How to write journalistic reports on Children’s Rights?

About the course: Reporting on children and childhood issues in media, and especially, on digital channels, can play an important role in raising awareness of the children’s rights and in creating a safe environment for children both online and offline.

It is important to remember that journalists and journalistic activity, which touches on the lives and welfare of children, should always be carried out with an appreciation of the vulnerable situation of children. Modern journalism has to make a difference, especially as conflicts, poverty, and migration combined with the consequences of COVID-19 pose a major threat to children’s rights protection.

This course covers the rules and specifics of media reporting on children and childhood. During this course, you will learn the basic framework of children’s rights. The course will discuss ethical aspects and the guidelines for using sensitive language when writing materials about children and childhood.

Course objective: Building the capacity of beginner and practicing journalists, bloggers, and influencers for covering children and childhood issues.

This course will be useful:

  • To study the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • To learn what journalism can do to protect children’s rights
  • To understand how journalism can promote children’s rights by reporting on children and adolescents
  • To consider the ethical aspects of reporting on children-related issues
  • To avoid using insensitive language when reporting on children and childhood.

Course structure

The course includes 3 modules and is designed for 1 week. The study load is 3-4 hours depending on the complexity of the module.

Each module includes a video lecture up to 15 minutes long with transcripts in audio and text formats, and a test to check the understanding of theoretical material (up to 10 questions to each module of the course)

To move on to the next module, you must pass the test for each module answering correctly not less than 80% of the test questions. You have 10 attempts to pass the test. If you exceed the maximum number of attempts, the system will be blocked and you will need to register for the course again. We advise you to review the provided course materials if you fail your first attempt to pass the test.

If you wish, you can repeat the course up to four times.

Audience 

The course is designed for a wide audience interested in promoting content about children and children’s rights in media. The course is recommended for beginner and practicing journalists and bloggers, tutors and students of journalism faculties of Central Asian universities.

Requirements

Basic knowledge of information computer technologies is required (at the level of a PC user and social media user).

Background information

This course was created as part of the IWPR Tajikistan project on building the capacity of journalists and content makers for the creation of children- and childhood-related content, as well as raising media consumers’ awareness of children’s rights. The project is implemented with the UNICEF Tajikistan financial support.

 
1 week
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What will you learn?

The framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for journalists
How can journalism protect and promote children’s rights?
The role of journalists and journalism in supporting the children’s rights realisation and protection
Guidelines for journalistic reports on children and adolescents
Ethical aspects of reporting on children’s rights
Features of sensitive language for reporting on children and childhood

Program

  • Module 1. The framework of children’s rights for journalists

    This content is availablle on Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik and Uzbek languages. In the first module, we will study the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and consider important aspects the journalists and media professionals should learn from the Convention. We will talk about the Convention’s content: how does it apply to us and what can we do to protect children’s rights? Author: Mike Jempson, Director of The MediaWise Trust, journalist, media consultant, trainer.

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  • Module 2. Ethical aspects of reporting on children’s rights

    This content is availablle on Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik and Uzbek languages. In the second module, we will discuss the ethical principles for writing journalistic materials. What rules and principles should be applied when covering children’s rights? We will also talk about how we can promote children’s rights when reporting on children and adolescents. Author: Mike Jempson, Director of The MediaWise Trust, journalist, media consultant, trainer.

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  • Module 3. Sensitive language for reporting on children and childhood

    This content is availablle on Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik and Uzbek languages. In the third module, we will study the features of language we use when reporting on children and childhood. We will discuss the sensitive language and the human rights-based approach to the creation of journalistic materials. Author: Elena Voronina, media trainer, lecturer in communications.

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Instructors

Frequently asked questions

How to register for the course?
First you need to register on the site itself, then select the course that suits you from the “Courses” section and register for the course itself.
Will I receive a certificate after completing the course?
The certificate is received by those who have passed all the lessons within the course and passed the final test successfully (at least 80%).
What if I don’t pass the test?
After each module in the course there is an intermediate test and a general test at the end of the course. You are given 10 attempts to pass the test. If it fails from the first attempts, you can review the lesson and take the test again. After exhausting 10 attempts, the system will be blocked. You will need to register for the course again to complete it.
What to do if the site is down?
Write to us at the indicated contacts in the “Contacts” section or in social networks.
What should I do if my name on the certificate is different from the name in the passport?
When registering, initially enter your data correctly. If you have indicated other details, write to us. We will correct and send the certificate with the correct data.
Can I take several courses?
Yes. You can take several courses at once or in sequence.
How often are courses updated?
Courses that already exist are not updated. We add new courses after they are crated.
How to participate in your other events?
We conduct various training events for journalists and journalism students from Central Asian countries. You can track new events on our website or on pages on social networks and take part. Often you need to register or pass a competitive selection.
Can only residents of Central Asia take courses?
Online courses are available to absolutely everyone regardless of place of residence. Offline events take place in one of the CA countries.
I am not from the media sector, but I want to enroll in the course. Is it possible?
Yes, everyone can take online courses.
How long is the course?
The duration of each course is determined individually, depending on the content and complexity of the course. The average duration is from 6 to 8 weeks. During this period, you must complete all the lessons and pass the tests. If you didn’t finish on time, the system will be blocked. But you can overwrite and go through again.