PRT-Baghdad Sponsors Media Training through the Iraqi Society For Defending Press Freedom

Baghdad | February 16, 2010

Fifty five professional journalists from across Iraq came together to learn new skills and share their experiences as part of two workshops held this week at a Baghdad hotel.

The Society for Defending Press Freedom cosponsored the event with support from The Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT)-Baghdad.

Instructors from Press Now led the training, which emphasized the rights and responsibilities of journalists in a democracy. The Society for Defending Press Freedom and a local attorney also provided instruction. Along with training on ethics, attendees also received practical training in news production and news writing.

PRT-Baghdad Team Leader Thomas Lynch said of the training sessions, "This kind of training serves a vital role in increasing the capabilities of Iraq's professional journalists. The emphasis on the legal rights and responsibilities of journalists is critical as Iraq moves toward an increasingly free, fair and independent media."

For more information on the Society for Defending Press Freedom or Press Now, visit their websites at: http://www.sdpfiq.com and http://www.pressnow.nl.

Provincial Reconstruction Team-Baghdad is a civilian-led interagency effort to strengthen the capacity of local Governance and national service institutions to provide essential services, maintain security, promote economic opportunity, advance civil society, and engender respect for the rule of law in Baghdad Province.