IMS trainer Per Vinther (Photo: Moutaz Ali)
The Libyan Media Institute (LMI) and the International Media Support (IMS) are sponsoring a three-day workshop for journalists from Libyan newspapers on the media’s role and techniques in covering the upcoming House of Representatives elections.
Libya Al-Watan, Libya Al-Akhbaria, Febrair and this newspapers are the four news outlets participating in the 17-19 June workshop. The first day focused on the role of the media during elections.
Danish institute International Media Support (IMS) sent one of its experts, Per Vinther, to lead the training. “Our goal is to help journalists plan elections coverage and train them how to do it. The media must be the voice of voters in any elections coverage,” Vinther explained.
The Danes have organised other workshops in Libya on elections coverage. “It is the third,” said Vinther. “We conducted two in Benghazi during the General National Congress elections on 2012.”
Commenting on benefits gained by Libyan journalists from the course, Nadia Ben Ziad, a Libyan journalist from Febrair newspaper, told the Libya Herald she had gained valuable training on the techniques of elections coverage.
“I have attended several workshops with this institute but this one is more focused on elections coverage, and I will share the skills and ideas I obtained from it with my colleagues who couldn’t join in,” Manal Bousiri from Libya Al-Akhbaria newspaper said enthusiastically.
CEO of LMI Sufian Khalfaleh, speaking about future events, explained that there would be another workshop next week on the same topic “which will include several Libyan radio stations like Ajwaa, Fezzan and Leptus, in addition to several TV satellite channels such as Al-Asmaa”.
Moutaz Ali
