Anadolu Agency teaches survival to media professionals

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s leading news agency, provides war journalism training to international media workers with an aim of teaching journalists to survive in crises and under extraordinary conditions.

As part of the 15th term of war journalism training in coordination with the Turkish Police Academy and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Anadolu Agency's News Academy is providing instruction to 21 journalists from 11 countries in a 12-day program that includes practical training and involves experts on war and counter-terrorism.

The program includes 78 hours of physical exercises in the field, 20 hours of theoretical study and 14 hours of night camping.

Held with the assistance of Turkey’s Security Directorate General, Disaster Management Agency (AFAD) and Turkish Armed Forces, the program includes Arabic as a language of instruction for the first time since it launched in 2012 to enhance the skills of media professionals to operate in war-prone regions.

Along with the training provided to Anadolu Agency employees, the News Academy has provided war journalism training for nearly 350 foreign media members from 32 different countries.

The participants are made to experience the risks they might encounter on the field, with the use of live ammunition and real equipment.

- Real feedback from operational field

"First of all, we determine what kind of professionals will receive the courses and at what level," a Turkish police officer who trained the journalists told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

He underlined that the courses were given under certain laws, directives and curricula determined by the Police Academy, adding that the training included physical intervention as well as the use of non-firearm weapons.

"We are currently providing one-day training [for close defense techniques]. In fact, a single day of training would [normally] have to last for at least a week, while it would take two weeks to reach a more professional level," the officer said.

Since journalists cannot bear arms, the Police Academy provides defense training to the media workers, he said.

The officer said they also taught journalists techniques to deal with criminals and rules of approaching and decapacitating them if the need arises.

Recalling that he also provided defense courses to Qatari police, the officer said there were no language barriers between the trainers and participants due to well-coordinated translation services provided by the organizers.

Jana Dhaybi, 26, a participant from Lebanon with five years of experience in journalism, told Anadolu Agency that war journalism training was very important for her since she comes from a war-torn part of the world.

"This type of training is a serious necessity because there is constant war in our region," she said.

Dhaybi said she hoped more training programs would be held and that their content would continue to be improved, adding that such programs provided a lot of "good and useful" information for media professionals.

"I advise my friends who are interested or involved in war journalism to take this training because it is indeed a program that has acquired an international dimension," she said.

Yazan Taha, a 36-year-old journalist from Palestine who has been practicing journalism for 14 years, told Anadolu Agency that the program helped learn how to intervene in large-scale public events such as protests and demonstrations as well as how to protect themselves if they came under attack.

"This training is what we need and is essential for the region," Taha said, adding that it provided very useful information, both theoretical and practical.

He stressed the importance of theoretical knowledge about international laws of war and those related to refugees and asylum seekers.

"This information is very important for us since we live in Palestine. We have learned theoretical knowledge about which concepts to apply and how to choose terminology in a better and reliable way if invading Israel wants to carry out an operation," Taha said.

He said he hoped the program would continue, adding the language barrier was not an obstacle.

"The interpreters were very helpful. We did not get any sense of difficulty for being a foreigner."

- Training unique in terms of scope and quality

"The war journalism training [program] organized by the News Academy is one-of-a-kind in the world with its scope and quality," said Cihangir Isbilir, director of the Anadolu Agency News Academy.

Isbilir underlined that Anadolu Agency updated and renewed its training program in accordance to changes conditions of war, conflict, terror, disasters and emergency situations, adding that it developed the training system for all situations that a reporter may encounter in the operation field.

"We provide war journalism training to serve peace journalism," he noted.

"Our goal is to provide the highest level of security of the reporter's life while ensuring that they fulfill their tasks in the best way possible," he said.

Underlining that journalism is a "very risky profession", Isbilir said it was absolutely dangerous for reporters who had not received this training to go to places under extraordinary conditions.

Every year, dozens of journalists are killed, kidnapped, taken hostage or injured, he said.

"We are happy to see that our journalist friends who have received this international training are performing their duties more safely and successfully."

Noting an unfortunate increase in the number of conflict and emergencies, Isbilir said demand for the training came from all over the world.

At the end of the training, successful journalists will be handed internationally recognized merit certificates.