Another milestone under the Inspire project: A workshop on crisis and investigative reporting.

SDJF successfully completed a workshop on crisis and investigative reporting with the
participation of 46 including students at the University of Peradeniya and regional journalists.
The workshop was held at the Suisse Hotel in Kandy. This workshop was facilitated by an
award-winning investigative journalist, Shihar Aneez.

At the opening session, participants were welcomed by the Director of the SDJF, Mr. Azad
Mustaffa, who explained the aim of the workshop and SDJF work and said, “I’m very happy
to welcome all of you on behalf of SDJF. Today’s trainer is a skilled and award-winning
investigative journalist who has many years of experience in the field. I hope you all learn
something new through today’s workshop”. 

The session included in the theoretical and practical sessions relates to crisis and investigative
reporting. Participants in particular learned investigative and crisis reporting tools and
techniques. The first day’s session was about introductions and reporting, and all the
participants were enrolled in a practical session such as a group presentation that showed
their knowledge about the subject area and their presentation skills. This workshop went
above and beyond simply imparting theoretical knowledge about crisis reporting. The trainer,
who has extensive knowledge of the field, led participants in a variety of group exercises to
keep the session interesting and engaging. 

Senior lecturer, Dr. Uvasala Disanayke, head of the department, faculty of agriculture, at the
extensive University of Peradeniya, visited the workshop on the second day and addressed
the event. She emphasized the significance of crisis and investigative reporting. “These days,
our professional lecturers are pursuing PhDs and other learning opportunities. Actually, crisis
management is a part of their studies as well. Knowledge of crisis reporting is not limited to
one subject; it is applicable to many others, including ours, agriculture.Therefore, this is a
very good opportunity for you all as undergraduates. I would like to thank SDJF for
conducting this workshop for the undergraduate students”.

The second day’s session was started by the trainer with an introduction to safety measures
for any disaster coverage. The entire second-day workshop included specific topics like
specific safety measures, responding to disasters, etc. All participants took part in active
practical sessions, as well as group work and presentations, during each session. At the end of
the workshop, the trainer conducted a Q&A session to get feedback from undergraduate
students and regional journalists.

After the Q&A, participants shared their experiences and ideas about the workshop. “When
someone mentions a workshop, we immediately think of boring lectures in a classroom. But,
after participating in this workshop, I learned it is far beyond the classroom lectures. The
trainer gave us knowledge through the practical activities. Today, I learned a lot about crisis
and investigative reporting, which will be useful for both my future career and general
knowledge. I want to thank SDJf for giving us this opportunity” one University of Peradenya
student.

The provincial journalists also shared their experiences and what they learned through the
workshop. “I have worked as a journalist for such a long time. But I’ve never had an
experience like this in my entire professional life. Despite having worked as a journalist for
many years, I had little knowledge of crisis reporting or investigative journalism in general.
Today I learned many things that I hadn’t touched before. I’d like to thank SDJF and today’s
trainer for the invaluable lesson,” C. G. Wijerathne, a journalist, said. 

This workshop was part of the Inspire project, which is implemented by SDJF and Helvetas
and funding support of the EU.