By Vestnik Kavkaza
In Moscow the International Media School for young journalists from Russia, the Baltic States, Central Asia and the South Caucasus has ended. The aim of the project was to promote the professional levels of young members of the media, as well as supporting information exchange between former Soviet countries. The participants had the opportunity to visit the Media School workshops and master classes of leading Russian journalists and experts.
Tina Kandelaki, Russian journalist and TV host, who gave a master-class, told Vestnik Kavkaza that she thinks the format of the Media School is a good platform for personal communications on professional issues: “Personal contacts are necessary. It is necessary to divide people into groups to work out programs with them, and it is necessary at the end that each of them has their own road map, 'So I spoke with someone and realized that I have problems that I have to fight. Here are my strong sides, I have to develop them. Here is my road map for a year, what goals I want to achieve and what qualities I lack to achieve them. I'll add them'."
Within the framework of the Media School a presentation of the information and analytical agency Vestnik Kavkaza was made by the Russian historian, the Director General of Vestnik Kavkaza, Ismail Agakishiyev:“Unfortunately, the Caucasus is badly known in the US and Europe, as well as the Caspian region. Therefore, based on the fact that there is much in common culturally, historically and economically, we are talking about the whole Caucasus region. Russia is a Caucasian country, because the North Caucasus has been a part of Russia. For 200 years the South Caucasus was a part of Russia. But today, if we are going to compare today's generation to the generation that existed in the 19th century, I mean the older generation of Pushkin and Lermontov with today's generation, unfortunately the attitude towards and the information about the Caucasus today are much less, far less, I would say ambiguously, of what existed at that time… The fact that today, despite two centuries of history, nothing is known here about the proper level of the Caucasus, proving once again that we need to write about the realities that exist in the economy, politics and culture, and talk about it out loud.”
During the work of the school there was a round-up of results and awarding of prizes to the winners of the contest of journalistic essays conducted among young journalists of Transcaucasia. The Media School's participants shared their impressions with Vestnik Kavkaza.
“A very rich program. The main plus and advantage of the school, in my opinion, is that all the lecturers and speakers constructed their speeches in dialogue form,” Elvira Vizgeym says.
“It is a unique opportunity to get acquainted with very well-known journalists and media professionals who share their experience with us. We, the younger generation of journalists today, really need the older generation to share their knowledge and skills with us,” Jamila Alekperova thinks.
“All two days have been very busy and interesting. It is rare to encounter such a concentration of interesting, educated people who deal with not only journalism, but with international relations,” Denis Kurgannikov states.
“The program is very interesting and the opportunity to talk and listen to the most educated, the most intelligent, the most famous Russian people, journalists – it is worth a lot, because it's not every day you meet with maîtres of Russian journalism,” Marianne Kotova shares her impressions.
