Statement by OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
on propaganda in times of conflict Читать далее Statement by OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
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APPEAL COURT URGED TO OVERTURN DAMAGES ORDER
Reporters Without Borders calls on Tajikistan’s justice system to overturn a ruling against the weekly Asia Plus and its editor, Olga Tutubalina, in a case brought against them by three intellectuals over an article quoting Lenin’s criticism of the intelligentsia. Читать далее APPEAL COURT URGED TO OVERTURN DAMAGES ORDER
U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe requests project proposals for the 2014-2016 English Access Microscholarship Program
U.S. Embassy Dushanbe announces a call for proposals for the 2014-2016 English Access Microscholarship Program.
The purpose of this program is to provide disadvantaged youth with an opportunity to learn English language skills and enhance leadership through teaching the basics of American culture and values of democratic development and civic engagement. The program targets secondary school students to start the program at ages 13-14 from underprivileged families. English Access Microscholarship programs must provide two years of English study, consisting of at least 180 hours of instruction per year. The program should consist of English language courses as well as out-of-classroom activities and enhancement elements. Examples of enhancement elements, related to English language and American culture, include but are not limited to activities such as drama, computers, dance, art, music, games, sports, local trips, special cultural projects such as the Fourth of July, and/or developing leadership skills, building the spirit of team work, social responsibility, and tolerance events. English Access Microscholarship Program intensive summer sessions are an important activity to supplement and/or conclude a student’s two-year English language programming. The sessions should be a minimum of one week long and may incorporate into their activities native and non-native English speaking partners in a summer camp format.
Proposals should include both a narrative project description and a detailed budget breakdown in Microsoft Excel format. The narrative template document can be accessed in here: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/tajikistan/231771/ PDFs/Narrative_Template.pdf
The budget (in Excel format) should have a detailed breakdown of costs for the two-year program including instruction, books/materials, students’ transportation and snacks, project administration, enhancement activities, etc. On average, costs associated with one student in the framework of the two-year program are approximately $1,100. Each project should include 20-25 students. Projects that involve higher numbers of students with lower costs are encouraged. Students should be no older than 13-14 years of age when they start the program.
To be eligible for consideration, every applicant must be currently engaged in English language teaching program. Both governmental and non-governmental organizations are eligible to apply for this program. Service providers from remote areas of Tajikistan are encouraged to apply.
Proposals must be written in English. Both narrative project and budget breakdown should be written electronically and to be submitted no later than May 5, 2014 to:
Ardasher Khashimov
U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Section
109 A Ismoili Somoni Avenue
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Tel: (992 37) 229 2316, 229 2000, fax: (992 37) 229 2050
Kazakh Journalist Flees To Ukraine, Fearing Prosecution
ASTANA — A Kazakh journalist says she has fled Kazakhstan with her husband and two young children to avoid prosecution.
Natalya Sadyqova told RFE/RL on March 27 that she and her family were currently in Ukraine.
Sadyqova said investigators in her native city of Aqtobe questioned her last month regarding an article published in the opposition «Respublika» online news portal about corruption among local officials.
Investigators told Sadyqova they suspected she was the author and informed her that former lawmaker Marat Itegulov had filed a libel suit against the author, who was listed as Bakhyt Ilyasova.
Sadyqova insists she had nothing to do with the article.
She said she left Kazakhstan on March 9 after police sources informed her she might be arrested.
A court in Aqtobe issued a warrant for her arrest on March 17.
http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan-journalist-flees-to-ukraine/25311420.html
Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF)
The State Department created the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) in 2011 to support alumni initiatives that promote shared values and innovative solutions to global challenges. The competition provides small grants to teams of past and current participants of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to carry out public service projects that utilize skills and knowledge they have gained through their exchange experiences. To participate, alumni must be members of the International Exchange Alumni (IEA) global online community and form teams of at least five IEA community members. Proposed projects must embody one of the AEIF themes. In 2013, 53 grants of up $25,000 were awarded to alumni teams to support their public service projects.
Log in to view the 2013 winners.
