BIRN Bulgaria workshop on analytical journalism

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Albena Shkodrova, Director of BIRN Bulgaria, will hold a workshop on
analytical journalism on September 20-21 in Sofia. It will be part of a
long-term course for Roma journalists-in-training organized by the
Access Foundation.

This project focuses on young members of the Roma community and prepares them for careers in journalism. It aims thereby to redress the negative representation of the Roma minority in the Bulgarian media by integrating Roma journalists in media outlets.

The training consists of four months of theoretical lectures, workshops and seminars followed by a six months of practical work in which trainees apply their new skills in a professional setting.

The theoretical part involves training in basic journalism skills, grammar, style, politics, law, economic, social, and judicial reporting, media management, human rights, interethnic relations, computer-assisted reporting and English.

In the workshop, Shkodrova will introduce trainees to the basic standards of writing a journalistic analysis, pointing out the difference in the way analyses are written in Bulgaria and in the international media, and between a commentary and an analysis.

BIRN Bulgaria’s director will familiarize them with the BIRN house style and give them an opportunity to come up with themes for their own pieces of analysis, based on techniques taught in the course. These may be published in Balkan Insight.

The first day of the workshop will cover the theoretical part of the session while the second will take the form of a brainstorming session aimed at producing potential themes.

Through this workshop, BIRN Bulgaria hopes to contribute to the future careers of the journalists involved.

Besides commissioning articles for Balkan Insight, BIRN Bulgaria will considers taking on one course participant as an intern, as part of his or her professional module.