Training: How to Cover People with Disabilities

Last week, Media Diversity Institute’s “Disability: A Matter of Perception” project continued with a three day workshop in Ohrid, Macedonia. Over the course of the training, Executive Director of the Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia Marina Tuneva and Croatian journalist Daniela Drasata led journalists in a discussion on how to improve coverage of people with disabilities, particularly in the context of the Macedonian media.

Several people with disabilities attended thew workshop as guest speakers, sharing their experiences of how media representation had impacted them, and what they felt like the media could do better. Participants were also exposed to examples of good coverage of disabled communities, inspiring them for their future work.

“We do not think that the stories of people with disabilities—particularly their interests, challenges, and achievements are visible enough. There is a lot of room for improvement, starting with finding and developing these stories,” said Macedonian Institute for Media Program Manager Vesna Nikodinoska, who put on the event alongside the National Council of People with Disability Organizations of Macedonia.

“This workshop was an opportunity for journalists to learn new skills and techniques of inclusive and immersive reporting, and apply them to stories that they will produce for their respective media,” she continued.

“The energy, enthusiasm and seriousness with which the journalists approached the topic was astonishing; I think we will have some serious stories at the end of the project that will tackle many systemic problems in our society related to people with disabilities, and ask for institutional solutions. “

At the end of the workshop, the journalists were assigned to generate proposals and story ideas for television, print, radio and online media focusing on people with disabilities, with the goal of producing stories for their respective media outlets.

Dates: 24-26 October 2018

Country: Macedonia, Ohrid