On May 24-27, the OSCE Center in Ashgabat organized an online lecture course on digital journalism "to assist in the process of modernizing journalism education in Turkmenistan," the organization's press service reports .
The four-day course was attended by student journalists and lecturers from the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Magtymguly Turkmen State University and the International University for the Humanities and Development of Turkmenistan.
An expert from the UK spoke about the digital information space and the value of online news , as well as about preparing reports for online media.
The lecture participants were also introduced to the basics of data journalism, infographics and mobile journalism. In addition, issues of ethics in the digital space and defamation were discussed, as well as the protection of privacy and personal data.
“Online media creates the conditions for greater diversity and pluralism, and the Internet brings significant benefits, in particular by developing education, the economy and human rights, including the freedom to seek, produce, receive and disseminate information ,” said the Acting Head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat Rune Castberg .
The event also included a session on the methodology of teaching modern digital journalism for teachers of journalism departments.
It should be noted that the OSCE Center in Ashgabat regularly conducts trainings for journalists of Turkmenistan, but this practically does not affect the freedom of speech and the quality of news materials, which are mainly reprints of messages from state press services. In June 2020, the OSCE Center in Ashgabat organized an online presentation of expert recommendations on the digital transformation of print media in Turkmenistan
On May 13, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov held a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on the topic of digitalization of Turkmenistan. Despite the positive reports of all vice-premiers, he was dissatisfied with the work carried out in this area, which is not carried out at the proper level. Mammetkhan Chakiev, who oversees the implementation of digital systems , received a reprimand.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan