Varanasi : First workshop

Workshop in Varanasi, September 19-20, 2008:

IMCFJ organized a two days workshop in Varanasi in September 19-20, 2008. The aim of this workshop was to give awareness to Hindi writing and speaking journalists of the region (East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) about tobacco issues worldwide and specifically in India which is the second largest consumer of tobacco and hence, one of the most concerned countries about tobacco related diseases as they cause millions of deaths.

The workshop entitled “Journalists to journalists briefing on tobacco control issues” was lead by a group of 7 persons who gave PowerPoint presentations and answered the many questions asked by participants. All of them were leading together the different debates raised during the workshop.

The public was composed essentially by Hindi writing and speaking journalists, most of them members of the IMCFJ network. Ultimately these journalists are expected to write on tobacco related issues and the success of this workshop will be complete when such articles will be published in local newspaper (see the slideshow "Articles Varanasi 19/09/2008" below, down right).

Speakers :

1.Pranay Lal (IUATLD, New Delhi)
2. Jasvinder Sehgal ( Freelance reporter, Voice of America, Hindi service, Jaipur)
3. . Shahid Jamal (Course coordinator, Development communication, AJK Mass Communication Research Center, Jamia Millia islamia, New Delhi)
4. Priyanka Dahiya (Lawyer, HRIDAY, New Delhi)
5. Manish Srivastva (Journalist, Dainik Jagaran, Lucknow)
6. Sagar D.S. Shukla (Journalist, Hindustan times, Lucknow)

Organizers (Form IMCFJ) :

1. Ashutosh Singh (President and freelance journalist, Lucknow)
2. Ashok Rai (Administration and Finance coordinator and reporter for Indian Jang, Lucknow)
3. Sanjay Yadav (Office coordinator and reporter for Hindustan Times, Lucknow)
4. Jitendra Mishra (Project coordinator and freelance journalist, Lucknow)
5. Dhananjay Singh (National coordinator and freelance journalist, Dehradun)

Agenda:

I. General presentations of tobacco issues:

10h00 - 10h05: Inauguration
10h15: Introduction to the Programme (Ashutosh Singh)
10h15 – 11h05: Introduction to the health effects of tobacco use, Magnitude of the problem, history of tobacco across the world and India (P. Lal)
Questions
Tea
11h05 - 11h20: Legal aspects to tobacco control -1 (COTPA) – HRIDAY (Priyanka Dahiya)
Questions
Movie
11h30 – 11h45: Legal aspects to tobacco control -2 (Oct 2 SFI and Pictorial warnings) - - HRIDAY (Priyanka Dahiya)
Questions
Movie
12h10 – 12h25: min What works in tobacco control (MPOWER) and challenging the myths (P. Lal)
Questions
Lunch

II. About the importance of local media on tobacco control:

14h00 – 14h30: Role of journalists in tobacco control (Shahid Jamal and Manish Srivastva)
Approaches of reporting (Shahid Jamal)
Movie
Tea
15h10 – 15h40: How to research for stories (Sagar D.S. Shukla and Jasvinder Sehgal)
Movie
Case study: Reporting on tobacco cultivation from Andhra Pradesh (Sagar D.S. Shukla)
Techniques, resources and tools of researching (Jasvinder Sehgal)
Questions
16h00 – 16h30: Open house: What is newsy in tobacco (Shahid Jamal, Manish Srivastva, Sagar D.S. Shukla and Jasvinder Sehgal)
Vote of thanks

The presentations were illustrated by the use of movies and case studies and all the points were warmly discussed with the participants.