Dates: 14-16 December 2012
Country: Morocco, Oujda
Media Diversity Institute have organized the workshop for the representatives of civil society organizations (CSO) in Morocco in order to strengthen their understanding of media and media relations. The workshop held in December 2012 in Moroccan city Oujda was the latest in the series of five MDI workshops organised to help better communication between civil sector and media.
Like in many other parts of the world the representatives of non-governmental organisations and civil society in Morocco who have participated in MDI workshop have been experiencing the difficulties in communicating with media. They have found it difficult and stressful getting media interest for the stories and issues of the importance for the civil sector and particular organizations. Therefore MDI have provided an opportunity for better understanding on what media require and how activists can increase an ability to promote their messages and to get their voices heard through the use of the media.
During the three-day workshop in Morocco the participants and their trainers have focused on practical communication skills. For example, the CSOs have learnt how to make certain issues interesting to the media and how to build professional working relationships with editors and journalists. They have also learnt as well as practised how to give effective TV and radio interviews.
MDI workshop was the first practical experience on learning how to interact with the media for the majority of participants. MDI workshop was also an opportunity to work with the trainers Lesley Abdela and Younes Foudil as well as with the local journalists who have joined the two-hours long discussion in Oujda.
Journalists have given the advice to the participants such as the best time and ways to contact media and how to make civil sector’s topics newsworthy. The CSOs, on the other hand, have analysed the local press notifying that there are some social groups missing from news coverage. Older people, children, women and people with disabilities were invisible in Moroccan newspapers analysed in the workshop. Also in one newspaper there were 57 pictures portraying men and just 14 pictures portraying women.
MDI workshop in Oujda, according to the personal statements of some of the participants, was an opportunity to learn and practise practical skills in domain of media relations such as writing a press release or giving an interview. Others, as some put in their personal learning diaries, “have learnt not to accept stereotypes.”
Some of the participants in MDI workshop were part of national campaigns such as the Campaign for a new law and implementation of existing law on domestic violence. Others were the activists in the national campaign for better rights of people with disabilities, while some CSOs address local issues such as the need to re-open a local youth club or helping local women to ensure their income through teaching handicrafts.
The workshop is being organised within the framework of the Media Diversity Institute’s two year project ‘Media Evolution: Towards an Inclusive, Responsible & Independent Media in Morocco’, which is supported by the European Union Delegation, and UK and Swiss Embassies in Rabat.
The objectives of the project are to encourage a public debate on the future of the Moroccan media, ensure greater coverage of social diversity in the media, improve freedom of expression and access to information, ensure greater responsibility by the media through self-regulation, and improve respect of media freedom by the government.
For more information please contact: intissar.rachdi@media-diversity.org