November was almost like a month of holidays! Five holidays in one month, but a lot was accomplished …

Reporter’s Handbook / Training Manual

ICFJ rolled out a new book: “Journalism in Timor-Leste: A Reporter’s Handbook” by Chloe Adams, with contributions from members of the Journalism Training of Trainers program. This manual for journalism trainers contains lots of examples of Timorese stories and uses extensive material from the “Journalism Training of Trainers” (JTOT) sessions held twice-weekly at ICFJ.

The book focuses on areas such as lead writing, story interest, clarity, accuracy, story background, interviewing and more. There is also a section on radio journalism.

Ms Adams was the lead trainer for most of the TOT sessions, with support from trainers Marianne Kearney and Budi Setyo.

Nearly 40 people, mostly journalists, attended the book launch on November 23rd. Speakers included Chris Crawford, the political and economic officer at the U.S. Embassy; Darian Clark of AusAID; Charles Rice of ICFJ; Chloe Adams; and Eileen Derby of USAID. This was also a farewell event for Ms Adams and Ms Derby: Ms Adams is returning to her home in Melbourne, and Ms Derby will be heading to her next assignment – in Iraq.

Competency Exams

ICFJ launched a second round of competency exams for JTOTs on November 18th and 25th. All eleven TOTs took the exam which covered a variety of topics, including lead writing, accuracy and interviewing. Initial results indicate that most of the original group of TOTs scored very well. The five new TOTs, who joined the program in September 2010, also did well, but there are areas where they will need further work. The original group will graduate from the JTOT program in December and will begin to conduct trainings in Dili and at the regional media houses.

The new group of TOTs will continue to attend twice-weekly classes at ICFJ – they will be trained by the older group of TOTs. ICFJ’s Frances Suni, who has a degree in journalism, will oversee the training.

The National Press Center

Ground was broken on the National Press Center site in late November. The NPC will house offices for the four TL Journalism Associations and the Syndicate of Journalists. The facility will also have a training room. The NPC is being constructed near the center of Dili. It is ICFJ’s first venture into the construction business; the project is being guided by Operations Manager Fernando da Silva and his staff. By the end of November, the perimeter of the foundation was beginning to take shape.

Printing Press

The Timor Post launched its Sunday edition on November 28th and with it – its first color edition! The launch coincided with the marking of Timor-Leste’s 35 years of independence from Portugal. The paper was printed on the printing press that ICFJ set up in August. Timor Post is one of three local newspaper partners on this project.

Media Law Trainings (Baucau, Ermera and Dili)

The media law team was busy in November. It conducted an information session for the Trainers of Trainers in Dili on the contents of the Journalism Association of Timor-Leste’s (AJTL) Code of Ethics. This was a hot topic for journalists in Timor-Leste, as the week before the Secretary of State had hosted a one-day workshop on the Code of Ethics with the aim of consulting journalists on the content of the Code. Many journalists were concerned about what particular provisions of the Code would mean for their day-to-day work. Our media lawyer Sarah Harmelink explained the provisions and provided examples from Australia of how this affects reporting.

On November 18th and 19th, the media law team travelled to the Media House in Baucau to conduct a two-day training with journalists from Baucau, Viqueque and Los Palos districts on their responsibilities under the Code of Ethics. This training was attended by ten participants. Otelio Ote from KOLKOS, the Commission for Social Communication Legislation, also attended the training and provided useful background to the journalists on the historical development of this document. Ms Harmelink then went on to describe each of the provisions of the Code and gave examples of how this affects how they go about their jobs.

The media law team then went to the Media House in Ermera on November 22nd for a one-day training session with journalists from the Ermera district, consisting of ten participants. Our media law coordinator Francisco Pinto led the discussion among the local journalists and emphasized to them that this was part of a consultative process in the development of a Code for all journalists of Timor-Leste. Also in attendance at the training was Francisco da Silva, a member of KOLKOS, who provided background to the development of the Code and relevant examples of how the Code affects the profession of journalism. The media law coordinator ensured that all of the participants contributed to the discussion of the Code and that they understood each of the provisions before moving on with the training.

UNTL Exams

The 140 or so Social Communications students were busy in November preparing for and then taking final exams. Seven courses were offered this semester – including a writing class, theories of news, theories of communication, the history of media and history of the 20th century.

In January, ICFJ, in partnership with the National University, will offer eleven Social Communications courses.

Meet the Press

The November edition of Meet the Press focused on the eviction notices given to residents living near the Presidential Palace. Members of the community argue the notices are being delivered in Portuguese and that most people can’t read them. More than a dozen journalists and 14 community members attended the program. The guest speakers included community coordinators and an independent expert on the issue. The Minister of Justice was also invited; in the end she did not however attend the meeting.

ICFJ’s Steering Committee

The Steering Committee meets each month, usually the first Wednesday of the month. The committee provides valuable input into how our projects are run.