The following themes were selected for AEIF 2014:
- · Empowering Women
- · Outreach to Underserved Communities
- · Entrepreneurship and Youth Employment
- · Expanded Access to Education
- · Environmental Protection
- · Government Transparency
- · Freedom of Expression
- · Conflict Resolution
- · Citizen Security
- · Promoting Civil Society
Below you will find the AEIF 2014 Timeline:
- · April 1: AEIF Begins
- · April 23: Proposals are due by 11:59 EST
- · May 6: Finalists are announced, and alumni can log in to vote for their favorite projects
- · May 27: Final proposals are due by 11:59 EST
- · Late June: AEIF 2014 winners are announced
Shafoat Kabilova
Grant Assistant / Alumni Coordinator
U.S. Embassy/Public Diplomacy Section
109 A, I.Somoni Ave., Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
e-mail: KobilovaS@state.gov
tel: (992-372) 29 23 14
cell phone (98)580 70 67
Conflict reporting seminar open
Reporters with an interest in conflict journalism are invited to attend this conference in Israel.
The Media in Conflicts Seminar (MICS) is an academic and professional communications program presented bythe Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Israel’s first private institution for higher education.
The five-day program seeks to introduce journalists to the challenges of conflict reporting, help them create aprofessional network, and expose them to the world’s most covered conflict zone. Attendees will participate in lectures and workshops on conflict journalism, terrorism, defense and security, and tour Jerusalem and other conflict areas.
Attendees’ stay in Israel is funded by the program, but does not include airfare to Israel.
This year’s MICS program will take place from Aug. 31-Sept. 4. The deadline to apply is May 15.
For more information, click here: http://rvzr-a.akamaihd.net/sd/apps/interstitial/loading.html?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mics.org.il%2F%23!about&v=MS4xLjA=&p=TWVkaWEgUGxheWVy&o=QUQgT1BUSU9OUw==&a=QURTIEJZ&q=bj1NZWRpYSBQbGF5ZXImaD1ydnpyLWEuYWthbWFpaGQubmV0JmM9Z3JlZW4mbz1pbnRlciZkPSZ0PSZhPTYyMDAmcz0xMDAxJnc9aWpuZXQub3Jn
Film festival accepting submissions
Durban International Film Festival
Filmmakers may submit their projects to be screened at this film festival in South Africa.
The Durban International Film Festival is accepting film submissions to be screened at its 35th annual celebration this summer. This year’s festival runs from July 18 to 22, and its theme is “continent of contrast.”
Filmmakers may submit films in four categories: feature-length film, short film, feature-length documentary and short documentary.
There is no cost to submit a film for consideration, but DVD screeners must be received by the festival’s committee by March 24 in order for films to be considered for the festival.
For more information, click here: http://rvzr-a.akamaihd.net/sd/apps/interstitial/loading.html?u=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.squarespace.com%2Fstatic%2F51a691d7e4b0930fcb0612b7%2Ft%2F52f4c66ce4b08200b4dba4bd%2F1391773292146%2FDIFF_FAQ_0214.pdf&v=MS4xLjA=&p=TWVkaWEgUGxheWVy&o=QUQgT1BUSU9OUw==&a=QURTIEJZ&q=bj1NZWRpYSBQbGF5ZXImaD1ydnpyLWEuYWthbWFpaGQubmV0JmM9Z3JlZW4mbz1pbnRlciZkPSZ0PSZhPTYyMDAmcz0xMDAxJnc9aWpuZXQub3Jn
UN launches photo contest
Photographers from across the globe are invited to submit pictures to this contest that celebrates the practice of family farming.
Following the United Nations’ announcement that 2014 was to be the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF), the Food and Agricultural Organization has organized a photo contest to highlight the importance of familyfarming.
Photo entries should represent the theme “feeding the world, caring for the earth.” Entries must visually document the strength, potential and challenges of sustainable, multifunctional family farmers worldwide, in all their diversity and contexts.
Seven winning photographs will be chosen: one first-place and six runners-up (one runner-up for each continent). Five popular choice photos will be selected by the public through an online voting system. The winning photos will be announced in October at a IYFF event.
The first-place winner will receive EUR400. The six runners-up will each receive EUR200. Each popular selection will receive EUR100.
The deadline to submit photos is May 1.
