How to use research: training for Russian speaking journalists
BBG’s training in audience research was led by Paul Tibbitts, Director of RFE/RL Research, and his team. Sixteen Current Time affiliates from Georgia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania and Moldova, and three Russian independent journalists participated in the training hosted by the CEELI Institute in Prague, Czech Republic in September 2016.
The three-day training agenda focused on the following themes:
- Participants’ experience with audience research and tools they use in their work
- Importance of audience research
- Types of research (quantitative and qualitative)
- Targeting audience for effective research
- Understanding the current media landscape
- Impact of the growth of new media on traditional media
- Using web analytics to inform editorial decisions
Journalists also toured the RFE/RL Broadcast Operations and met with RFE/RL leadership and broadcasters. The training participants watched excerpts of new programs and discussed various techniques with colleagues from RFE/RL. Trainees worked in groups to prepare and make strategy presentations as their final training practice. One hundred percent of participants evaluated the professional training content as very good.
