A four-day workshop for Pakistan’s women television journalists and funded by the UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) has kicked-off on 10 April, and will last until 13 April, in Karachi. A total of 17 journalists working for different TV channels take part in the workshop, with the main objective to strengthen their professional capacity in news gathering and news productions.

A number of important aspects in television news production are touched upon and discussed during the workshop, that include – among others — brief history of the media, the characteristic of state versus private television channels, the importance of the credibility of journalists and anchors, newsroom cycle, news gathering. These subject matters are delivered by various instructors who have long-time experience as TV news journalists.

One of the instructors, Ms. Muniba Gull, a senior producer with Star Asia News TV channel, gave presentation on the media status in Pakistan, including the difference between state and private news television channels. She also talked about biased and unbiased reporting, journalist and anchor credibility.

Another trainer, Mr. Kavi Shankar, Assignment Editor of Dawn News TV, touched upon the issues of basic elements of news, types of news, as well as news gathering and news formation. The relevance of media ethics were also covered during the first day of the workshop.

Giving a brief introduction at the inaugural session of the workshop, Ms. Fauzia Shaheen, Executive Director of Women Media Centre (WMC) of Pakistan, an organization acting as UNESCO’s partner in implementing the workshop, explained to the participants that IPDC is the only multilateral forum in the UN system designed to mobilize the international community to discuss and promote media development in developing countries. The Program not only provides support for media projects but also seeks an accord to secure a healthy environment for the growth of free and pluralistic media in development countries.

During the rest three days of this training course, producers, news anchors, news directors, copy editors, cameramen working with different news TV channels will come to share their expertise & professional tips with the workshop participants.

The Karachi workshop is the first of the total six similar workshops that are organized between now and September 2013 in six different major cities of Pakistan, namely Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad and Islamabad.