NMDC’s 88th Training: Local Reporters Inspired

Training on: Reporting Disaster & Reconstruction 4 – 8 November 2015 (18 – 22 Kattik 2072) Bidur, Nuwakot

National Media Development Center (NMDC) organized five days journalism training on Reporting Disaster & Reconstruction in in Nuwakot supported by the U.S. Embassy Kathmandu. Seventeen-17 young working reporters including 14 girls actively participated in training and gained reporting skill on the theme of disaster and reconstruction. Two of the girls were from Rasuwa district. All participant reporters were from FM radio stations, daily and weekly newspapers and local Trishuli TV Channel.

In the five days sessions, they had gained theoretical knowledge about basic reporting tools of journalism including news, elements of news, sources of news and basic knowledge of disaster, pre-disaster, during disaster, post disaster and reconstruction reporting. In the training technical idea about multimedia use was also discussed and practiced. Other topics included were: policies of the government, what the journalists should do and what not during disaster reporting? What are the challenges to the journalists while reporting on disaster? Do the reporters have basic knowledge on the use of multimedia?

 

In this training, they also gained practical skill on photography and video. They engaged actively in practical sessions. The sessions mainly were- presentation, group field reporting, discussions on several issues, presentations on different topics, writing news on disaster and rebuilding, issue identification, sketching maps, visit Google mapmaker,  photography, and taking video clips for the preparation of news stories.

Group work, field reporting, news writing, issue identification and Google map and photography were important practical sessions of the training.

The participants of Nuwakot were relatively unaware of the google map as they had not used frequently, so the session had become interesting for them. For all participants, the training became inspiring to sharpen their reporting skill.  At the end of the five days training, they had become confidence to prepare a good news in different topics. They became able to identify several post disaster issues that were not raised before. The field reporting assignment encouraged them that ‘reporting should be based on facts.’  Four groups had presented their stories on four different themes. The topics were:

Group	Name of Participants	Topic
A.	Nawaraj Subedi, Gopiram Adhikari, Anita Adhikari,       Lalita Khati Krishna Khadka	Situation of victims after disaster
B.	Saraswati Neupane, Pabina Shyangba, Shakti Maya Tamang, Rina Khanal	Physical situation of school building of Bidur
C.	Rupa Aryal, Samjhana Upreti, Purnima Shyangba, Kamala Magarati	Encroachment of public land by the victims
D.	Hari Bogati, Jamuna Gajurel, Alisha Ale Magar, Kopila Tamang	Post disaster health situation in Nuwakot district

 

 

Other issues they had identified during training sessions were:

1. Encroachment of forest in the district after disaster,
2. Problem in recognizing of real victims in relief distribution
3. Rising pain of victims during festivals
4. Reconstruction work in shadow
5. No distribution of committed relief amount by the government
6. No attention to renovate historical sites of the districts
7. Policy of the government to build new  public buildings not declared
8. Technical study of the suspension bridges in the districts
9. Unequal distribution of relief
10. Lack of food and shelter to pregnant women
11. No relief distribution in the remote villages of the district
12. Security of children and women
13. Lack of drinking water-Rasuwa

Victims of remote villages of Rasuwa have not received relief. Situation of women, old aged people and children-Rasuwa

1. Reconstruction work in Rasuwa not started
2. Bad condition of health service in the district-Rasuwa
3. Education of children in remote villages of Rasuwa
4. No room/place to store harvested paddy both in Rasuwa and Nuwakot

Achievements:

What the participants learned from the five days training?

• “I learned that we should practice journalism following basic tools of journalism. Before this, we were doing journalism without knowing basic journalistic skills. This training encouraged me to do professional journalism,” Hari Bogati
• ‘We learned how to take photo, how to put heading of news and code of conduct for journalists’ Lalita Khati.
• ‘Training encouraged me to be responsible journalist’- Ram Krishna Khadka
• ‘This training provided me clear idea about the role of journalists whether it may be in disaster reporting or in other reporting’ Pabina Syangba
• I learned different ideas to write news during disaster-Anita Adhikari

 

Brief inaugural and closing sessions were held in the first and last day of the training. Chief District Officer Umesh Prasad Dhakal had inaugurated the five days training. At both sessions, senior journalists of the districts, Chief of different media houses were present.

On behalf of NMDC, FNJ and the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Bishnu P Sharma (Executive Director, NMDC) had welcomed the participants and guests and had highlighted the theme, contents and methodology of the five days training. President of FNJ Nuwakot Prakash Adhikari had chaired both sessions. He also distributed the participation certificates. At the end of the session, Executive Director had thanked U.S. Embassy Kathmandu for their support and FNJ Nuwakot for their coordination.

In the training, Trainer Laxman Adhikari, and trainer Sujit Kayastha had facilitated in five  day’s sessions. Narayan Prasad Risal, LDO of Nuwakot and Bishnu P Sharma of NMDC had also presented in the training.

It was the third training of the year 2014-2015 (Fifth Phase) focused on disaster reporting and reconstruction organized in association with the U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu. First training was organized in Dadhing whereas the second was organized in Kavrepalanchowk in Sept. 2015.

In first phase 2010-2011, NMDC had organized trainings in Doti, Parbat, Dolakha, and Panchthar districts focusing to women journalists. Similarly, in second phase year 2011-2012 remote districts such as Humla, Gulmi and Rasuwa were covered.

And, in third phase 2012-2013 trainings were conducted in Rolpa, Dolpa and Bhojpur. Districts Udayapur, Jumla and Salyan were selected for 2013-14. NMDC is the pioneer media training organization of Nepal. Training organized in Nuwakot was the 88^th training organized in 66^th out of 75 district of Nepal. In total, 2156 (925 female) participants have participated in the training of NMDC including Nuwakot.