Thomson Reuters Foundation achieved a milestone in the Middle East in October 2010, holding its first "Journalism Safety" course in Arabic in Damascus, Syria. It brought together a diverse group of 17 journalists from Algeria to the Gulf to learn and train the most important skills to enable them to work in a hostile environment zones as much as personal safety and the safety of personnel and equipment.
Led by special safety trainer Chris Cop smith with his 20 years military back ground and most world conflicts areas as a safety person for media groups working in war zones and Thomson Reuters Producer based in Saudi Arabia Nael Shyoukhi, who has been covering the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for 12 years and been to Iraq and Iran as well with 7 injuries and long experience in covering violence .
The group took part in practical exercises including first Aid training by Syrian Red crescent trainer and some Video footage from the real life of journalists and reporters in the ground for journalists have been subjected to abuse and injury, murder and video images of real educational for first aid and medical evacuation ,wrong and good location and for photographers during battles and videos on how o work on hot and cold and hard environmental areas and many other safety issues.
Working in a conflict-ridden part of the world requires particular skills and the course participants were able to share experiences and to gain insights from their tutors who are Middle East veterans. The experience exchange from the Iraqi , Lebanese ,Sudan and Palestinian students was very fruitful as they are coming from War zones and have very big experiences and stories to tell.
The three-day course was held at the Arab Satellite and Broadcast Union (ASBU) training centre in the Syrian capital.
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