A voter studies ballot papers during an election poll in Macedonia
REUTERS
Journalists in the Republic of Macedonia are learning more about investigative reporting, thanks to two courses being held there during June.
Commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme’s Macedonian arm (UNDP Macedonia) and provided by Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF), the workshops serve up to 30 journalists from national and local media. They will gain insights into how to become effective independent watchdogs of political, financial and social institutions.
Entitled ‘Investigative Journalism – Fighting Corruption to Improve Governance’, the courses (held from June 15-26) will be followed later by a five-day study tour in London for a group selected from the participants.
Combining practical exercises with discussion and case-study examination, the training guides reporters in identifying corrupt practices and abuses of power, reinforces their confidence in writing about their findings, and explores ethical challenges they might face. It builds journalists’ understanding of the part they play in keeping a society free and informed and in supporting transparency and good governance.
TRF is already working on a separate project with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy which is providing training to journalists on parliamentary process and governance issues in a number of countries, including Macedonia, over a three-year period. The Foundation recently developed a handbook on ethics for journalists and is spearheading aThomson Reuters initiative – TrustLaw – which seeks to provide a global “best practice” hub for fighting corruption, promoting good governance and facilitating pro bono legal work. TrustLaw will be launched during 2009. More information: www.trust.org
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