten interesting and original scripts which gave us materials to prepare some advertising jingles for air of TV and Radio stations."

Internews Tajikistan also conducts monitoring of media companies in an effort to reveal the needs and requirements of these companies, analyse their technical and staffing situation, and devise ways to involve them in producing socially significant programmes.

In addition, the organisation is drawing on the printed medium to help address questions raised during theoretical lectures offered during the interactive, practical training sessions. For example, Internews Tajikistan staff develops recommendations for journalists and collects all recommended information materials from DDRP partners to be distributed among journalists at the seminars. The organisation has also produced training and seminar manuals for journalists and NGOs, such as the handbook "Guide to Mass Media of Tajikistan." Along these lines, Internews Tajikistan engages in a number of educational initiatives designed for journalists, managers, teleoperators, publicity agents and so on - in part by translating and distributing professional literature.

Media Development.

This programme is premised on the idea that development issues/problems can be best addressed through dialogue between the government and community, between the government and business, and - in general - between different social groups. Internews Tajikistan believes that the mass media is the key instrument in facilitating this dialogue.

In particular, Internews Tajikistan's DDRP participation involves encouraging the media to work on prevention of drug addiction and drug demand reduction. The idea is that the first step on the road to inspiring people to realise that the world can very well develop without drugs, harmful habits, dangerous diseases, animosity, and violence is replacing negative images on TV screens with positive ones.