The first project helped by the Lebedev-backed Journalism Foundation gets underway this week – a centre for training journalists in Tunisia.
Renowned foreign correspondent Robert Fisk will kick off the first course with a lecture on Thursday night.
Here is the full release from the Journalism Foundation:
The first project of The Journalism Foundation, which was set up in December under ex Independent editor Simon Kelner, starts on Monday in Tunis with workshops for Tunisian journalists under the title “Reporting in a Democracy”.
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he course is being conducted by journalism professors from City University. Fleet Street veteran Charlie Burgess, who worked with Simon at the Independent and now works for the Foundation, has being coordinating with local organisers and Lis Howell at City for some weeks to set up the courses. They are the first in the country since last January’s revolution which will give practical advice on coping with the realities of reporting in a free society.
Subjects will include: how to deal with politicians; how financial journalism is key in western society; the importance of citizen journalism (dear to their hearts) and – how to avoid being deceived.
The workshops end on Thursday and then the inaugural Journalism Foundation Lecture will be given by Robert Fisk, The Independent”s Middle East Correspondent who is flying in from Beirut.
Simon Kelner, ceo of the Foundation, said: “We are tremendously excited to get our first first project off the ground. We have had a very encouraging response from journalists in Tunisia, who have applied in great numbers to take part in our courses. We are delighted that Robert Fisk will give our inaugural lecture and we are sure this will have a lot of impact in Tunisia.”
The Journalism Foundation, a registered charity, has been set up to promote, develop and sustain free and independent journalism throughout the world. It is already actively involved in helping a citizen journalism website in Stoke-on-Trent, set up to increase engagement in local politics, and a project in Tanzania.
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