As the snow continued to fall, any hopes of filming outside were fading fast.

“But the first snowfall is lucky”, said Li Dan. “You will be lucky!” My group of 18 young journalists from the Xinhua news agency were bright, enthusiastic and convinced it would all work out.

And it did. The weather cleared just in time. Li Dan was right … luck was on our side. The clear skies meant we had no time to lose. But the participants rose magnificently to the challenge.

Our work yielded favourite moments. Robin appeared on screen as a James Bond figure on assignment to meet his girl. Eric discovered the meaning of continuity when his walk was filmed with him suddenly carrying different items. Daniella learned about ‘crossing the line’ when the red telephone seemed to jump from one side of the desk to another.

Perhaps what impressed me most was the can-do attitude of them all. When we began looking for stories for our assignments, many turned out to be impossible to do in the timescale, or we weren’t able to gain permission.

Mazen, Hou Ye, Eric, Li Dan and Irina were disappointed when the business they were going to film pulled out. But they never lost their sense of purpose, and eventually turned up a story about office workers doing Chinese traditional dancing in their lunch breaks. Li Dan showed exceptional presentational skills, dancing and doing a piece to camera at the same time.

Food – my favourite subject – figured high on the story list, with Zhao, Dan, Daniella and Cecilia filming the story of a woman who had started her own bakery. Lovely pictures, and lovely cookies too.

Taiwan Street, a street of Taiwanese eateries, was the choice of Carl, Robin, Shir, Beatriz and David. Again persistence paid off. When a phone call was met with a refusal to film, they learned that a visit in person can pay dividends. They were so charming that of course they were invited in to film. Sight of a Xinhua press card also helped.

Finally Stanley, Christine, E’fun and Lola picked a timely subject of bus maintenance, which they delivered professionally.

Great stories and, as the video above shows, a fine first effort at video storytelling.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: Journalists setting their camera's white balance during an exercise in a Beijing food shop

The Inquirer Awards, hosted by the Thomson Media Foundation, spotlights the achievements of investigative journalists in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq whose stories really make a difference. Print and television journalists as well as photojournalists are eligible to compete for the prestigious award. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Beirut on February 3.

❮ Click here for Arabic version of this story  جائزة الصحافي المتقصي لعام ٢٠١١

The judging panel comprises:

Print category. First round judges

From Jordan, Ms Randa Habib has spent a quarter of a century covering war, politics and economic development in the Middle East.  Currently the bureau chief of the French News Agency in Jordan, Ms. Habib has long experience as a field journalist having extensively covered the situation in Iraq since the first Gulf war in 1990.

From Palestine, Mr Walid Omary is currently Bureau Chief of AlJazeera Network Satellite Channel, Jerusalem. Mr Omari also worked as a co-ordinator for radio training at the Birzeit University Media Institute. Mr Omary was formerly a correspondent for Multi Kolti Radio Station in Berlin, and Radio Orient in Paris.  He is the author of several books on Israeli media and politics, and is the recipient of a number of awards.

From Syria, Mr Ibrahim Hamidi is currently the bureau chief and senior correspondent in Damascus of the London-based al-Hayat newspaper and LBC Television. He is also a contributor to outlets such as the English language Forward magazine and Syria Today.

From Lebanon, Mr Edmond Saab is currently a political columnist for Al Saffir daily newspaper in Lebanon. Mr Saab started his journalism career with Annahar daily newspaper and worked his way up to become executive editor.

From Iraq, Mrs Alia Taleb Al Jbouri has a long history in media and journalism in Iraq, where she has held several senior positions. She is currently  editor-in-chief of Narjes magazine, focusing on women and human rights issues. She was in charge of the International Solidarity Centre for Journalists and a media consultant for the International Federation of Journalists.

Lord Fowler presents the 2009 Inquirer Award to television category winner Josephine Deeb, from Lebanon

Print category. Final round judge

From Kuwait, Dr Ayed Al Manna’a is currently  Secretary General of The Gulf Association of Journalists and Analysts.  He is a freelance political analyst for Kuwait Radio and Television, Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and several other regional and pan-Arab stations.  He has a regular column in Al Watan daily newspaper and is also a professor of Public Administration at Kuwait University.

