Georgian Journalists Given Safety Lessons

A course to help television crews reduce the dangers of working in a war zone has been widely reported on TV in Georgia and has even been the subject of a documentary.

IWPR’s Conflict Reporting School ran its first course at the Georgian military’s Sachkhere base on December 6-13 2009 with crews from six leading Georgian broadcasters. 

The event was covered in 47 reports carried by 12 Georgian TV stations, with up to 30 news pieces, radio reports and articles. The broadcaster Sakartvelo even shot a three-episode documentary about the course.

The Conflict Reporting School was created by IWPR with the Georgian defence ministry as part of the project Building Bridges/Building Capacity in the South Caucasus, funded by the British and Norwegian foreign ministries.

The school aims to promote accurate, responsible media coverage of conflicts and reduce the risk of casualties among journalists.

"I believe the school will prepare the journalists for working in any difficult situation they ever may find themselves in."
Denis Keefe, British ambassador to Georgia

The decision to establish a conflict reporting school emerged in response to the August 2008 Georgia-Russia war over South Ossetia, in which several journalists died.

In the week-long course, the trainees learned how to prepare reports, stay safe, give first aid, and respond to emergencies.

British ambassador Denis Keefe gave a briefing and later played the role of a human rights campaigner in a simulated military operation on the final day.

“I believe the school will prepare the journalists for working in any difficult situation they ever may find themselves in. I am happy to be part of this process,” said Keefe, who also presented certificates to graduates on December 16.

“During the August war, we were absolutely disorientated, out of control, and God must have helped us survive,” said Rustavi-2 camera operator Ramaz Utrugashvili. “The training of the Conflict Reporting School means a lot to me and every one of us, as it made us think about things we’d ignored before.” 

Salome Makharadze, who heads the Georgian defence ministry’s department for relations with the public and media, said, “The course was a test for the organisers, and they have passed it successfully. That is why the defence ministry of Georgia and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting will continue cooperating, working to further improve the training programme.”

In other developments, IWPR has been assisting the Georgian regional media network – an IWPR project that became an independent organisation – establish the first-ever trade union for regional journalists.

The network has already sent representatives to talk to local journalists and consultations will continue until the end of February 2010, after which a journalists’ trade union will be officially launched.

Nino Chibchiuri, a member of the network’s Shida Kartli team, who came up with the idea, said, “We’ve already had preliminary talks with local journalists, and I can say there’s huge interest in the idea.”

Tamuna Shonia, who leads the network’s office in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, said, “I am absolutely sure the project will be a success, since it’s something that is really important and necessary.

"We welcomed the idea for a union, and were able to give them technical know-how on the operations of journalist unions in other countries," said Shorena Ratiani, IWPR's Caucasus Director.

The idea has received the enthusiastic support of the Georgian teachers and scientists’ free trade union.

“There are many different professional unions in Georgia, however, for some reason, we have never had a journalists’ trade union before. It would be great, if such an organisation were established. We, for our part, will help it to the best of our ability,” said the union’s leader Manana Gurchumelidze.

“Journalists happen to have their rights violated more often than anybody else, and if there’s such a trade union, they will be better protected.”