Training and Relationship Building Tour
This training for the VOA Serbian and RFE/RL Balkans Service affiliates from Serbia and Kosovo focused on Multimedia Production and Investigative Journalism. Zoran Zic, Chief of the VOA Serbian Service, opened the first training session of the seminar and introduced Dr. Elez Biberaj, Director of the VOA Eurasia Division, Adam Gartner, Director of the BBG Marketing and Program Placement Office in Prague, Natalia Ardanza, VOA Producer and Instructor, and Slobodan Kostic, Chief of RFE Belgrade Bureau. Ms. Ardanza led training sessions on team building, role distribution and daily duties, on camera skills practicing session for moderators, production mistakes and how to avoid them. Zoran Zic opened the workshop on Investigative Journalism and introduced Branko Cecen (Čečen), the Director of Belgrade-based Center for Investigative Journalism, and the RFE Azerbaijani Service award-winning investigative journalist Khadija Ismailova. Mr. Cecen gave an overview of the main principles and standards of Investigative Jornalism and illustrated it with examples from his organization’s activities and its web portal. After his introductory remarks, Ms. Ismailova trained journalists to identify topics and formulate the main question for journalistic investigation, work with local, national and international data-bases, and pitch a story idea to their media organization. Based on feedback from participants and instructors, the workshop was received very well and benefited affiliates’ young journalists and reporters. They confirmed a strong demand and need for this and other training programs in the future.