Television category. First round

From Lebanon, Dr Ahmad Zeineddine is currently professor of journalism at the media department of the Lebanese University.  He also works with a number of media organisations, including Al Hayat Newspaper, Al Jazeera Media Training Centre and the Media Dialogue programme of the BBC World Service.  Dr. Zeineddine has extensive experience in journalism in both academic study and practical experience, having worked at several news organisations in Lebanon and France.  He recently published Journalistic Editing – A Practical Guide.

From Jordan, Ms Bayan Tal Bayan Tal is a communication expert who worked as a broadcast journalist, anchor and executive at Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTVC) for 25 years. In 2005 she moved to the Prime Ministry where she was charged with establishing a government communication department and was part of the team that drafted The National Agenda – a 10-year comprehensive program for Jordan. She spent the next five years in charge of His Majesty King Abdullah’s international communications at the Royal Hashemite Court.

Television category. Final round

From Dubai, Mr Nabil Khatib is currently the executive editor of Al-Arabiya News Channel. He has extensive hands-on experience in media studies, film production and political reporting.  For several years Mr Khatib worked as a professor of mass communications at Birzeit University.

Photojournalism category

From Amman, photography trainer Linda Khoury is founder and owner of Darat Al Tasweer. She studied in Lebanon and has conducted many training workshops with the aim of raising the professional standard of photojournalism in Jordan.

Ramzi Haidar brings wide experience as a photojournalist, covering the Lebanese civil war including the Israeli invasion of 1982. He is President and founder of Zakira – the Image Festival Association, which has taught 500 children in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon basic photography and published a book of their work.  He also represents Lebanon in the Arab Photographers Union.

Michael Nelson was formerly the Middle East Bureau Manager for the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) and is currently based in the US.  He started his career as a photojournalist with UPI in Beirut during the civil war and became senior Middle East photographer with AFP based in Cairo.  Among his many field assignments he covered the Iraq/Iran war, the Gulf war, the Palestinian Intifada and the Sudanese civil war.

• Since 2003, the Inquirer Award has become a showcase for some of the region’s finest journalists. The Inquirer Awards past winners page lists journalists who have continued to earn the highest respect from peers and communities.

Judges will be looking for entries that show comprehensive and thorough research, incisive interviewing techniques, and creative, well-constructed writing and presentation.

• For enquiries regarding the Inquirer Awards, email: inquirer.award@gmail.com

Six senior journalists – from Uganda, South Africa, Qatar, Nigeria and two from Malawi – travelled to Cardiff for the one-month course, which covered a wide range of online, social media, mobile journalism, writing, investigation and multimedia skills.

They also visited news operations and had the opportunity to quiz visiting media experts in subjects including media law and newsroom management. In a Skype interview, the journalists discussed reporting from conflict zones using mobile tools with award-winning photographer Balazs Gardi, whose recent work in Afghanistan was shot using an iPhone.

The course was led by the Thomson Media Foundation’s David Quin with online and multimedia trainer Dan Mason. During the course, the journalists learned how to create and manage content for their own blog, use social media tools for research and developing community, and adapt their own newspaper, radio and television skills for multimedia news.

A week of television skills, including storytelling, shooting and editing, was led by Colin Larcombe from Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. This featured footage filmed during a visit to the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, where the journalists interviewed humanitarian campaigner and former Beirut hostage Terry Waite.

Humanitarian campaigner Terry Waite meets Convergence Course journalists at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod. From left: Vicus Burger, Dickson Kashoti, Chamberlain Usoh, Terry Waite, Mabvuo Banda, Hashmat Moslih

Hashmat Moslih, a senior producer with Al Jazeera in Doha, said he found the course both intense and interactive: “It was one of the most exciting and enriching experiences I have ever had in any media training course.

“I enjoyed the training about how to use smaller gadgets such as mobile phones to make quality reports. I also learned how to create and manage a website hosting audio, video and text. Before attending this course I wrote stories in an academic style, but I have learned to write for real people in a more relaxed and informal way.

“Learning to use and manipulate information on social media was also a great add-on to my skills.”

Award-winning reporter Vicus Burger, from South Africa’s Volksblad newspaper in Bloemfontein, saw the course as an important milestone in his career: “I’ve never left the African continent before this trip. Despite my passion for journalism I had a rather narrow point of reference. But that has changed now. I’m not going back home the same person.”

