Renewed support for journalist education

elisabe on 26. June 2017

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given JMIC a grant that will enable us to continue the activities with partners in the Global South planned for the next two years.

JMIC´s aim is to build institutions for democracy and freedom of expression: ”Support of good practices in journalist education, independent media in vulnerable countries, protection of journalists working in conflict zones and journalists’ access to information. ”

In the coming year, several activities are planned. A workshop on extremism and social media is planned this autumn in Tunisia – as well as a regional security course next year. A regional security course is also planned in Uganda.

In cooperation with the Article 19 offices in North Africa, Eastern Africa and South Asia regional workshops on access to information are planned in Tunisia, Kenya and Nepal. We will also strengthen the cooperation with UNESCO.

The Rig on press freedom will be introduced in Palestine, a conference on gender and media is scheduled in South Asia, and cooperation will continue in Iran and Afghanistan. Besides, a regional cooperation project on visual journalism in China will continue. Development of teaching material is an ongoing activity, and a web portal will be prioritized.

Please remember to subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about upcoming events and activites of the center.

DOK17: Students in photojournalism present visual stories from China

elisabe on 23. June 2017

AJ Gani´s exhibition in Tøihuset, Old Town, Fredrikstad.

During this year’s DOK17 the graduating students in photojournalism launched their book and exhibition “Meanwhile” consisting of visual stories from China. Several HiOA photojournalism alumnis were present both as participant in the festivals seminar program and as exhibiting photographers. Farzana Hossen, visual artist from Bangladesh and former participants in the HiOA´s photojournalism bachelors course, international reporting, showed her project “Only Because They are Women” on Bangladeshi victims of acid attacks in an open-air exhibition outside the Cultural House in the Old Town. Close by in Tøihuset the Bangladeshi photographer AJ Ghani displayed his project “Statless Untouchable” about the Dalits cast in Nepal post 2015 earthquake. Yan Cong from China exhibiting her work “The price of happiness” Commercially arranged marriage between Chinese men and Cambodian women is not uncommon in a village called Huanggang in south China. Both projects supported by the Fritt Ord-foundation student grant.

The DOK-festival in Fredrikstad, Norway, is the Norwegian national festival for documentary photography and photojournalism. The festival is an event that gathers professionals, students, lecturers and general public mainly from Scandinavia. During the two week long festival-period 8 – 10 open air Exhibitions are on display throughout the city centre and in Fredrikstad´s Old Town. In addition to exhibitions in pop-up-galleries and the exhibition hall Hydrogenfabrikken. During the weekend 150 – 200 participants gathered to  join seminars and lectures with international recognized photojournalists and visual storytellers in the House of Literature. This year’s line-up consisted of Damon Winter (the New York Times), Peter van Agtmael (Magnum Photos), Jonas Bendiksen (Magnum Photos), Luisa Dörr (VII), Joakim Eskildsen, Glenna Gordon, Espen Rasmussen and Warren Richardsson (Worl Press Photo winner 2016). The festival is organized by the DOK-foundation and hosted by Pressefotografenes klubb Norge (NPPA Norway). The HiOA faculty member Jon Petter Evensen is head of the DOK-festival organizing committee. Read more.

Students learn about press freedom

elisabe on 2. June 2017

The Rig is a multimedia workshop where the students produce online stories about the current state of press freedom in different countries around the world. This year they examined Ethiopia, Egypt, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Colombia, USA and Poland.

The aim of the Rig is to enable our students to grasp the meaning and significance of press freedom, while at the same time acquiring journalistic skills. Read more in Norwegian about the Rig and why we use this pedagogical tool at Department of Journalism and Media Studies at HiOA here.

The frontpage for this year’s Rig you will find here.

Some of earlier years’ Rig are available here.

Global citizenship and issues of today’s Europe

elisabe on 14. May 2017

JMIC’s leader Elisabeth Eide, recently gave the lecture «Global  citizenship» at the European Council Association of Schools of Political Studies. The large conference, gathering many people from Russia and other Eastern European countries, was vibrant with lively discussions and intriguing questions. A wonderful experience.

JMIC’s leader Elisabeth Eide

Stockholm, 25 – 29 April 2017

 

Terror in the media

elisabe on 10. May 2017

Media researchers Rune Ottosen, Walid Al-Saqaf and Stig Arne Nohrstedt at the conference in Kalmar 9 May

The truck attack in Stockholm 7 April was the starting point at the international conference Journalism in a world of terrorism organised by the Media Institute Fojo and The Linnaeus University in Kalmar in Sweden 9 – 11 May.

