Aden (South24)

---

South24 Center for News and Studies hosted an intensive training program for media persons in Yemen which saw the participation of 32 Yemeni journalists from various governorates. The training program, held from February 16-26, is part of a package of projects and programs that South24 Center plans to implement during 2025 with funding from the US organization ’Urgent Action Fund’.

The program was designed to provide the participating trainee journalists - 15 male and 17 female - with the professional tools necessary to keep pace with developments in modern media. It was focused on four main themes: Climate and Environment Journalism, Rights of People with Disabilities, Women and Children's Rights, and the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism.

The program, which lasted for 27 training hours, relied on a practical and interactive approach. The sessions were conducted via the ’Zoom‘ platform which provided an opportunity for participants to benefit from the expertise of an elite group of trainers from Yemen and Egypt. The list of trainees included three journalists and activists with disabilities.

Main Training Topics

1. Climate and Environment Journalism

The program began on February 16 with the ’Climate Journalism‘ axis, conducted by Rahma Diaa, Egyptian journalist and founder of the ’Climate School‘ website. She gave a comprehensive presentation on the importance of journalistic coverage of environmental issues, analyzing the impact of climate change on food and water security and public health. She also reviewed international terminology and agreements, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, and explained the role of journalists in simplifying these issues for the general public.

The following day, February 17, Egyptian trainer Hadeer El-Hadary, Managing Editor of the Arabic website of ESG Mena, discussed the techniques for collecting and analyzing environmental data, and methods for preparing investigative journalistic reports focusing on climate issues. The session witnessed great interaction among the participants, who discussed the challenges they face in covering these issues.

2. Women and Children's Rights

On February 20, the training session was dedicated to discussing issues related to women's and children's rights, conducted by Ashwaq Abu Bakr, a Yemeni expert in human rights, women and children rights. The trainer presented an in-depth analysis of the impact of conflicts and climate change on these groups, highlighting issues such as violence against women, early marriage, and societal discrimination. The expert explained international laws and agreements related to women's and children's rights, such as the CEDAW Convention (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), and other agreements and protocols.

3. Rights of Persons with Disabilities

In two sessions, on February 23 and 24, international expert in human rights and on persons with disabilities, Raja Al-Masabi, discussed the rights of persons with disabilities, highlighting the challenges they face in Yemen, especially with regard to education, health, and social integration. The session reviewed inspiring success stories, such as the Turkish girl ’Ipek Nisa Goker‘ who excelled in playing the piano despite her disability, and the Egyptian child ’Omar‘ who became a swimming champion despite being born without arms.

Al-Masabi also discussed the importance of correcting the stereotype of how people with disabilities are reported in the media.

4. Artificial Intelligence in Journalism

The training program concluded on February 26 with a session on Artificial Intelligence in Journalism. It was conducted by Egyptian trainer Shehata El-Sayed, CEO of OshAi Technology and Artificial Intelligence Company, who presented an advanced session on the emergence of artificial intelligence, linguistic intelligence models, and other concepts.

Practical applications of AI were reviewed, such as automatically generating news headlines, creating interactive charts, and analyzing news sources. El-Sayed stressed the need for journalists to keep pace with these technologies to enhance the accuracy and quality of journalistic content.

Outcomes and Aspirations

The training program is expected to contribute in producing in-depth journalistic reports, which will be published by the South24 Center in the coming months. The center believes that this initiative will help enhance the ability of Yemeni journalists to tackle fundamental issues, and thereby contribute to supporting press freedom and professional independence in Yemen, as well as help in discussing pressing and intersecting issues in the country.