Regional Programs: Training
Child Rights .
Public Health (in particular HIV/AIDS) . Environment
. Gender and Social Justice . Archive
Regional Training Courses
17.
Jamaica, January 1994
Theme(s) The Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States; and organizational meeting of CERN.
Length 3 days: 2 1/2 day workshop and 1/2 day CERN meeting.
Target Group
Media practitioners from the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
Members of CERN.
Objectives
To inform journalists of the upcoming UN Conference in Barbados and to alert them about their role in promoting awareness and in influencing public attitudes by disseminating accurate information.
To promote a better understanding between the technocrats and the journalists in dealing with environment and development issues, and to highlight some of the problems encountered by journalists in obtaining such information and taking it to the public.
To provide training to journalists on how to cover and report on an international event such as the Global Conference.
To develop a institutional and activity framework for CERN.
Context
The workshop was specifically organized to prepare journalists for the upcoming UN Global Conference for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (UNGCSDSIDS), Barbados, 25 April - 6 May 1994.
Participants
30 participants: 28 from the Caribbean, 1 from the Pacific and 1 from Indian Ocean area.
Female/ Male Ratio: 18/12.
Working Methodology and Activities
The workshop focused on assisting the journalists in understanding the issues at stake, and the functioning of UN Conferences. The workshop programme was built around 6 sessions, several consisting of panel presentations and discussions. Media productions that were prepared in advance by participants, were reviewed in a round table session. There also was a specific training session focusing on "live and direct" contact with Conference technocrats, and training in interviewing and in techniques for information gathering and reporting (especially in a UN press Conference format).
Another session included working groups in order to consider strategies for covering the Conference. Each group decided on pre-conference, conference and post-conference publicity.
In closing, participants received information on Conference logistics, overview of programme and how to register for it.
There were a great number of resource persons, 23 in total.
The CERN meeting consisted of a group session to consider the draft institutional framework and programme.
Documentation Used
Great number of papers and documents: background info on UN-GCSDSIDS, CCA case study St. Kitts, journalistic articles prepared by participants, institutional papers, etc.
The CERN meeting utilized a draft 3-year framework.
Results
Journalists informed and enabled to cover the Conference, with relevant strategies by four working groups.
Panos/CERN funded 10 participants from 5 countries, and 8 of these attended and covered the UN Barbados Conference.
CERN capacity building programme fleshed out.
Evaluation by Participants
Written evaluation of the workshop was conducted.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations
UWICED proposes to host similar regional journalist workshops each year, to look at particular environmental problems and to share ideas on disseminating information.
A number of recommendations for the growth and development of
CERN.
17. Kingston, Jamaica, 20-22 January 1994. UWICED/CARIMAC/CERN/Panos
Eco-journalism Workshop: "Reporting on the Global Conference
on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States" and CERN Annual General Meeting.
The Caribbean Environmental Reporters Network (CERN)
was formed in follow-up to the CCA/Panos seminar held
in November 1992. From a core of ten members, by early
1994 the network had grown to about 20 members. Since
its inception, CERN successfully mounted media campaigns
throughout the Caribbean on the shipment of hazardous
wastes, and on international whaling. Additionally,
in August 1993 CERN, in collaboration with the Caribbean
News Agency (CANA), established "GreenWire", a news
feature service dedicated exclusively to the coverage
of environment and development stories. Panos and CCA
provided institutional and programmatic support to CERN.
On 22 January 1994, CERN held its first half-day annual
meeting immediately following the eco-journalism workshop.
The meeting, attended by 13 CERN members, discussed
a capacity building programme for Caribbean journalists
on responsible environmental reporting. This three year
programme would include annual seminars on specific
environment and development issues; participation of
journalists in international conferences; print and
radio feature services; networking and information sharing
with Central America.
The eco-journalism workshop was primarily organized
by the University of the West Indies Centre for Environment
and Development (UWICED) and the Caribbean Institute
of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) in order to prepare
journalists to report on the upcoming UN Global Conference.
Because of the obvious relevance of the workshop to
their missions, Panos and CERN provided a number of
suggestions during the planning process, including:
(a) the workshop proposed was possibly too short for
such an ambitious programme (course outline assumed
a high level of knowledge by the participants, of the
issues and the UN process; although this might be appropriate
to experienced environmental journalists, the highly
motivated but less experienced ones might be overwhelmed);
(b) a two-day course in environmental reporting prior
to the workshop should be included; (c) the inclusion
of NGO participants in order to stimulate effective
dialogue on the issues since NGO voices and perspectives
should be heard along those of governments. It proved
however, impossible to incorporate these suggestions
and modifications.
During the workshop, journalists were made aware of
the various preparatory steps leading up to the Barbados
Conference, as well as its expected outcomes. The workshop
sessions were conducted by an experienced team of UN
technocrats and media specialists, and included practical
exercises. At the same time, much attention was given
to how journalists could ensure continuity, after the
Conference, in reporting effectively on environmental
issues in their own countries. The consensus was that
the human angle would capture the attention and imagination
of the public.
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