JOURNALISTS TRAINED TO COUNTER PROPAGANDA OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM

25 journalists and media workers from various regions of Kyrgyzstan have been trained to counter the propaganda of violent extremism and hate in the media. The training programme was developed by a team of local and international trainers based on the findings of the media-monitoring sphere of Kyrgyzstan and with the use of new interactive tools.

The participants have learned about the media used by banned groups to spread extremist propaganda, the mistakes made by journalists and users that lead to the propaganda of extremism, how hate speech and Islamophobia affect the radicalisation of the media. A few sessions have been dedicated to the key aspects of religious safety of Kyrgyzstan, legal standards of international laws on violent extremism, radicalism and terrorism, communication’s methods between official bodies and media outlets when covering security issues.

The participants have applied the skills they acquired to situational group games and practical exercises, and have jointly developed recommendations on "What journalists can and must do to cover the events related to extremism and terrorism, and what they should not do.”

On the last day, a presentation of handbook "How to counter extremist propaganda” in Kyrgyz and Russian developed by the project experts exclusively for the media outlets was delivered. The handbooks have been given to the media in Osh, Jalal-Abad, Batken regions and Bishkek, as well as to the universities to the departments of journalism and communications.

The two-day training-workshop was organised by School of Peacemaking and Media Technology in CA under the "Combatting Violent Extremism Through Media and Awareness’ Project implemented with the financial support of the US Embassy in Bishkek.