I’ve just been back on the training road – spending a week in Armenia, training journalists in conflict reporting. It was one of those trips that really opened my eyes. Not only it is a while since I’ve done training – thanks to pandemic and being on contract at the BBC for a year – but Armenia is one of those places, with one of those long-running conflicts, that we rarely hear much about.
In September, it was suddenly in the news, when Azerbaijan seized the mountainous area of Nagorno-Karabakh, prompting tens of thousands of ethnic Armenian refugees to flood out. But then the violence in the Middle east started, and the world’s attention turned away again. But for Armenia, it’s been a really difficult time.
Even for me, with my experience of intractable conflicts over tiny pieces of land like Northern Ireland, the battle for Nagorno Karabakh seems complicated. It’s a small mountainous province, not even two thousand square miles in size. It’s geographically in Azerbaijan and considered by the world to be a part of that country. But Armenia says ethnic Armenians have always lived there, surviving under many different regimes. It was linked to Armenia by a road, the Lachin corridor, but as long ago as last December, Azerbaijan started limiting access along the road, effectively blockading much needed supplies of food and medicine to the Armenian community. Then in September, Azeris troops launched a lightning strike, and seized the territory. They assured the Armenian population they were safe to stay, but all 110,000 residents left. For 35 years, since the break-up of the Soviet Union, they’d tried to establish their own republic of Artsakh, the medieval name for the territory. Now it looks as if that struggle is over – and Armenia is coming to terms with the loss of a territory they’ve already fought two wars over, plus the influx of thousands of refugees.
For my purposes, in planning the training, not only does this present challenges for the media, but some of the journalists on the course had actually come from the region themselves. Their stories of covering the conflict, and in some cases, even taking up arms, made for an informative teaching experience. They were an incredibly sharp bunch. Many had strong English skills and international media experience; some were students. But the group bonded well.
I also worked with them on thinking about using theories of constructive journalism to cover the conflict. I was able to show examples of traditional conflict coverage from Northern Ireland, and constructive examples, like Shared Future News.
For me, meeting them was a real learning experience, and a chance to share ideas and experiences. There were also several Armenian trainers who joined to deliver sessions, and again I learned a lot. The training was organised by the NGO Media Initiatives, which supports journalists and supports media research. If you don’t know much about this country, look at their website. It’s a fascinating read!
What’s also been really rewarding about this trip, is I’ve come back with lots of story ideas. And because of the ‘portfolio career’ I now have, I’m able to pitch them. So, I’m recording a From Our Own Correspondent for BBC Radio 4 and making a package for World Business Report on the BBC World Service. All in all, it’s been a real reminder of how important and rewarding it is to share stories and experiences, particularly for journalists. In this climate, when international connections have become so complicated, with many countries regarding those from outside as a threat, and after the enforced shut down of travel by the pandemic, I’ve really appreciated this chance to communicate and learn.
