For the record: How to document stories from a war zone (for newsroom journalists)

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This course for newsroom journalists explains best practice when it comes to documenting and archiving, including from scenes of possible war crimes.

Course Contents

About
Outcomes
Course Experts
Organisations
Pass rate
The war in Ukraine is being fought on the ground and also online. It’s a war of bloodshed and disinformation. The Eurovision News Exchange which already shares broadcast news material between 60 public service broadcasters has set up The Ukraine War Archive. This course will guide you through the process. It is designed to be a journalistic tool making clear the distinction between journalism and judicial investigation.
At the end of the course you will:

  • Know the importance of using the right language when reporting in a war zone
  • Be able to address questions around a journalist’s role in potential war crimes investigations
  • Know what is meant by the term ‘war crime’
  • Appreciate the journalists’ role in documenting and archiving potential war crimes
  • Know best practice around archiving material from chain of custody to tagging
  • Recognise the relevant legal processes determining how the information you archive may be used
  • Appreciate the ethical considerations when talking to survivors
  • Know some of the signs of trauma
  • Recognise the possible impact on a journalist’s wellbeing in covering war crimes

Catherine Mackie –
Thomson Foundation

Catherine Mackie is the training and communications editor for Thomson Foundation and the course instructor. She’s a former BBC senior journalist with almost 30 years' experience in front of and behind the camera. She’s a recipient of a Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship at the University of Michigan. 

Liz Corbin - 
EBU

Liz Corbin is the director of news at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). She oversees the Eurovision News Exchange, the Eurovision News Events broadcast services team, radio news, and digital transformation projects. This includes the creation of a unique Ukraine War Archive built on the contributions of EBU Members to the highest international standards. This course is part of that project.

Quentin Sommerville - 
BBC News

Quentin Sommerville is the BBC’s Middle East correspondent. He has covered the Israel Gaza war and the war in Ukraine as well as conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Along with his cameraman Darren Conway, Quentin won the Foreign Press Association TV news story of the year in 2023.

Guadalupe Megías - 
TVE, Spain

Guadalupe Megías has been a journalist for almost 20 years and for the past decade she has worked as a reporter in the international area of the news service for the Spanish public service broadcaster, TVE. Her coverage of the war in Ukraine has resulted in her and her team winning a coveted Ondas Award in Spain.

Chris McGreal - 
Guardian News & Media

Chris McGreal writes for The Guardian US and is a former Guardian correspondent for Africa, the Middle East and Central America. He has won many awards for his journalism including the Amnesty International print reporter of the year award for his coverage of the Rwandan genocide.

Inna Varenytsia -
Freelance journalist

Inna Varenytsia is a freelance visual journalist and has covered the conflict in eastern Ukraine since 2014 as a writer, camerawoman and reporter for Ukrainian. She has worked for Associated Press, The Telegraph, France 24, PBS, RFE/RL, Ukrainian Public Broadcaster, and Hromadske.

Dr. Anya Neistat - 
Human rights lawyer

Dr. Anya Neistat is the president of InterJust, an international organisation which initiates universal jurisdiction against individuals and corporations implicated in atrocity crimes. She is the former legal director of The Docket, an initiative at the Clooney Foundation for Justice, and has conducted over 60 investigations in wars and conflicts  around the world.

Ole Solvang - UN Human Rights monitoring mission, Ukraine

Ole Solvang is the senior human rights officer for the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. He was previously the fact-finding team leader for the UN Commission of Inquiry in Ukraine. Prior to joining the Commission, Ole was the director of partnerships and policy at the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Gavin Rees - Global Center for Journalism and Trauma

Gavin Rees is the senior advisor for training and innovation at The Global Center for Journalism and Trauma. Prior to that he was with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma which was dedicated to informed, innovative and ethical news reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy. 

To successfully complete the course and get your certificate, you will need to achieve a 60% pass rate for the graded assessment.