The Head of news in Swedish Television (SVT), Ulf Johansson, told about the reactions and the editorial dilemmas after the attack. Media researcher Walid Al-Saqaf presented the findings about how Twitter was used extensively through #openstockholm.

Suvojit Bandopadhyaya broadened the perspective with a presentation about terrorists and their tactical use of social media platforms. Daya Thussu held a keynote speech about (Mis)Representing Terrorism in Global Media.

Exiled Can Dündar, former editor of the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, could unfortunately only join on skype to tell about what happens in his country. Finally Courtney C. Radsh in the Committee to Protect Journalists gave an overview of Journalism in the Age of Terrorism.

The international conference for media-researchers and journalists continued with workshops and panel discussions for two more days in Kalmar. Read more

Human rights on the agenda

elisabe on 5. May 2017

Elsebeth Frey and Solveig Steien presented the Rig at an international conference in Oslo last year.

This year they will investigate the situation in Afghanistan, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Poland, Tunisia and USA.

70 students in seven groups will make articles, interviews, pictures, videos and audios about the media freedom in one of the countries.

Their stories will be published on the school´s webpage – Journalen – during the third week.

The multimedia Rig about press freedom around the world has been organized eight times. It was called one of the best European pedagogical teaching models for Transmedia Journalism by Integrated Journalism in Europe (IJIE) in 2015 http://learning.euromain.net/

Iran: Climate Change and Peace Journalism

elisabe on 16. March 2017

Leader of JMIC, Elisabeth Eide, and the Afghan delegation.

In end February/early March, Dagny Stuedahl and Elisabeth Eide visited partner institution Faculty of Communication Sciences and Media Studies at Islamic Azad University (IAU) in Teheran. A workshop was held on Media and Climate Change – and on Peace Journalism, with colleagues from Afghanistan. The attendance was good and the discussion lively and creative, demonstrating that media pay too little attention to climate change perils – and to peaceful solutions to conflict.

JMIC’s representatives also visited the newspaper belonging to the IAU, and ISNA (Iranian Students News Agency), and were received by Prof. Hamid Mirzadeh, President of the whole university, which has more than 1.5 million students, at home and abroad.

From the left: Dean Seyed Vahid Aqili, Dagny Stuedahl, Director Haid Mirzadeh, Elisabeth Eide og Terje Skaufjord (accompanying partner).

New book about what cell phones means to refugees

elisabe on 15. March 2017

An increasingly important traveling companion for people fleeing is the cell phone. It is a friend who provides many kinds of services during long and dangerous journeys from war and persecution. In these stories, the cell phone forms the core, woven into the larger stories of the lives of the eighteen interviewed. The book shows how important modern technology can be in precarious situations in which people are at the mercy of traffickers, police, border guards and changing weather conditions. Through this, stories about the journey and life in “no man’s land” between absolute insecurity and relative safety, are told. Two of the authors look back on their flight ten years ago when technology played a somewhat smaller role, yet the situations that arose were equally harsh.

Read about the event in Khrono (in Norwegian only)

 

 

 

Women, Media and Communication Revolution Challenges Conference

elisabe on 20. February 2017

JMIC´s partner institution An-Najah National University hosted a conference on gender and journalism in Nablus in Palestine on February 14.

Kristin Skare Orgeret gave the keynote speech and presented a paper on women journalists in conflict and war at the conference.

In addition to a number of local journalists and women’s rights activists journalist Francesca Borri attended the conference and shared some of her experiences as a war reporter.

Teacher of photojournalism Bernt Eide also attended the conference. He currently teaches in Nablus and has been engaged in cooperation with An-Najah University for many years.

Kristin Skare Orgeret also attended the launch of a new Palestinian policy paper on media reform in Ramallah.

Successful course on journalist security

elisabe on 8. February 2017

Two of Norway’s leading experts on journalist security, Trond Idås and Marte Høiby, gave an introductory course in Kristiansand, Norway, 6 February. The course was aimed at journalists and programme staff members working in countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Topics on the agenda were how to handle stressful situations and how to operate in conflict zones, and the course was well received among the 10 participants.

The course was a collaborative effort between JMIC and Strømme Foundation.

If you are interested in organizing a similar course, please contact us and we will taylor it to your needs.