The Vodacom Journalist of the Year also recognised the value of meeting media professionals from other countries and cultures: “The course provided the opportunity to build working relationships with other journalists from different countries. For the same reason my work experience at The Guardian Media Group proved to be very useful.”

Vicus added: “The Thomson Media Foundation has some of the best players in the journalism game. It was amazing just to listen to the stories of their experiences in the field. They are passionate people who know what they are talking about when it comes to ethical reporting, whether through print, web, broadcasting or convergence in the media.”

Vicus Burger, a reporter with the Volksblad newspaper in Bloemfontein, South Africa, receives his Convergence and Multimedia Skills Course certificate from Thomson Media Foundation trustees Patsy Robertson, left, and Carin Pimlott

For Mabvuto Banda, a Reuters correspondent from Malawi, the course provided a chance to re-evaluate his approach to journalism: “The lecture on ethical responsibility taught me to look at the variables before I set out to write something, especially if it may harm family and friends.

“It resonated so well with me because I have been arrested five times for my work. That is not to say I will stop my crusader type of journalism, but I need to consider the options before embarking on any project.”

New search and social media tools also left a big impression on Mabvuto: “Lessons on how to use Google for investigative stories, how to write for the web and how to set up online platforms to reach a wider audience were so amazing.

“I have since set up a Facebook Page for Malawi news; I am polishing up my blog; am more active on Twitter than ever before; using Google Reader to the maximum … and Hootsuite is just magical!”

Mabvuto added: “The introduction to video editing – how to use the camera, do voiceovers and structure a story – has shaped me into the journalist I have always wanted to be.”

Following four weeks of Cardiff-based training, the journalists spent a further two weeks on work placements in UK newsrooms, including the Press Association and Guardian Media Group in London, before returning to their home countries.

• Thumbnail image shows Hadija Nabukenya, from Uganda‘s Bukedde TV.

• Contact the Thomson Media Foundation for information about media training and consultancy services worldwide.

Click images to launch gallery …

12►

WATERMELONS SELL POORLY AFTER RECENT EXPLOSIONS. Now that’s a newspaper headline to catch the eye. Especially while you’re enjoying a Beijing hotel breakfast of juicy red watermelon.

According to my morning copy of the China Daily, farmers saw sales of the football-size fruit plummet after reports of exploding watermelons in East China’s Jiangsu province.

It seems the problems started when farmers added growth-accelerating chemicals to their watermelons – a trick they learned from a local ‘technician’ who was quoted as saying: “I never received professional training on agricultural techniques. I only have a primary school diploma.” Oops.

Panic among the watermelon-buying public then spread to other parts of China, prompting many farmers to set up stalls by the roadside in a desperate bid to sell their rotting crops. Passing motorists wound up their windows, just in case.

Watermelons make headlines in the China Daily

It’s a story that sums up news values in modern China. Any mention of food prices makes headlines. And nothing touches the national nerve more than food safety. While I was there in late May, the Supreme People’s Court called for ‘food safety violators’ to face the death penalty in cases where consumers died.

Food prices might seem an odd obsession in the marble and mirror-glass skyscrapers of Beijing’s sprawling financial district. But they are critical to China’s juggernaut economy.

Why? Because China makes stuff for the world, at low prices highly dependent on low wages. And low wages in turn depend on cheap food. Beijing businessmen are are casting a cautious eye on the new minimum wage in Hong Kong (of HK $28, around £2.80, per hour)

In the global economic downturn, China’s manufacturers also suffered. Part of the state response has been to encourage development of Chinese brands, like cars, computers, mobile and banking. As it was explained to me: China needs brands because they command higher margins; a greater return on investment.

To succeed, it’s a strategy that demands a rising global profile and growing influence. Hold that thought …

… while we wrap up the exploding watermelons.

There’s a social media twist in this tale, too.

Faced with ruin, I learned that Du Zhibing, a humble village farmer in Panzhihua province, turned to his microblog (a Chinese take on Twitter). He wrote that that his watermelons were sweet and tasty and promised they contained no growth accelerators because local farmers were “too poor to afford even chemical fertilizers.”

Dan Mason works with Xinhua journalists during the Social Affairs Reporting course

Thanks to his microblog, added the China Daily report, Du quickly sold out of watermelons.

