Young journalists learn about investigative reporting during an OSCE-supported study visit to Tbilisi

OSCE Mission to Moldova organised a study visit to Georgia for a group of six young journalists from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River on 5-8 December 2017. During the two-day trip they learned about how investigative reporting projects work in practice, as well as about the local media environment and legal framework.

The participants met representatives of various Tbilisi-based media organizations and outlets, as well as media experts and journalists. They learned about media situation and investigative reporting in Georgia, and challenges local journalists face in their work. Moldovan journalists also learned from their Georgian peers why data matters, how investigative reporting functions in practice and about successful collaborative reporting projects involving journalists from different regions.

“This visit has had a positive impact on me,” said Victoria Ciumac, a young journalist that took part in the study visit. “I now better understand the work of investigative journalists and the importance of supportive media legislation as in Georgia. Journalists from Moldova can learn from Georgian colleagues how investigative reporting can trigger positive changes and greater accountability in the society.”

The study visit is part of the “Building Confidence across the Media Divide” Project implemented by the Mission this year. The aim of the project is to build confidence and provide opportunities for future co-operation between journalists and future journalists on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River. The young journalists that took part in the study visit are the six best participants in the workshop on investigative journalism held by the Mission in October under the said project.