Within the project 'Raising Role of Media in Monitoring Government Programmes' British Council Armenia organised a study tour for journalists to London, UK. The project was funded by the British Government and the UNDP office in Armenia. The same project was being implemented in Azerbaijan and Georgia, with the financial support of the UK Government. The project was aimed at improving the capacity and increasing professionalism of media representatives in the effective monitoring of central and local government activities.
10 journalists from local media outlets had been selected to attend the 10-days study tour in mid-July 2006. The focus of the programme was on
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introducing journalists to the good practices of media’s oversight role and function of government programs; |
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increasing journalists’ knowledge on monitoring, data analysis and reporting of government programmes in line with European standards. |
After returning back the journalists cascaded down their knowledge and new experience to their colleagues through series of training programmes that were organised and delivered by the journalists. The stress were on the capacity building of regional media outlets.
During the project implementation, several round-table discussions were organised with government officials, journalists and other stakeholders to discuss and establish functioning mechanisms for future cooperation.
A virtual network of journalists from all three countries was established for sharing experiences and seeking advice when necessary.
A Journalist’s Handbook on the practical mechanisms and techniques of monitoring government programmes were designed and published.
On 8 May 2006, the British Council Armenia organised a football match ‘Dialogue on the Green Field’ between public officials and journalists. This game was organised within the framework of ‘Raising Role of Media in Monitoring Government Programmes’ project.
The aim of this initiative was to pass the message that if there is a common goal, public officials and journalists are willing to cooperate together effectively. This was a benevolent game and the income generated from the sales of the tickets was transferred to the special fund to help families of victims from the A320 aircraft crash on 3 May 2006.
18 journalists representing key media agencies and 19 public officials participated in this initiative. Though journalists won with the score of 4:2, this game was a victory for both teams as it served the main purpose of disseminating the key message of the project on the benefits of cooperation. At the end of the game, the teams were discussing the future plans for organising such games together and there was even a suggestion '… not to play against each other, but to form a big team of journalists and public officials and play with famous football teams and clubs in Armenia'.
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