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 A handbook for online journalists has been published in Azeri in order to help meet the growing demand for training material. The 40-page A4 guide sets out best practice tips about writing for the web, managing news websites and using social networking tools for news gathering and news dissemination. It’s been produced by the Azerbaijan Media Center, and is the brainchild of Gulnara Akhundova, the business development manager the Azerbaijan Media Center.
Akhundova says the guide, the first of its kind in Azeri, was produced because of the increasing importance of online journalism in the country and in the region.
She says the Azerbaijan Media Center aims to initiate, stimulate, boost and foster excellence in online journalism, and the guide is part of that strategy.
"We ran a course in online journalism here in Baku in August, and there was so much interest following that course that we realised we needed to follow up with a handbook," she said.
"One of those who attended that training has since built a website that tops Google search results for the area, all thanks to the training she received."
Gulnara Akhundova
500 copies of the guide have been printed. It will also available for download in PDF form (details of the download address will be added later) and on CD-Rom. An English version is being published, which will be available for download.
Akhundova is now working on a proposal for a series of training of trainers courses (TOT) so that local journalists can receive more detailed instruction on the issues covered in the guide so that they can deliver online training throughout the country.
The book (and workshop) was funded by the Council of Europe and the European Commission as part of a joint programme encouraging freedom of expression the South Caucasus and Moldova.
The handbook was unveiled at an event at the Azerbaijan Media Center on Monday 7 December.
David Brewer, who runs this site, was one of the trainer on the August course, and helped put together the content for the handbook, in conjunction with the Azerbaijan Media Center.
[important color=green title=David Brewer]The author, David Brewer, set up and runs this site, Media Helping Media. He also runs Media Ideas International Ltd and tweets @helpingmedia.[/important] |
