Journalists' Training on Public Interest Reporting

Fair representation of vulnerable and marginalized communities in news media can be a gamechanger as it transforms vulnerability into visibility, visibility into accountability and accountability into justice. For the community, representation is not just about visibility, but a path to justice, dignity and accountability. For this reason, journalists should come forward and craft public interest stories, particularly focusing on the rights of the vulnerable communities to draw the authorities' attention and district correspondents are in the best position to do that. Keeping that in mind, MRDI organized a three-day training for 12 district-level journalists from national news outlets. The training aimed to strengthen their skills in quality/in-depth/investigative journalism, equips them with modern tools & techniques that can amplify the voices of vulnerable communities to hold the authorities accountable. A team of expert journalists facilitated the training sessions helping participants to conceptualize the issues and dive deeper. After the training each participant was awarded with a two-month mentorship support to produce stories on critical public interest issues highlighting systemic gaps and responsibilities of authorities ensuring that no one is left behind.