RAMALLAH, August 12, 2009 (WAFA)- Media professionals in the West Bank and Gaza Strip practiced basic humanitarian information delivery, as part of BBC World Service Trust's project 'Support to the Palestinian Media Sector' project, which is funded by the European Union and the Dutch Government.

Led by BBC World Service Trust Expert Imogen Wall, participants from different media and aid organizations discussed topics including principles of humanitarian media, sources of humanitarian content, understanding audience needs, and basic principles of messaging.

Wall who has worked as a journalist with the BBC and as a UN employee in different conflict areas, provided participants with practical hints and tips on how to design humanitarian items. At the end of the workshop, participants planned and designed humanitarian items suitable for print/broadcast, based on a local case study. This was the chance for media professionals to develop some new skills and look at their role as information providers in a different way, focusing more on audience needs.

Concluding with a round table discussion between journalists and International NGO representatives, the workshop (8th and 9th August in Ramallah, 10th and 11th August in Gaza) provided an opportunity for journalists to experience and discuss humanitarian media in Palestine and other areas, to build relationships with each other through teamwork as well as to initiate cooperation with aid organisations and break some of the existing barriers.

Michelle Warriner, Child Protection Program officer for Save the Children Sweden described the workshop as a 'great learning experience that we hope to build on in the future. For us the media is a great way to reach children and put our partners in the spotlight. During the war in Gaza international TV channels were following our work, but the questions we were asked today by the local media were very different as they focused on immediate advice to give to parents and children. The most interesting part of the workshop is when journalists, from one scenario, interpreted the situation in different ways, asked different questions and used different media tools to draw the whole picture.'

For the Nablus-based Tareeq Al-Mahabeh Radio news manager Ameed Dweikat the workshop was 'the first of its kind as it introduced us to a new approach that provided us with new concepts and information about humanitarian media, and ways to include it in our daily coverage.'

In Gaza, journalist Amar Al-Beheisi, from Forsan Al-Erada Radio emphasized on the 'need to understand humanitarian media, especially for journalists in Gaza because of the continuing crisis.'

The workshop is part of a series of workshops aimed to support the Palestinian media sector and strengthen its role and service to the public through greater commitment to standards of ethical journalism.

The BBC World Service Trust's Support to the Palestinian Media Sector is a two-year project with a total budget of 850,000 Euros (4 million New Israeli Shekels) funded by the European Union (80%) and the Dutch Government (20%).

The project also aims to, as well as increase the level of networking and dialogue between media professionals in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. To this end, the project launched an interactive website (http://ilamuna.ps) to promote greater networking between media professionals, featuring discussion forums and social networking tools as well as on-line training and information resources for media professionals. Through its interactive components, media professionals are able to discuss various media-related issues, send messages to each other and discuss with BBC trainers and mentors.

The project will also publish in the coming months a manual of best practices for Palestinian journalists.