The Thimpu workshop deliberates on how journalists can better report on situations of crisis. @ICRC

Across the globe, the ICRC organises workshops for local journalists to raise awareness on the important role of the media in reporting during emergencies. Recently, one such workshop was organised in Thimpu in collaboration with the Journalists’ Association of Bhutan. The day- long workshop which was the first of its kind to be organized by the ICRC in Bhutan, deliberated in great detail on how journalists can better report on situations of crisis.

Titled ‘Ethics of reporting   in   situations of emergencies/natural disasters’, it was attended by more than 50 participants, including working journalists, students from media schools, information officers and government officials. The workshop was inaugurated by Bhutan’s Information and Communication Minister, Mr Lyonpo D N Dungyel. “We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. So, it is our preparedness and readiness that counts,” he said on the occasion.

The workshop had two technical sessions. In the first young journalists were given an insight into the work of the ICRC around the world and exposed to how respect for, and understanding of International Humanitarian Law is crucial while reporting from conflict zones. The second session focussed on the “dos and don’ts” of reportage when covering emergencies. In India, for the past several years, with the help of ICRC’s workshops, journalists have enhanced their skills in reporting accurately on humanitarian issues.