Free training sessions for local media journalists, both beginners and experienced ones, internship programs and legal support – these are but a few elements of “Media Forum. Local Development” program, a joint initiative of the Media Forum Foundation and the Polish-American Freedom Foundation. Its new two-year round has just been launched.
“Enrolment to Local Journalism Basics training addressed to people who start their career of local media journalists, or are thinking of it, is on. Participation in the program is free of any charges. The participants pay only the costs of their trip,” “Media Forum. Local Development” program director and MFF president Maciej Starczewski says. “We would like to point to the fact that thanks to the support offered by Polish-American Freedom Foundation the program will be continued for next two years.”
“Free, independent and professional local media allow shaping development aspirations and solving local community problems in the same way as effective civil organizations and local leaders’ initiatives supported under programs of our Foundation,” notes Jerzy Koźmiński, President and CEO of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation which celebrates this year the 25th anniversary of starting its program operation.
Training sessions held under “Media Forum. Local Development” program are the only free, comprehensive and held at various levels courses for local media journalists in Poland. They also offer the opportunity to meet the most outstanding specialists, such as Ewa Ewart, an outstanding documentalist who worked for BBC for years and is teaching reporting, Magdalena Rigamonti, press and radio journalist, the winner of numerous awards for journalists, who is teaching the art of interviewing, or Andrzej Andrysiak, the publisher of “Gazeta Radomszczańska” and the Best Journalist of the Year 2024 in Grand Press competition, who is teaching investigative journalism. Among the lecturers and experts you can also find Jacek Pawłowski, Jarosław Śliżewski, Vadim Makarenko, Anna Gielewska, and Paweł Czajkowski.
On top of that, the program offers individual legal advice. This year the program will also launch internships to be done at editorial offices of national media. The participants may also join the network and share their experiences, as well as use a multimedia educational platform.
To date over 300 people – journalists, editors and publishers from all over Poland – have participated in the training sessions under “Media Forum. Local Development” program.
Candidates may apply by filling out a form available on the program website.
“Media Forum. Local Development” is a part of the “Pro Publico Bono” program of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation. The program is managed by the Media Forum Foundation.
