Iraq: Feb ‘09
IWPR radio programme provides coverage of provincial elections.
Iraq: Feb ‘09
IWPR radio programme provides coverage of provincial elections.
IWPR Iraq’s radio division in February was abuzz with the production of regular news programming, as well as plans to launch new partnerships with local radio stations.
For the first ten days of the month, IWPR Iraq’s Metro Radio programme generated coverage related to provincial elections, which was aired daily on popular Iraqi station Radio Nawa. The IWPR Iraq team spent the latter half of February establishing agreements to cooperate with independent radio stations in several provinces.
Below, senior local trainer and producer Ayub Nuri gives his account of the developments.
“To produce Iraq’s Metro Radio programmes, I contacted reporters I had trained four years ago at IWPR to cover election-related events in their provinces.
“I talked through story ideas with the reporters, and made certain that they did not start working on a story without first getting the green light from me.
“This process helped train the reporters on how to pitch ideas professionally to an editor in a studio.
“Ali Alaq, a journalist based in the city of Kut in southern Iraq, told me that working with IWPR’s radio project was enjoyable because he learned how to discuss different angles on a topic.
“‘I’ve done print stories in the past for other agencies and they would only want the written material from me,’ Ali told me.
“‘But I learned that with radio, you always need to have a conversation on the topic before you start anything.’
“I also gave the reporters deadlines and emphasised how important these were.
“This was vital during the election coverage because we had to produce a daily show, but it was also an important lesson for the journalists in general.
“I saw that in many cases, reporters do not understand or respect deadlines, and that training is needed to change this mindset.
“Ali said it was one of the most important things he learned while covering the elections.
“‘I learned to send the sound files on time and I also learned how to put together a radio story in the time-frame assigned to me,’ Ali told me.
“Apart from reporters on the ground, I worked with a five-member staff in the studio. Four were staffers from Radio Nawa while the other, Hisham Muhammad Ali, a journalist from Mosul, had no radio experience whatsoever.
“Hisham shadowed me for 20 days, learning how to edit radio scripts, produce sound pieces and help out on readings in the studio.
“At the end of the project, Hisham said he believed he had learned more than anyone else, including writing radio scripts, editing and using sound-editing software.
“‘I appreciate the fact that I learned so much about radio – to the point that I can help set up a radio station,’ he told me.
“The journalists worked outside of their cities to give them a fresh perspective, as many had not further afield. It also spiced up our news coverage of the elections.
“I sent a reporter in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s home town, to a remote village where journalists don’t normally go. He met a number of the villagers – men, women and students – who discussed their views on the provincial councils.
“I sent another reporter in Hilla in southern Iraq to a small town called Qasim where he met the residents angry that candidates had courted them during the elections and then ignored them after the polls.
“One difficulty we had in producing a daily show with trainee journalists was that we had to air stories quickly. In a weekly or biweekly format, trainers could work more closely with trainees and provide additional feedback.
“IWPR Iraq radio is currently planning to produce more broad-based stories and to partner with independent radio stations throughout Iraq.
“In February, I researched potential partners nationwide.
“I brought six representatives of radio stations to our offices in Sulaimaniyah, where we agreed to develop a network of stations that will share programming.
“Seven local stations have agreed to air IWPR’s radio programmes when we begin producing new stories in May.”
For the first ten days of the month, IWPR Iraq’s Metro Radio programme generated coverage related to provincial elections, which was aired daily on popular Iraqi station Radio Nawa. The IWPR Iraq team spent the latter half of February establishing agreements to cooperate with independent radio stations in several provinces.
Below, senior local trainer and producer Ayub Nuri gives his account of the developments.
“To produce Iraq’s Metro Radio programmes, I contacted reporters I had trained four years ago at IWPR to cover election-related events in their provinces.
“I talked through story ideas with the reporters, and made certain that they did not start working on a story without first getting the green light from me.
“This process helped train the reporters on how to pitch ideas professionally to an editor in a studio.
“Ali Alaq, a journalist based in the city of Kut in southern Iraq, told me that working with IWPR’s radio project was enjoyable because he learned how to discuss different angles on a topic.
“‘I’ve done print stories in the past for other agencies and they would only want the written material from me,’ Ali told me.
“‘But I learned that with radio, you always need to have a conversation on the topic before you start anything.’
“I also gave the reporters deadlines and emphasised how important these were.
“This was vital during the election coverage because we had to produce a daily show, but it was also an important lesson for the journalists in general.
“I saw that in many cases, reporters do not understand or respect deadlines, and that training is needed to change this mindset.
“Ali said it was one of the most important things he learned while covering the elections.
“‘I learned to send the sound files on time and I also learned how to put together a radio story in the time-frame assigned to me,’ Ali told me.
“Apart from reporters on the ground, I worked with a five-member staff in the studio. Four were staffers from Radio Nawa while the other, Hisham Muhammad Ali, a journalist from Mosul, had no radio experience whatsoever.
“Hisham shadowed me for 20 days, learning how to edit radio scripts, produce sound pieces and help out on readings in the studio.
“At the end of the project, Hisham said he believed he had learned more than anyone else, including writing radio scripts, editing and using sound-editing software.
“‘I appreciate the fact that I learned so much about radio – to the point that I can help set up a radio station,’ he told me.
“The journalists worked outside of their cities to give them a fresh perspective, as many had not further afield. It also spiced up our news coverage of the elections.
“I sent a reporter in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s home town, to a remote village where journalists don’t normally go. He met a number of the villagers – men, women and students – who discussed their views on the provincial councils.
“I sent another reporter in Hilla in southern Iraq to a small town called Qasim where he met the residents angry that candidates had courted them during the elections and then ignored them after the polls.
“One difficulty we had in producing a daily show with trainee journalists was that we had to air stories quickly. In a weekly or biweekly format, trainers could work more closely with trainees and provide additional feedback.
“IWPR Iraq radio is currently planning to produce more broad-based stories and to partner with independent radio stations throughout Iraq.
“In February, I researched potential partners nationwide.
“I brought six representatives of radio stations to our offices in Sulaimaniyah, where we agreed to develop a network of stations that will share programming.
“Seven local stations have agreed to air IWPR’s radio programmes when we begin producing new stories in May.”
