Anadolu's war journalism training for foreign, local journalists underway

By Salih Okuroglu

ANKARA (AA) — Journalists from all over the world are taking part in the 25th-term war journalism training program organized in Türkiye’s capital Ankara by the country’s leading news agency Anadolu.

“Nowadays, there are many wars in the world. So, I believe things like this training will be very important and very useful,” said Behruz Khudoyberdiev, one of three journalists from the Uzbekistan National News Agency who are participating in the two-week program, which began on Monday.

Khudoyberdiev spoke to Anadolu following a training session at a Turkish Police Academy facility, where 25 participants, including 15 foreigners, were exposed to conditions they might encounter while covering incidents like protests and riots.

During the training, law enforcement sprayed them with pressurized water, pepper spray, and tear gas, which left many of the participants teary-eyed.

He added, "Because I don't know what will happen tomorrow. So I believe we will be ‘ready’ every time thanks to the training program.”

- ‘Important experiences for the future’

Rehile Hemidova from public broadcaster Azerbaijan Television said the day’s training at the academy would help them cover news in a changing world.

"Our region is particularly in the spotlight. We have gained very important experiences that will help us in the future," said Hemidova, who is three years into her professional career.

She added that, while the training appeared to be simple, it was a challenging and enjoyable experience at the same time, particularly with the pepper spray.

Journalist Bakha Nazirbaev from Tajikistan-based Asia-Plus News also expressed how difficult the training is, saying: “I hope this will never happen in real life.”

“But it’s a great experience,” he added.

- ‘What to expect on the battlefield’

Besides war and social incidents, the training program will prepare the journalists, 10 of whom are Anadolu employees, to report on natural disasters and other emergencies.

This is the first time Ali Canbazoglu, an Iraqi-Turkmen journalist with the TEBA agency, has attended such a training program.

“We now have a better understanding of what we will experience on the battlefield,” he said.

“I believe this is a highly successful training (program). I'm sure we will never encounter training like this again in our lives.”

Since its inception in 2012, Anadolu's War Journalism Training program has seen the participation of over 500 media professionals, including about 200 from foreign countries.