RAMALLAH, March 24, 2010 (WAFA)- Achieving a substantial step in the world of the Palestinian local media development, Birzeit University’s Media Development Center (BZUMDC), launched, today, the Palestinian Journalism Platform (Sahafaclub) Website, developed by the MDC in cooperation with the UNESCO/ Ramallah office.

Launching the Sahafaclub is aimed at supporting the freedom of speech, professional development and information exchange between Palestinian journalists, as well as increasing knowledge and encouraging constructive exchanges between Palestinian media houses, in order to enhance the commitment to the international professional media standards in the Palestinian context.

MDC Director, Nibal Thawabteh explained that the Center works on developing the website in partnership with UNESCO for over a year. The project was accomplished with the cooperation of local media institutions.

Sahafaclub coordinator, Munatser Hamdan said that the launching of Sahafaclub is added to MDC’s series of activities leading to a professional Palestinian media capable of serving journalists and the public.

Since its establishment, MDC conducts professional training courses targeting journalists in the field of print and audiovisual media. The main goal is to build their capacities and help them improve their skills to be able to send out a balanced, clear and comprehensive message. Each year, MDC holds 30 courses in cooperation with international, regional and local trainers.

For the purpose of facilitation and offering a variety of training methodologies for journalists, MDC holds a number of in-house trainings in the Southern and Northern districts, Nazareth- inside the Green Line as well as in the Gaza Strip.

Number of beneficiaries from these courses is estimated to be 400 journalists every year.