Establishing Local news network

Journalism for Development NGO believes that it is very important for journalists covering mining and the economy to have a clear understanding of their subjects and to be well-informed about them at all times. Only this would enable them to provide accurate information and sensible analyses to readers and the TV audience. The need is stronger in the distant aimags and soums, where the mining sector is active. Thus our emphasis has always been on improving the skills of local journalists. 

In a bid to meet that need, we created a local news network in 2015. Since then, we have gone on arranging bigger training courses to accommodate more local journalists. Our final goal is to create a nationwide pool of professionally competent journalists who can write articles and produce TV programmes on mining based on their in-depth knowledge and understanding of the sector. 

We express our thanks to GIZ IMRI (GIZ Integrated Mineral Resources Initiative), and MEITI (Mongolia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) for supporting our project which, for the record, is not meant to make money for MMJ, but will benefit followers of media by ensuring reliable information flow. Our sincere gratitude goes to the journalists who participated in the training courses and who make special efforts to produce excellent work in difficult conditions.

The contents of the programme include discussions on the following: main features of mining production, methods of reporting, outlook of mineral commodities price, technology, new information about consumption, special features of operations of mining companies active in local aimags and soums, their tax contribution to the local and the state budgets, reclamation, corporate social responsibility, relations between citizens and companies, etc. MMJ will prepare diverse material to be distributed among attendees, including material from TV programmes and video tutorials. 

The trainings are vitally important as what journalists pick up in them will be reflected in the information they present to thousands of local citizens. 

To make learning fun, and also to assess the efficacy of the training, all participants of the local news network project will take part in contests to choose the best reportage, the best background articles, and the best TV programme. The winners will receive awards, and the best reports will be published in the Mongolian Mining Journal.  The entries will certainly include descriptive and analytical pieces on mining in the aimags and soums as also investigative reports and representation of the views of multiple stakeholders -- local citizens, the local government, etc. 

This local news network project is planned to go beyond these trainings, as we hope to work together with the journalists for many years to come, continuing to offer them updated professional help, bringing local news nearer to Ulaanbaatar readers.