LEGAL AND POLITICAL EDUCATION THROUGH

Internews is working with Geo TV to produce a prime-time television series focusing on human rights, rule of law and legal education.

Internews is helping produce a 15-part television series in association with Geo TV, Pakistan’s biggest and most popular private TV channel. Geo TV is the country’s most daring station, willing to take editorial risks and to ask questions never before posed on Pakistani television.

The Urdu-language program is the first of its kind in Pakistan, with its focus on rule of law and human rights issues. The project is a joint endeavor of Internews and Geo TV, with shared responsibilities and costs.


The program series:
highlights stories that affect the lives of people in Pakistan, rather than official press releases
stresses facts, understanding, and analysis over propaganda
functions as a vehicle to train TV reporters in impartial, balanced journalism
produces stories on a regular basis about legal and human rights at present rarely covered on Pakistani TV


While TV channels in Pakistan like Geo have been engaged in interesting and refreshing studio-based debates, no station has been producing in-depth stories about people in their own communities because they lack the technical expertise and the experience to shoot longer-format television stories.
Internews has trained Geo TV staff to produce a program for which cameramen shoot proper sequences and reporters write to pictures and use character development as part of their stories.
The project has trained professional staff at Geo TV in the principles of impartial journalism and the techniques of magazine format production.





Training Focus


The training consisted of the following:


Practical sessions where journalists, camera people and tape editors produced news stories with guidance from international trainers
Field production, narrative film technique, journalistic ethics, investigative and research techniques, interviewing, and studio production skills


Internews held two formal training sessions at its Islamabad office for Geo using outside production and journalism specialists, and will mentor and monitor the program throughout the project.
The program is 30 minutes in length and has a TV news magazine format, including a mix of field reporting, documentary, interviews, studio discussions, and commentary.


Internews contribution:


Training for Geo TV staff via intensive production and journalism seminars and ongoing consultation
Production consultants advise on program design, program content, journalistic technique, and video production technique
Funding to cover salaries of some key staff
Funding for field production, travel, and communications


Geo TV contribution:


Airtime
Production and administration staff
TV production equipment
Studio space and equipment
Administrative support and resources

Top

Evaluation Plan, Outputs and Outcomes


Using the data and analysis from this project, the following anticipated outputs and outcomes will be measured:


Output:


A total of 15 editions of a 30-minute prime-time program focusing on human rights and rule of law televised on Pakistan’s most popular television channel.


Anticipated Outcomes:


Improved skills of Pakistani TV journalists and producers in field reporting and in-depth TV journalism
More open discussion and awareness of formerly taboo subjects
Improved public understanding of rule of law and human rights issues
Improved capacity of TV to focus on rights and rule of law issues

Background
Internews is implementing a $1.3m media development program funded by DRL and spread over October 2005-March-2007 (18 months) across Pakistan to train journalists to cover critical human rights, rule of law, and election issues facing the country through practical training, support for innovative TV and radio programming, and a legal resource center to provide expert advice and small grants.
The project will also expand the capacity of independent media in Pakistan through expert advice and advocacy in media law and regulation, and monitoring of freedom of expression issues by Internews and its local broadcast and university partners. Proposed activities will accomplish the following:
Help Pakistan 's most courageous broadcaster – Geo TV – to create Pakistan 's first-ever TV program focused on rule of law, human rights, and legal education;
Train journalists in legal and political reporting to improve journalistic coverage and public knowledge on political and legal issues, with a focus on coverage of elections, courts, and the legislative process;
Train journalists at nongovernmental radio stations in human rights, rule of law issues, investigative journalism, and supporting local programming on those topics;
Support the women's production studio and program, Meri Awaz Suno (Hear My Voice), to produce radio programming on socio-economic and women's issues;
Train journalists and journalism students from Tribal Areas to produce radio news programs, together with Peshawar University;
Create a resource center that supports rule of law reporting with expertise and small grants, and serves as a monitor and source of expertise on media rights and media development.
The project supports the following DRL goals in Pakistan :
1) Build capacity of independent media through a focus on investigative journalism;
2) Promote rule of law through support for human rights and legal aid activities and clinics with civil society organizations, including media, political parties, and rights organizations; and
3) Strengthen freedom of expression by monitoring media freedoms and their violations.

source:http://www.internews.org.pk/