Article
What I learned working with UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy Unit during the World Press Freedom Day
Youth Multimedia Room
The article was produced by the Youth Multimedia Room. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributors of the Youth Multimedia Room and do not represent the views of UNESCO or its partners. The designations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or its partners.
It was an extremely enriching, disruptive, and innovative experience that brought together young communicators from the United States, Kenya, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, France, Bosnia, Colombia, United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, and the Netherlands. The central objective of the project was to provide a space for mutual and collaborative learning among young professionals, engaging them in the same mission: spreading the news from the conference and creating multimedia tools to disseminate the importance of the climate debate as a priority agenda of global journalism, always emphasizing freedom of expression.
We want to understand the new ways of communicating and participating in the transformation of the news dissemination ecosystem.
This was a pioneering project created to engage young global communicators with World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on May 3rd. This date is a reminder created on December 20, 1993, with a decision of the United Nations General Assembly related to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Thus, UNESCO marks the celebrations of World Press Freedom Day by awarding an individual, organization, or institute that contributes to press freedom worldwide, through the Guillermo Cano Isaza Award, a Colombian journalist who was murdered in front of the building where he worked for disclosing news denouncing drug trafficking. This year, the award was given to Palestinian journalists who are doing courageous work covering the war.
After the opening ceremony, we had two days of hard work. We were divided into 6 small groups (Tracks), and we were responsible for covering some panels of the conference. My group was formed by two Chilean journalists (Martin and Sebastian), a Kenyan editor (Silvia), and myself, who was responsible for the content creation part (scripts, presenter, and video editor).
I must confess, the first day was quite challenging. Each person has a different culture, their own way of working, and specific skills. I noticed that while journalists were focused on participating in the panels, taking notes, and writing about the subject, content creators valued their freedom. We wanted to walk around the rooms, interview people, and have quality time to edit our content.
At the end of the first day, we had a feedback meeting to understand what went well during the day, points of friction, and what could be improved. Based on the reflections, our attitude for the next day was different. We paired up and committed to teaching our skills among team members.
The second day was much lighter, flowing in a more dynamic and even fun way. There were numerous exchanges, sharing, and conversations, and if I could summarize my learnings in a few points, I would say that this experience allowed me to:
Develop resilience to work under pressure and manage a high number of demands
Create empathy to understand the different work rhythms between journalists, news checkers, and content creators from different parts of the globe
Stimulate a critical vision to realize that with respect, horizontality, and transparency, it is possible to carry out impactful work.
This journey was wonderful! I felt very happy to take another step in the development of my international career, working hard to think of innovative, creative, and disruptive strategies to democratize the climate agenda in different spaces!
Amanda Costa