Another story causing a stir while I was there concerned the motorist who halted a lorry carrying over 500 dogs destined for slaughter. The story spread like wildfire on China’s Sina and QQ microblogs, and some 300 angry dog-lovers convered on the scene.

Less than a day later, animal charities had bought the dogs for 115,000 yuan (around £11,500) and were offering them for adoption.

The point is this: Anyone who thinks ordinary Chinese citizens (or netizens) are not aware of the power of the internet should think again. The difference is they are using YouKu instead of YouTube, RenRen instead of Facebook, Sina instead of Twitter, and the mighty Baidu for search. I’d have been happy to join them … if I could speak Chinese.

By contrast, the journalists attending my Social Affairs Reporting course in Beijing – all employed by China’s state news agency Xinhua – spoke excellent English.

Like most young journalists I meet on my travels for the Thomson Foundation, they were hard-working, open-minded, determined to do a good job and mustard keen to learn. This year the course took a multimedia approach, including photography, audio, video, slideshows and online skills, alongside core writing, sourcing, interview, ethics and investigative approaches.

The group used social networks like twenty-somethings everywhere, though journalists are only just beginning to see social media’s potential for listening, promoting, curating and community building. That’s down to the tools available … or not. Boy, did I miss working with Hootsuite and Storify.

One thing made a welcome change. Compared with a good many countries, journalists in China command a relatively decent level of respect and pay.

The Thomson Daily: Xinhua journalists during the Social Affairs Reporting course in Beijing

One of the group told me about a Xinhua journalist who had been refused entry into an international press conference because the organisation was regarded as a government agency rather than a news organisation. Well, it is true that the stated mission of Xinhuanet, the agency’s news website posting 15,000 stories in six languages a day, is ‘to publicise China and report the world.’ But it is absurd to say they are not journalists doing their job.

If some wish to label Xinhua a propoganda machine, all I can say is that there was no shortage of responsible journalistic principles in this group.

No-one can argue with the fact that Xinhua is one of the world’s fastest-growing news organisations. It’s huge, with over 16,000 staff. What’s more, Xinhua is expanding – it currently has 130 bureaux outside China – and it’s growing at the same time as other global news providers, including the BBC, are cutting back.

Result? Xinhua’s importance in reporting, publishing and syndicating major news around the world can only increase.

That presents Xinhua – and China – with a huge opportunity. If Xinhua has an image problem, then it has the power – and talent – to overcome it with high-quality journalism (think how Al Jazeera transformed its reputation). And a strong, respected media presence is exactly what China needs if it’s serious about building brands and influence in the world’s most competitive markets.

News, in any language, costs a fortune. But viewed in a wider context, Xinhua could quietly become one of China’s most profitable exports.

For years, Wordle has been an unsung hero of presenters, report illustrators and journalists looking to pick out the keywords of important speeches in a visually interesting way.

But the online tool does has its limitations. So it was inevitable someone would take a great idea and give it the spinning bowtie treatment (and make money).

Enter Tagxedo (pronounced like tuxedo, which is why, I read, its strapline is ‘tag cloud with styles’).

Like Wordle, it’s a piece of cake to use. But it has a few tricks up its sleeve …

… like creating a tag cloud from your tweets or a website URL; fitting your cloud into a shape or uploaded image; building your own colour theme, and saving your finished image as a JPEG or PNG in a variety of sizes. I also really like the ability to control the density and ‘emphasis’ – relative size of words – within the cloud.

The inauguration address of Jonathan Goodluck, President of Nigeria (pictured wearing his trademark hat), seemed a suitable opportunity to try out two of the best things about Tagxedo – the option to upload an image and embed the completed word cloud.

Here’s the result, in custom green and white (Nigeria’s national colours), complete with neat mouseover effect. (You may need to install Microsoft Silverlight).

It would be nice if the embed code was available for all to share, and that public clouds could be searchable on the Tagxedo site. But maybe later …

Tagxedo is still in beta phase, so if you want to try out the bells and whsitles (like uploading your own image) jump in before premium pricing kicks in. Use of Tagxedo images for personal, non-profit and educational use is free under Creative Commons licence.

I like it. What could YOU do with Tagxedo?

