journalism

What was true for me as a teenager in Missouri, I know also to be true for high school students in China: The best teachers are the teachers who let go. Through the Student Journalism in China program, students have developed the critical thinking they need to become active, engaged citizens, and behind these students are confident teachers.

Ten years ago, Vesna Dobrosavljevic was a budding Serbian radio journalist enrolled in the IREX Summer School for radio production in Kotor, Montenegro.  Today, she is the information and business website editor for B92 Radio (Serbia’s leading independent news outlet) and more importantly, a qualified trainer herself lending expertise to the next generation of Serbian journalists.

As IREX launches its Promoting New Media and Media Convergence in Russia program, examples of how new media is changing the nature of communications and media continually appear. The new generation of Russians is completely entrenched in new media and is now learning how to influence public opinion (both in good and not so good ways) in the country.

Annie Curran is a senior at Annandale High School and the Editor-in-Chief of its newspaper. This past summer, she and five other Annandale students traveled to Lanzhou, China, to participate in an IREX journalism program with 100 of their Chinese peers.

My high school is extremely diverse, which has afforded me the opportunity to learn about a variety of different cultures. I had never traveled out of the country, which is why I was so excited about this opportunity.

Ali Al-Mutlbi, IREX’s Senior Media Coordinator based in Najaf, tells us about a local newspaper salesman trying to make ends meet selling papers on the street in a post-Saddam Iraq. The story reflects the difficulties facing many Iraqis today. For those seeking to help develop a vibrant media sector in Iraq, it reminds us that the media is more than journalism, but rather helps generate income for many people up and down the economic ladder.

As I read earlier this week about the United Arab Emirates’ decision to bar the use of BlackBerry’s data services, I was reminded of why the work we do in IREX’s media development division is so important. Access to information is critical whether you’re in an international business hub like Dubai, or living in a remote village in sub-Saharan Africa.