The course was part of a project entitled Building Resilience through Environmental Journalism, which is being co-financed by the Democracy Commission Small Grants Programme of the US Embassy in Tirana, and implemented by BIRN in cooperation with local journalists.
Eighteen local journalists and correspondents for national media from the Elbasan region and the city of Pogradec participated in the training course, which was led by environmental expert Ahmet Mehmeti and BIRN Albania editor Aleksandra Bogdani.
Mehmeti, who is the executive director of the Elbasan Ecological Club, a local environmental organisation, presented the main environmental challenges facing Albania, focusing on the consequences of climate change in the country, pollution caused by heavy industry as well as problems with the management and treatment of urban waste.
He also gave some practical advice on how journalists can approach environmental issues in cooperation with environmental activists and organisations.
Bogdani introduced techniques of reporting on environmental crimes as well as looking at the crucial role that local journalists have in covering these issues.
Bogdani also explained through practical examples how local journalists can amplify the impact of their stories through cooperation with each other and with civil society organisations.