By MARTIN MULLIGAN

‘Beijingers’ housing price fury goes viral’ shrieked a headline from the world news pages of the Financial Times late last year. The story concerned sky-high housing prices and a sardonic e-mail spreading in Chinese cyberspace that calculated how long it would take peasants to buy a house.

Consumer inflation in China exceeded 5.1 per cent in November, 2010, and public dismay at price hikes attained its highest level since records began in 1999, a central bank survey found.

The e-mail suggests how long comrades would have to work to afford a 100 sq m flat in central Beijing.

A peasant farmer tilling an average plot would today have just scraped together the funds if he or she somehow had worked since the Tang Dynasty, which ended in 907AD.

The article went on: ‘If a Chinese blue-collar worker had been on the average monthly salary of Rmb1,500 since the Opium Wars in the mid-19th Century and had given up weekends, then he or she might just have been able to afford a place on his or her own [by now].’

The sort of inflation that's easy to handle. Consumer inflation is a tougher challenge for Chinese citizens ... and journalists

The calculations in that story demonstrate why demand for training in business and financial reporting remains very strong in Beijing among Xinhua’s mid-career journalists. Madam Ma, the Xinhua training division’s driving force, has an eye to legacy building after a 20-year partnership with the Thomson Foundation. She will hand over to her successor in the autumn of 2012.

In the meantime, the Tiger Mom phenomenon and the significance of the Jasmine Revolution as well as the Beijing property story are only a few of the internationally alluring topics that Xinhua’s  journalists are being tasked to get to grips with.

Seventeen participants, several of whom had worked as Xinhua correspondents in settings as diverse as Russia, Burma and Germany, as well as throughout China, were volubly appreciative of the three-week grounding in international business reporting.

The trainer’s personal high point of achievement in Beijing was a conversation in Mandarin in a crowded restaurant with Tao Tao, the seven-year old daughter of a training participant. Those flop-sweat-inducing intensive Chinese language lessons in the UK turned out to be time and money very well-invested.

They mean business: Three journalists participating in the three-week Thomson Foundation course

Here's how: Martin Mulligan makes a point during the international business reporting course

As the passenger jet began its long descent into Kathmandu Valley we got our first glimpse of the Himalayas – the jagged snow-capped peaks poking through clouds at 22,000 feet.

Necks straining, all eyes were scanning the horizon to our left for the famous silhouette of Everest.

Arrival in the bustling city was a culture shock. The traffic, the sheer volume of people, and the poverty hit your senses like a hammer.

But within just a few hours, the warmth of Nepali people shone through. At every doorway, the traditional hands together greeting of Namaste beckoned a welcome.

I was there for the Thomson Foundation to deliver a five-day course on campaigning and investigative journalism, hosted by the British Embassy. It was a mixed group of 12 print journalists in the morning, and 10 broadcast in the afternoon. The embassy itself is an oasis of green, with its large lawns, flower beds and white-painted ambassador’s residence.

The reality of journalism in Kathmandu is anything but calm. It is now a fierce battle for audience, with newspapers springing up all the time, a fast growing radio industry , and TV stations expanding – all competing in a nation where poverty is widespread.

Much of the media story mirrors Nepal’s close neighbour, India. There are more than 100 newspapers registered in Kathmandu, spread across the country,  both English speaking and Nepali. Circulations of some grow by more than 20% per year. There are 30 FM stations and 12 TV channels. Radio is seen as the best way to bring news to isolated regions. Internet penetration is low.

Talking with the journalists quickly revealed their concerns. It is a dangerous profession, and still relatively low paid.

There are hundreds of reported cases of journalists being beaten up, murders of editors and campaigning writers. While I was there one prominent TV presenter was abducted and released across the Indian border, and the Himalayan Times reported an attack on three journalists by a gang armed with sticks.

A street scene in Kathmandu: The media may be booming, but the competition is fierce and journalists face the threat of attack

Issues of self-censorship are rife – where advertisers or political groups exert pressure to suppress some stories. Editors say in their defence that this is now reducing – but admit they have to defer sometimes because of the fierce competition to stay in profit.

One paper lost thousands in advertising revenue when it refused to buckle to external pressure – and is still making a stand.

