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The training gathered 14 journalists from various media outlets of the country, and it was aimed to help participants better understand how to work on topics about minorities and socially vulnerable groups without violating ethical rules. The training was moderated by Nadine Gogu (director of the Independent Journalism Center) and Petru Macovei (executive director of the Association of Independent Press).
At the beginning of the training, participants recognized that materials about minorities and socially vulnerable groups are mostly produced on some occasions and are to a lesser extent a result of the journalist’s interest in or concern for the subject. Another conclusion of the participants was that materials are often done so as to induce pity, compassion, and that they rarely promote success stories or tell examples of achievements. In this context, Nadine Gogu encouraged journalists to choose a deeper approach when writing about such persons: “Our role as journalists is to treat topics deeply. We can help these people come out of anonymity and become visible by promoting positive examples, without focusing on disability,” the expert said, offering to participants various alternatives of presenting these groups in the media.
Speaking about producing a material focused on minorities and socially vulnerable groups, Petru Macovei recommended to journalists to not forget about the responsibility they have when they write about people: “I wish you to have the feeling of fulfilled duty and not have crises of conscience. And crises of conscience arise precisely because of the unprofessional approach to various problems or topics,” Macovei concluded.
The training had practical aspects, with participants being involved in several exercises focused on the language used when producing materials on minorities and socially vulnerable groups, on identification of stereotypes about these people, on planning and producing a TV material, etc. Also, journalists viewed and analyzed examples of reports about minorities and socially vulnerable groups, some of them produced professionally and some in violation of the journalist’s code of ethics.
Participants found the program very useful: “For two days, together with trainers Nadine Gogu and Petru Macovei, we have been learning to correctly cover minorities in mass media, use proper language and free ourselves of prejudices and personal attitudes when writing about such people,” said Irina Titica, reporter for Moldova.org.
The training agenda also included a session moderated by Angelica Frolov, program coordinator at the Genderdoc-M center.
The training program has been organized as part of the project “Promotion of the Rights of Minorities and Vulnerable Groups in Transnistria and Gagauzia through Mass Media,” implemented by the IJC with the financial support of Civil Rights Defenders (Sweden), partner of the IJC.
