Journalists from the Balkans Completed the New Media Training

The training courses organized as part of the “New Media Journalism Basic Training,” which was held by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) for the Balkans, were completed simultaneously in Skopje and Tirana.

Nearly 50 journalists from Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia were trained on new media technologies. After the certificate presentation ceremony, journalists expressed their satisfaction with the training. Murat Ahmet Yörük, the Republic of Türkiye’s Ambassador to Tirana, attended the certificate presentation ceremony and wished the journalists success.

Nearly 50 journalists from Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia were trained on new media technologies, trends, and software for five days. The applied training program included courses on social media journalism, the use of social media platforms for journalism, social media statistics, and content management. Journalists examined in detail the transformation of conventional media under the influence of social media, and the concepts of posting and interaction. As part of the training, exercises were carried out on the journalistic use of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as the use of podcasts, reels, Google SEO, and software such as Adobe After Effect. Journalists who were given applied training in creating their own news stories and supporting them with graphics software shared their final products on social media platforms as well.

At the end of the training, press members who participated in the program were presented certificates. In his speech at the certificate presentation ceremony held in Tirana, Ambassador Murat Ahmet Yörük stated that the media plays a great role in the improvement of bilateral relations and that he hoped the training provided by TİKA and TRT would be helpful for journalists. Dr. Gizem Başkan, TİKA’s Coordinator in Tirana, congratulated the journalists who completed the training. Valbona Zhupa, General Director of the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, also attended the certificate presentation ceremony in Tirana.

The certificate presentation ceremony held in Skopje was attended by Ömer Rahmi Serim, TRT’s Representative for the Balkans, who presented certificates to the trainees. He said, “Our institution is happy to share its knowledge and experience with its colleagues in the Balkans.” In his speech, Halim Ömer Söğüt, TİKA’s Coordinator in Skopje, said, “I believe that the increase in such training programs is a precondition and requirement for development.”

The program will continue in Sarajevo at the end of March with the participation of journalists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Croatia.