The Libya Institute for Advanced Studies (LIAS) and Rory Peck Trust, have joined forces for the second time in less than a year to hold an intensive workshop for Libyan freelance journalists to enhance their professional skills and provide guidelines and training to help reporters and photojournalists protect themselves in conflict zones. 15 Libyan journalists will attend the event, which will be held on the 28th of March until the 2nd of April in Amman, Jordan.
The 6-day workshop has been designed for Libyan freelancers working on the ground in Libya and will focus on a range of practical skills that are essential for freelance reporters and news photographers and videographers to build a sustainable career in journalism.
The workshop will take participants through each step of a news assignment, from researching the best media outlets for a given story to writing pitches and the most effective techniques of field reporting. A particular focus is security and risk assessment for journalists working in Libyan conflict zones.
“Working as a freelance journalist in Libya can be highly dangerous and difficult,” said LIAS Operations Director Mahmud Ben Zahra. There was a time when journalists were considered off-limits to violent factions. Today they are targets. This course aims to give freelancers the knowledge they need to protect themselves and their colleagues in high risk situations and to bring back and sell the very best stories.”
“The overall aim of this workshop is to give talented young journalists the background and training they need to deliver news according to the highest standards and practices and to build a strong free press in the country,” Ben Zahra added.
