Reporting on Environmental Issues

By: Una Zabunov
Belgrade, Sept. 24, 2009 (Serbia Today) - Reporting on Environmental Issues is a topic of a seminar, which will be organized by Transitions Online and Mediacentar Sarajevo in partnership with Medija Centar, Belgrade, and the Association of Professional Journalists of Kosovo, Pristina.
This seminar will be held in Sarajevo from 25-26 September for journalists from Serbia, Bosnia and Kosovo. The project is supported by the Transition Promotion Program of the Human Rights &Transition Policy Department of the Czech Foreign Ministry and the East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program of the Open Society Fund.
Speakers in this two-days programs are reputable people such as Kevin Burden and Tihomir Loza . Kevin Burden is a Director of Media Training at Simply Speaking, a leading UK communications consultancy. Between 2001 and 2008, Kevin was the overseas Training Manager at the BBC and the head of training at the BBC World Service Trust. Between 1994 and 1999, Kevin was the BBC West’s environmental correspondent.
Tihomir Loza is Transitions Online’s deputy Director, and he oversees all aspects of the Reporting about the Environmental project. Kevin will explain why journalists reporting on the environment and other specialist beats need to have a solid grasp of scientific discourse and process. He will also analyze why science and news don’t always see eye to eye. Kevin will outline the main thematic areas that journalists covering the environment are likely to report on, highlighting their specifics.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn the basics of journalistic investigation. In this seminar will be outlined the principles of investigative research and explained why topics related to the environment often require investigative approach. Speakers will underline the difference between environmental activism and journalism. Journalists will find how trained communication representatives of public institutions and business operate, focusing on environment-related situations and the critical importance of always asking the right question.
Serbia has 5 representatives. Three journalists are from Belgrade, one from Kragujevac and one from Subotica. All presentations will be held in English. This is a great opportunity for journalists from Serbia to become more informed about current issues in environmental protection. The best participants of the seminar will visit Prague.