Most media houses rely heavily on their advertising income because cover price of the  newspapers is so low. Most sell for between 4 and 6 rupees, less than 3p. Yet the print quality and the range of subject matter is high.

Newspaper editorials do attack the political leaders on a daily basis – but many of the journalists I spoke to felt it had little effect because of the corrosive effect of what is seen as widespread corruption. Investigative TV journalism is limited.

Despite that, all spoke of their desire to bring about change by digging beneath the surface and pursuing public interest issues such as misuse of Government vehicles and diplomatic passports, child labour, smuggling of firearms, the culture of the dowry system , migrant workers abroad and police corruption.

Kathmandu sits on a volatile earthquake zone where two tectonic plates meet. After the Japan disaster, many questions were being asked about Nepal’s state of readiness if the worst happens. But the reality is that many of the four million inhabitants would die because most building have been erected without adhering to building regulations.

Power cuts plague the country, many homes are without electricity for over 12 hours each day. In the city itself, hotels, shops and businesses have generators which kick in to restore power. The construction of hydro-electric power stations is under way – but without any firm completion date.

Much of the daily diet of news centres around politics – despite the huge scepticism about the current political leaders in the Communist party who are now drawing up a new constitution with plans for an election later this year. A lot of hopes depend on that.

The value of editorial decision-making often centres around what the political leaders have to say. During my stay, the reported rape of a seven year old girl was reduced to a few paragraphs -  and the tragic story of a woman who was bleeding to death in an isolated airport because her mercy flight to hospital was held up by a local  strike was widely reported, but did not make a lead item. The jailing of a political leader for corruption was hailed as an important breakthrough.

It would be a mistake to make snap judgments about comparing UK news values in Nepal. Theirs is a new and growing media industry with all the challenges that brings in an emerging economy.

As the British ambassador John Tucknott said as the training certificates were presented , journalists have the power to influence Government policies. He spoke of the UK’s about- turn on Government pensions for Ghurkas after the campaign led by the actress Joanna Lumley.

From the evidence I saw Nepal’s journalism is in good hands and despite the editorial hurdles, all those I spoke to have a deep desire to seek out the truth and inform – though the personal cost may be high.

Journalists taking part in the Thomson Foundation course on investigative and campaigning journalism

Thomson Foundation consultant and trainer Paul Horrocks on a visit to The Kathmandu Post

Lord Fowler and Lord Howe with Mohamed Al Ghanim, director general of the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority

Thomson Foundation president Lord Howe and chairman Lord Fowler saw at first hand the success of one of the Middle East’s most dynamic media training initiatives during a special visit to Abu Dhabi,

It is two years since Thomson Foundation trainers delivered the first of many courses with twofour54 tadreeb, the strategic partnership aimed at creating a world-class centre for media innovation in the United Arab Emirates.

The peers and former UK government ministers praised the speed of progress and said they were hugely impressed by the training on offer, covering all aspects of the media.

At a dinner including British Ambassador Dominic Jermey, Lord Fowler reflected on the leading role played by the Thomson Foundation over almost half a century, and how it is gearing up meet the demands of tomorrow’s media world.

Lord Howe and Lord Fowler met with twofour54 CEO Tony Orsten and academy director Phaedon Vass to review the success of Thomson-led TV, multimedia and online programmes, and look forward to future projects.

The growing impact of social media in the Arab world and the wider challenges facing journalism in the Middle East took centre stage at a meeting with media personality Noura Al Kaabi, who is a senior executive at twofour54 and board member of Abu Dhabi’s state media organisation, ADMC.

Later, they met Mohamed Al Ghanim, director general of the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, and Adrian Wells, launch editor for the new Sky Arabia channel due to launch in 2012. The peers also found time to visit Abu Dhabi’s magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Said Thomson Foundation head of training Tim Rogers: “The three-day visit was non-stop and gave our president and chairman the opportunity to cement important relationships while exploring new opportunities. The welcome they received in Abu Dhabi could not have been more open or generous.

“The Thomson Foundation continues to be absolutely committed to supporting the development of media, in all its forms, in this diverse region, and visits like these help ensure our training and consultancy services remain fresh, focused and innovative at every level.”

• The Thomson Foundation is a global charity dedicated to raising media standards and skills. For more information on media training and consultancy services in the Middle East and other regions, contact us today.

Click images to enlarge …