12 July 2006
ISAI OPENS BROADCASTING SCHOOL IN INDONESIA
In Indonesia, the Jakarta-based Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (Institut Studi Arus Informasi, ISAI) is at the forefront of efforts to foster fair, independent and balanced reporting. In February 2006, it opened a new School for Broadcast Media in Jakarta that aims to provide high-quality training to broadcast journalists from all over the country.
Supported by the European Commission, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the BBC World Service Trust, the school is equipped with state-of-the-art radio and television facilities. Trainers provided by the BBC World Service Trust and Radio Netherlands are working with local co-trainers to provide students with the editorial, technical and production skills to produce balanced, objective programming. In its first year, about 300 local journalists are expected to be trained. Eventually, local co-trainers will take over as lead trainers to teach students.
According to a UNDP press release, the opening up of the broadcast media in Indonesia since the fall of former dictator Soeharto in 1998 presents enormous possibilities to support democratic governance and ensure political transparency and public accountability. However, challenges remain, ranging from a lack of professionalism, experience and expertise in reporting and editing, to a lack of commercial management and marketing skills. The school will seek to address these challenges by providing a rigorous training ground for the country's new generation of journalists.
Visit these links:
- ISAI: http://www.isai.or.id/
- UNDP: http://www.undp.or.id/press/view.asp?FileID=20060215-1&lang=en
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