According to the Government of Jordan, “rapidly expanding population, industrial pollution, wildlife hunting and habitat loss due to development” pose a serious threat to water quality, wildlife, and its land. As the government states, “A true foundation of environmental protection requires awareness upon the part of the population…” IREX began an effort to address the environment through a special Environmental Reporting Strengthening Program, which included training for journalists and journalism students and an awards program for environment reporting. As a result, stories about the environment in the Jordanian press more than quadrupled since the project was launched in May 2008, according to the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) [6].
RSCN, as part of an IREX grant for its Environmental Reporting Strengthening Program, and in conjunction with KIA Motors, announced an environmental reporting competition at a ceremony in October. The ceremony marked the completion of the program’s three-month training component. HRH Princess Rym Ali presented certificates to the students who completed the program and will chair the jury that will judge the award submissions. RSCN is a nonprofit organization devoted to the protection and care of Jordan’s flora, fauna, and land through research, environmental education, and training, among other conservation activities.
The award consists of two categories: print and online media, and a specialized student category. The first prize for the professional print/online category is a weeklong study tour to KIA Motors’ hybrid technology development facilities in North America, Europe, or Korea. Eligible entries for the professional category will include articles published from February 2007 to February 2009. An award ceremony is expected to be held in March 2009 at the Wild Jordan Nature Center. In addition to the study tour, second and third prizes for the professional category will be reporting equipment valued at about $3,000. First and second prizes for the student category will include electronic equipment totaling around $2,000. The deadline for entries is February 15, 2009. The winner will be announced in early March.
The training component of IREX’s program consisted of three months of classroom and field-based training for more than 20 professional Jordanian journalists and media and journalism students from three universities. Combining journalism training with presentations by experts in environmental issues, the program aims to develop a network of media professionals in Jordan who specialize in environmental reporting and to increase visibility of environment related issues in the local media
This initiative is part of IREX’s USAID-funded Jordan Media Strengthening Program [7], which works with media outlets, training institutes, journalism faculties, and media NGOs to improve the professionalism and sustainability of the Jordanian media sector.
