Youth Workshop ‘’Media Literacy & Resisting Manipulation’’ | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
December 3rd, 2014
The “Media Literacy and Resisting Manipulation” youth workshop was held in Sarajevo from 25-29 October 2014.
The “Media Literacy and Resisting Manipulation” youth workshop was held in Sarajevo from 25-29 October 2014.
The Balkan Diskurs team led by journalist Velma Šarić, developed and organized a youth training workshop that combined investigative journalism with creative methods of storytelling. The workshop also aimed to shed light on the societal consequences of a lack of integrity and transparency in today’s Bosnian media. We provided Bosnian youth participants with an opportunity to develop their journalism skills with guidance on how to undertake fair and balanced reporting, and the effective use of various multimedia tools.
The “Media Literacy and Resisting Manipulation” youth workshop was held in Sarajevo from 25-29 October 2014. Participants came from 15 different municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we specifically sought to include youth from smaller communities that are often excluded in favor of those residing in bigger, more developed areas. The skill levels of the participants varied considerably. Some had extensive experience and formal education in the field of journalism, whilst others without this background knowledge showed all the necessary qualities, such as strength of will, determination, and an extraordinary level of interest.
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The workshop trainers were a professional team of journalists from Radio Free Europe, including photographers Midhat Poturović and Velija Hasanbegović, and journalists Marija Arnautović and Selma Boračić. The first two days of the workshops were held in MediaCenter in Sarajevo, and last two days in Hotel Astra Garni.
During the workshop, participants learned about aspects of photography and video, and had a chance to film and edit their own scenes. The Media Literacy and Resisting Manipulation Workshop also gave an opportunity to young people to understand journalistic formats, from news reports, to interviews, reviews and other stories. The workshop focused on the correct use of sources, and the importance of fact-checking before publishing. Yet importantly, most attention was given to media ethics in journalism.
As the result of the workshop, all participants proposed topics for their own blog posts, and many still continue to work as our youth correspondents, bringing news and analysis from their own communities to a wider audience.  So far our youth correspondents have written more than 20 different articles and essays, contributing to both a deeper understanding of life across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also the further development of an ethical and objective Bosnian media.