Reporting diversity in Macedonia

Project objectives:

The aim of the project was to bring together journalists from different ethnic groups, to train them in coverage of diversity-related issues. The trainer and the journalists would use as their core training material an MDI reporting diversity manual in both Albanian and Macedonian languages. (MDI already had a Macedonian version - an Albanian translation was produced under this grant). The objective of the course was to enable journalists coming from different ethnic backgrounds to understand that there is always a common ground, a basic human interest which put people together regardless of their nationality, religion or ethnicity.

Project activities:

Over 10 days a team of 10 journalists produced a series of articles, six of which were published in the journalists' newspapers. Considering the circumstances at that time - the tense spring and summer of 2001 - MDI considers this a significant success. (At one point the funder was discussing with us a possible cancellation of the event altogether because of the increase in inter-ethnic conflict, but together we went ahead after taking local advice).