AA's “30th Term War Journalism Training” has concluded - Anadolu Ajansı

Twenty-five trainees—nine of whom were AA staff members and 16 from Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea—completed the training program, organized to prepare operational correspondents to cover war, disasters, and states of emergency.

The training program’s certificate ceremony was held at AAtölye in the AA General Directorate.

In his speech at the ceremony, Fatih İnal, Police Academy Chief Superintendent, thanked everyone who contributed to the training.

Noting that the Turkish Police Force has been serving the Turkish nation for 182 years and possesses incredible expertise and operational capabilities, İnal stated that there is no other police force in the world as versatile as this one.

Noting that they have begun sharing the expertise they have gained under the most challenging conditions with journalists, İnal said they have started disseminating their experiences to the entire world through this program.

Recalling that since the launch of the “War Journalism Training” program, many journalists from the Balkans to the Middle East, and from Africa to the Far East have participated in the training, İnal emphasized that they have thus become one big family.

Emphasizing that being a family comes with certain qualities, İnal said, “More than just what we’ll do in difficult circumstances, we have friends and companions in every corner of the world. Even though we don’t speak the same language, share the same dialect, or have the same skin color, we have common values; human values. We’ve come together on common ground. They’ve taught us things. We’ve tried to share our experiences with them and teach them things to the best of our ability. I hope we’ve succeeded in this.”

"Unfortunately, we always conduct these training programs under the shadow of war. We have seen the Karabakh conflict, the genocide in Palestine, problems in the Balkans, conflicts in Africa. We have witnessed the situations in Sudan and Libya. Each time, we have witnessed a new war. If we cannot prevent or stop wars, it is time to discuss how to live with war, survive in war, and what we can do to prevent it. This program is, in a way, a snapshot of that."

Uğur Tanyeli, Head of Foreign Relations and Partnerships at TİKA, also announced that the training program had been successfully completed.

Noting that this year’s program included journalists from countries that had never participated before, Tanyeli said that through the training, they had become one big family.Explaining that they hope the relationships among the journalists will continue following the training, Tanyeli stated that Türkiye is pursuing new initiatives under the “New Asia Strategy” following its outreach to Africa and Latin America.Noting that Türkiye has opened new embassies in the region, Tanyeli said, “We at TİKA are opening new offices in the region. Even in countries where we haven’t opened offices, we aim to carry out more projects through our headquarters or embassies and increase visibility there.”

Emphasizing that the projects they are carrying out aim to strengthen the bilateral cooperation, Tanyeli noted that the “30th Term War Correspondent Training Program” is the finest example of this.

"We hope you will never have to use what you learn in this training. May you never find yourselves in situations where you need to use it, but unfortunately, journalists are among most affected by such conflicts. You are being targeted. The example of Gaza is right before our eyes. This is because the warring parties generally do not want the world to hear about what they are doing. In this sense, they also want to shut down those channels. In fact, your mission is truly a sacred one. You have a noble duty that includes not only reporting on what is happening there but also, at times, producing content that could even lead to the end of the war, thereby bringing an end to the dire conditions there.”

Mehmet Alaca, AA Academy Deputy Manager, expressed his joy at completing the training program that began two weeks ago.

Noting that journalists from different countries had come together around a common goal, Alaca said that this goal was to deliver accurate news to the public under challenging conditions while prioritizing their safety.

Alaca explained that over the course of two weeks, participants received theoretical and practical training in many areas, including the laws of war, personal safety, advanced driving techniques, and water survival, and added that this provided them with significant practical experience in preparing for challenging environments.

Emphasizing that the knowledge and experience gained during this process will guide journalists throughout their careers and that war journalism requires great responsibility, Alaca said, “I know very well how valuable this training is. No news story is more important than a human life. We must report the news without putting our lives at risk. In fact, that is precisely the sole purpose of this training. “As AA, through this war journalism training program we have been conducting since 2012, we are striving to enhance journalists’ professional skills and ensure they are better prepared for the risks they may face in the field,” he said.Alaca expressed strong support for professional solidarity and experience sharing among journalists from different countries participating in the training and thanked all the institutions that contributed to the program.

At the ceremony, where Muhammed Tarhan, a reporter at AA’s Türkiye Foreign News department, and Bangsomoro from the Philippines, along with Tu Alid Alfonso, Chairman of the Board and General Manager of the Multimedia Network, also delivered speeches, certificates were presented to the trainees.