Making the Grade at UNDP

Terry Anzur Coaching Services has been selected for the UNDP's roster of media trainers, which means I'll be eligible to take on some new international projects over the next two years. Although I have no idea exactly where this new adventure will lead, I was excited to read this opinion piece by U2 lead singer Bono in the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/opinion/19bono.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=bono&st=Search

He does a pretty good job of explaining Millennium Development Goals and the role of transparency in attacking corruption around the world. Free and independent media play an essential role in making sure that funding intended to improve the lives of ordinary citizens actually reaches the people in need. I look forward to working with everyone at UNDP to realize these goals and am honored to have the opportunity.

Both sides now

This media training experience has been a little like coaching both sides in a sports match. I train reporters to ask the questions that real people are asking, then train the public relations practitioners to respond by staying on message. Earlier this week there was an interview show on DhiTV, the name means something like "Checkmate," where both guest and host did a great job of putting the coaching into practice. It was the kind of frank discussion that is needed here.
The elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about: religion. I heard that a woman was publicly flogged (100 lashes with a bat) recently under the strict Islamic law here, yet murderers, drug dealers, rapists and child molestors can walk free because the lawmakers are too busy fighting to pass the tough anti-crime bills needed by the cops. For every move toward an open society there is pressure from extremists to move back to the middle ages.
As we're finishing up editing on the PR training video, I had a chance to reconnect with some of my colleagues from the 2008 trip.
I hope everyone here gets the point that no matter what party is in power, good journalism and effective public relations are important for the future of the emerging democracy in the Maldives. For those who felt it was a political liability to meet with me, see you next time.

Back to TVM

I had mixed feelings about returning to TVM for training. In 2008 I came here to prepare the state-run broadcaster for coverage of the country's first multiparty presidential election. Several people have commented to me on the improvements that were noted during that time, and I am honored to have played a small part in the free and fair election. Two years later it's a very different place, and not just because of the new paint job to advertise the live coverage of the World Cup. I had high hopes after meeting with top TVM officials last week. Despite the fact they are about to be replaced by a new public broadcasting board, they seemed serious about wanting to improve the content of the newscasts. But in announcing the training sessions to the staff, the CEO was met by cynical comments from the rank and file newscasters who don't feel their work is valued by management. Therefore, they take full advantage of liberal Maldivian employment laws which allow people to take unlimited "sick leave" when they don't feel like coming to work. Result: only four people attended the first day of the training session. However, I was happy to see a very pregnant business reporter, Nazleena, the education reporter I trained on the earlier visit, and Ebra, one of the "new batch" from 2008 who is now covering politics. Two editors attended, Afroo and Fatimath, who have both completed college degrees in Australia and India. We discussed the role of the editors in guiding the newscasters to develop stories that go beyond press releases and news conferences. Rameez, the former news director from 2008 is now in charge of training. He and the former program director, Mondhu, made a brief appearance in the training but didn't stay. I firmly believe the training needs to be done from the top down. If the management doesn't take it seriouisly, no one else will. Fayez, the print editor now in charge of a TV newsroom, stayed for the whole session. And I did notice some visual improvements in the Sunday night newscasts, such as the use of graphics in a political story. So there's a small ray of hope. I'll hope for a better turnout when I repeat the same program on Day Two.Update: day two brought seven participants, including one who should have been there the day before, one editor and six newscasters. We had a lively discussion of story ideas on everything from human rights to climate change, but for some reason the management of TVM can't seem to harness this energy into the newscasts. Let's hope for better days under new management.

State Department Visit

While coaching a client in the Washington DC area, I had time to visit the US State Department to talk about Maldives. I'm hopeful that the incoming administration will continue to support media training projects as a way to win the hearts and minds of democracy-loving people all over the world. Topics of discussion: the Maldives Media Training project and other countries in which that type of training might be needed. I also met with a savvy program development officer in the Bureau of International Information programs. It will take some time for the new administration to get settled in and approve budgets, but I am hopeful that some opportunities will develop in the new year. Maldives was right in the middle of the lineup of world flags, the mostly red one in the center of the picture.

The Last Training Session

But before returning home, a few final images and thoughts from Maldives. Our last training session in the TV newsroom focused on memorable standups, voice quality and ethical decisions. A good turnout of people who asked some great questions.