OSCE Centre supports development of journalism education in Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, 21 February 2014 – Innovative methods of teaching contemporary journalism were in focus of a two-day OSCE-organized seminar that concluded in Ashgabat today.

The seminar aimed to share best practices in teaching journalism and modernizing curricula for journalism departments at higher education institutions. It was attended by journalism instructors from the Magtymguly Turkmen State University, the Institute of International Relations of Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry and the National Institute of Sports and Tourism of the State Committee for Tourism and Sports of Turkmenistan.

"The seminar builds on the successful co-operation between the OSCE Centre and Turkmenistan in the area of media development and we are committed to continuing and expanding this co-operation in order to address different aspects of journalism education,” said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

The seminar participants discussed professional and social functions of modern journalism, the impact of changing media technologies on journalism work and specifics of teaching online journalism. Modern trends of international journalism as well as practical aspects of teaching journalism and mass communications were also among the topics discussed.

“New technologies unite people in a dense media family, and make our world smaller and smaller in information and communication terms,” said Yaroslav Skvortsov, Dean of International Journalism Department at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, who conducted the seminar. “The seminar provided a forum for the exchange of professional views on the latest global developments, and the role of journalism in the contemporary world.”