Empowering female journalists in the Gaza Strip and West Bank

^2011-03-17

Year: 2010/2011

Partner: UNESCO

Project’s Summary:

 

In cooperation with UNESCO, Media Development Center at Birzeit University (MDC) carried out a capacity-building project during 2011 targeting female Palestinian media professionals, particularly new graduates and mid-career journalists.

The project, entitled QADERAT (Arabic=achievers), aims at strengthening cross-platform reporting and writing skills for 40 female journalists in West Bank and Gaza Strip through a series of training workshops. In addition, The project offered career opportunities to the target group through an internship programme. 28 media institutions and media-related NGOs hosted 40 interns, whose salaries were paid through QADERAT for three months. Practicing “everyday field-journalism” for three months provided the interns with outstanding opportunities to start their careers. In fact, 11 interns secured permanent jobs through Qaderat despite the fact that hiring has been virtually frozen in most of the local media outlets during the last year.

Anecdotal evidence shows that QADERAT improved the representation of women in newsrooms- quantitatively and qualitatively. Hence, the project alumni succeeded in being messengers of their female communities to the media.

 

Short description of the Project:

Phase 1: Planning, Marketing and Selection

 

1.1 Setting the criteria

The first step toward the implementation of the project was establishing an internal committee within MDC to set the criteria for interns and hosting institutions and to supervise the selection process.

 

1.2 Promotion & announcement

MDC initiated a promotion campaign to ensure we got the best possible applicants. The campaign utilized online, print and audio tools in a coherent/systemic way that provided prospective applicants with clear and motivational messages. Applicants could also apply through various ways: in-hand, through a desktop-filled or online applications.

A (12inch×3columns) advertisement targeting prospective applicants was published in two major daily newspapers (Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam).

In addition, MDC produced a radio spot encouraging prospective participants to apply for the project. The spot was broadcasted by Birzeit FM (a radio station managed by MDC) in addition to several other stations across West Bank and Gaza Strip. The 45-second spot was aired on prime time of the second-week days of March. Moreover, several media outlets run stories about the project (such as PNN and Sawt Al-Salam).

 

1.3 Selection process

MDC received tens of emails and phone calls from applicants asking for details about the application, selection, and participation processes. In total, we received 175 applications (89 from Gaza and 86 from the West Bank). Applicants came from most districts of the Palestinian territories. Applicants varied in age, academic background, and professional experience. Nevertheless, we received tens of outstanding applications- much over the project’s capacity.

After classifying all applications in categories depending on academic background, professional experience, quality of work samples, and place of living, the project’s internal committee had two day-long meetings, where two short lists of 40 applicants were selected- for interviewing in both West Bank and Gaza.

Phase 2: Training

Seven training workshops were held in West Bank and Gaza for the selected interns “Editing Skills, Political Reporting, TV Reporting and Economic Reporting courses”. The training phase began in April and lasted until July 2011.

1-Political reporting COURSE (wb):

The training covered topics such as covering politics and political debates, election, and elected bodies. A considerable importance were giving to journalism ethics and the tools to balanced and neutral reporting that serves the public and encourages civic dialogue. The trainer covered the basic skills needed for doing so, especially interview skills. The former minister of information Mr. Nabeel Amr was a guest speaker to the workshop, where he talked about his experience as both a journalist and an elected official.

The trainees were fully and actively engaged at the training, and sometimes debates about the proper way of doing the jobs aroused at the class room- all well-managed by the trainer.

 

2- TV reporting COURSE (wb):

During the course, the trainees were trained on writing for TV, collecting information, TV package production and streaming live on TV. In addition, they were divided into groups, and each group had to produce a TV package from A-Z. We also hosted Huda Al-Qaddoomy (the famous Palestinian TV personality) as a guest speaker, where she talked about her experience working for local and national TV stations and the difficulties female TV reporters face in the field.

 

3- Advanced editing skills Course (Gaza):

The topics of training included:

•    The journalistic styles

•    Editing skills and re-writing press releases

•    In-depth report writing.

•    How to work in a team and under pressure

The training combined both the theoretical and practical approaches to news editing introducing the diverse models of journalistic style.

 

4- Political reporting course (Gaza):

The political reporting course covered topics such as election coverage focusing on the ethics of writing on politics especially in such a divided political scene as it is in Gaza Strip.

    

 

5- Economic Reporting (Gaza):

The training covered how to understand the concepts and terminology of economics, Mastery of crystallizing ideas and planning to prepare a press material, Enhance the ability to read the numbers and its’ connotations, and how to deal with it and The ability to write an economical press material.

 

Phase 3: Internship

During the second quarter of the project’s cycle, an action plan was put for the internships, which took place during the third and fourth quarters. The internship were put and decided-upon after a long process of communication and negotiations with the hosting institutions and the interns themselves.

The table below shows the names of the hosting institutions for all and each one of the interns:

 

The intern	The hosting institution	Type of Organization
Aseel Joundee	Maan	News Agency
Asma’ Mansour	Birzeit Alumni Network	Community Press
Faten Salah Al-Deen	Radio Birzeit+Palestinian Journalists Syndicate PJS	Radio
Hala Al-Zuhairy	Al-Mostaqbal Radio	Radio
Hasna Housheh	Hayat Wa Sooq	Newspaper
Hiba Hamdan	Maan	News Agency
Itizaz Qadah	Radio Birzeit	Radio
Lamia” Yousef	Shasha News	News Website
Lara Kan”an	Al-Najah Media Center	Community Press
Nida” Ayyad	Voice of Palestine	Radio
Ohood Abou Da’moos	Voice of Palestine	Radio
Raghda Adawi	Palestine TV	Television
Rahma Hijjeh	Bada’el Think Tank	Community Press
Rana Thawabteh	Maan	News Agency
Rasha Hirz Allah	Wafa	News Agency
Roula Halaiqa	Masader	Community Press
Shireen Sandooqa	Al-Maqdesi	Magazine
Shorooq Al-Jaghoub	Wafa	News Agency
Sukoon Sha”ban	Omneia Youth Center	Community Press
Yasmeen Kalboneh	Nablus TV	Television
Abeer Abou Shamaleh	MDC	Community Press
Amina Al-Dahdooh	Sama	News Agency
Asma” Al-Az”ar	Maan	News Agency
Einas Abou Nseer	Voice of Will	Radio
Einas Mansour	Women Voice	Community Press
Eisha Joudeh	Al Shorooq Center	Community Press
Haneen Othman	Doha Media Center	Community Press
Hiba Al-Efrangy	Russia Today	Television
Hiba Al-Haj	Doha Media Center	Community Press
Iman Jum’a	Al-Waha Media Production	Television
Islam Al-Astal	Women Voice	Community Press
Mona Zaqqout	Alwan	Radio
Naeima Al-Habbash	Maan	News Agency
Nehal Seiam	Young Journalist Club	Community Press
Nesma AL-Sheikh ALi	Russia Today	Television
Nisreen Al-Razany	Sudan TV	Television
Omaima Abdel-Eilah	PJS	Community Press
Rania Enshasy	Xinhua	News Agency
Samah Al-Mozaiien	Pro Eavnet	Television
Tasneem Al-Zaiian	Doha Media Center	Community Press

Total of 11 participants secured permanent at the end of the project