For more information, click here: http://rvzr-a.akamaihd.net/sd/apps/interstitial/loading.html?u=http%3A%2F%2Fextra.agriculturesnetwork.org%2Fsurvey%2Fphotocompetition%2Findex.html&v=MS4xLjA=&p=TWVkaWEgUGxheWVy&o=QUQgT1BUSU9OUw==&a=QURTIEJZ&q=bj1NZWRpYSBQbGF5ZXImaD1ydnpyLWEuYWthbWFpaGQubmV0JmM9Z3JlZW4mbz1pbnRlciZkPSZ0PSZhPTYyMDAmcz0xMDAxJnc9aWpuZXQub3Jn
Self-editing tips for journalists
by Steve Buttry
If you’re a journalist who has benefited from the multiple layers of editing that newsrooms traditionally had, you need to take more responsibility for the quality of your content.
If you’re tweeting or blogging, you probably already are publishing content unedited (and probably have suffered the embarrassment of some errors a copy editor would have caught).
If we work out our editing systems right, we will give most non-live content at least one edit before publication, maybe more. But the inescapable fact is that your copy is going to get less editing than you’re used to. So you need to be a better self-editor. Below are some tips. These might also be helpful for assigning editors who need to become better copy editors.
Master SEO headlines
You may be writing your own blog headlines. You should be suggesting you’re own headlines for stories that you turn in. Writing headlines also helps you determine whether your story is well-focused. If you can’t write a good headline, maybe you should work a bit more to get to the point of the story.
Make one last read through your copy. Once you think you’re done, whether you’re writing a tweet or an investigative project, read it through yourself, not for rewriting or fact-checking (this comes after fact-checking). This final read is just for clarity, voice, spelling and grammar. For instance, in reading through this blog post before publication, I caught the «you’re» in the paragraph above that should be «your.» I left it in to make this point. It was too good to fix in that particular spot.
Read aloud
I once wrote in a story about a drought that the city was encouraging water consumption, when I meant water conservation. I am sure I didn’t read that drought story aloud. Conservation and consumption may look a lot alike, but that’s the kind of error that jumps out when you read your work aloud.
Use an accuracy checklist.
You are responsible for the accuracy of your content. Use a checklist to make sure everything is accurate.
Improve your grammar and word usage
Schools don’t teach grammar as well as they used to, so even the smart students with strong writing skills who go into journalism often have weaknesses in grammar, spelling and word usage. Yes, it’s better to learn these matters in your youth, but you can still improve as a professional. I have blogged on some grammar matters that confuse many journalists, and the American Copy Editors Society has lots of resources to help with grammar and word usage.
Use spellcheck (but don’t rely on it)
There is no excuse for failing to catch errors that your computer can point out to you. But don’t routinely change potential errors highlighted by your computer (some of them are right). And don’t make the computer your only spellcheck. Use the dictionary to check the spelling (and usage) of words you aren’t sure about.
Make every word count.
I blogged last year with advice for writing tight copy. By planning to write tight, setting a brisk pace and being demanding in your rewrite, you can turn in cleaner copy.
These tips are excerpted from a post on The Buttry Diary and published on IJNet with the author’s permission.
Steve Buttry is digital transformation editor for Digital First Media.
Image CC-licensed on Flickr via unclesond.
http://ijnet.org/blog/self-editing-tips-journalists
Russian Media Again Under Attack, This Time With Ukraine As Pretext
Many Russia-watchers have grown accustomed to beginning their day with a quick run through «Dorogaya redaktsiya,» the often-playful Twitter feed of Lenta.ru, one of Russia’s most popular sources of independent online news.
But «Dorogaya redaktsiya» went silent on March 12, replacing its Twitter icon with funereal black and issuing a final tweet linking to an open letter from the Lenta staff protesting the ouster of its longtime editor, Galina Timchenko, and her replacement with a Kremlin-friendly candidate, Aleksei Goreslavsky.
«We believe that this appointment is direct pressure on the Lenta editorial staff,» says the letter, which includes the signatures of more than 80 editors, correspondents, and administrators. «The problem is not that we have nowhere left to work. The problem is that you have nothing left to read.»
Thirty-nine staffers have since quit in protest.
http://www.rferl.org/content/media-russia-lenta-sacking/25295996.html