‘In August We Were Strangers; Here In Cologne We Meet Again As Friends’

"I hope we still have something to teach you," laughed Peter Kloeppel, RTL Editor-In-Chief and a member of the International Academy of Journalism (Intajour) Journalism Advisory Board, as Oleg Shynkarenko related his previous journalistic experience during the introductions. The 35-year-old comes from Ukraine and is one of the twelve Intajour Fellows who are currently completing their second attendance phase in Cologne. As reported, Bertelsmann had founded the Academy to help promote press freedom and freedom of opinion on the occasion of the company’s 175th anniversary in 2010.

While practical journalism and online journalistic skills were the focus of the first attendance phase in Hamburg, in the second attendance phase the Fellows are dealing with the basics of video journalism. In addition to intensive classroom instruction there are many other exciting events on the lesson plan. They will meet with students from the RTL School of Journalism, talk with RTL correspondents, and visit RTL Interactive and Deutsche Welle in Bonn. 

Together with Werner Eggert, Director of Intajour, Leonard Ottinger, Director of the RTL School of Journalism, and Winnie von Wilmsdorff , senior cameraman at RTL and a lecturer at the School of Journalism, Peter Kloeppel welcomed the twelve Fellows – six women and six men – all of whom had travelled to Germany from different countries.

After giving a brief introduction to Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and the RTL School of Journalism, Peter Kloeppel wanted to know more about the twelve young talents sitting opposite him, because even for him it is a special experience to be able to talk with journalists from such diverse countries. Alia Turki Al-Rabeo was the first to introduce herself. The 27-year-old comes from Syria, and lives in Damascus. When Kloeppel asked her about the current situation in her hometown she replied: "It's worse than you can imagine. It's war." At that moment, everyone present became vividly aware of how difficult the working conditions are for journalists in some of the Fellows’ home countries.

For the twelve young people these difficult working conditions were their most important motivation for applying to Intajour. They come from countries where press freedom is sometimes severely restricted and threatened, and they want to learn more about the working conditions of journalists in Germany, and the ethical guidelines for journalists in this country.

The question and answer session revealed that they all know a lot already and are very capable, but want to learn more. The RTL representatives took the time to respond in detail to the Fellows’ sometimes very specific questions. For instance, Rehab Abd Almohsen from Egypt asked Peter Kloeppel whether as a newscaster he shows emotion, and if so, when. "Newscasters in Germany have a philosophy of presenting the news objectively," said Kloeppel. "But the most important thing while doing so is to remember that you are a human being, too." Answering a question from Daniel Akwasi Aforo of Ghana about his feelings on 11 September 2001, Kloeppel admitted that he sometimes finds it difficult to maintain objectivity. "There are days you can hardly prepare for," said the RTL chief, trying to describe the day in question.

The extent to which the Fellows are preoccupied with the situation of journalists in their home countries was clear from the questions they kept asking about the situation of journalists in Germany, so as to draw comparisons. For instance, they asked Leonard Ottinger how things stand for the journalistic profession in Germany, whether it is difficult to find a job, and whether the crisis had affected the profession, or is still having an effect. Ottinger replied that yes, journalists are also feeling the impact of the crisis, but there are also many positive examples to the contrary, such as the graduates of the RTL School of Journalism, all of whom are sure to find a job after completing their training.

The Fellows were not unable to forget the current problems in their home countries in Cologne. Alia Turki Al-Rabeo wanted to know how informed people in Germany were overall about the unrest in Syria and the Arab countries. Kloeppel said it was very difficult to report on events in Syria, but that journalists try to carry out thorough research as best they can. He added that the Arab revolution has for months dominated the news in Germany as well.

During the subsequent tour of the RTL studio with Andreas Fleuter, head of production, the twelve Fellows showed that they were also interested in the technical processes behind the camera. They curiously looked at the archive and control rooms and asked about how the various devices work. They were particularly impressed by the state-of-the-art television studio, and each had their photograph taken in the place where Peter Kloeppel presents the news night after night. 

Carlos Roberto Fonseca from Nicaragua admitted that on some of the exciting days in Germany, he finds it difficult to concentrate on the instruction. "This German discipline is new to me," he grins. But of course the 29-year-old knows that Intajour is a great opportunity for him. He has already been able to apply much of what he has learned in his position as a lecturer at the University of Central America's Communication Department, especially knowledge of digital media. Fonseca recalls talks with the editors of "Geo" and "Stern" at G+J in Hamburg last fall as a particularly memorable experience. "Some of them have already experienced so much and were able to give us a lot."

For him, interacting with the other Fellows is at least as instructive as the lessons. The opportunity to be with such diverse people from different countries, cultures and religions is a unique experience, he says. Sometimes the Fellows deliberately avoid political discussions, he says, for example, they are reluctant to talk at the moment about China's veto of the UN’s Syria resolution. Some topics are just too difficult to discuss, especially if someone is personally affected - such as Alia Turki Al-Rabeo from Syria.

Ludmila Bogheanu, 28, has already been able to apply many things she learned during the first attendance period in her home country of Moldova. "I've now become something of an expert on matters of Internet layout in Moldova," she says. At home she also works as a lecturer at the Chisnau School of Advanced Journalism, an institution that campaigns for "free and high-quality journalism," where, some projects that could previously not be implemented due to lack of experience among the lecturers are now able to go ahead, such as video work. Bogheanu says that in addition to the lecturers the other Fellows are an important source of learning. For instance, the Fellows use every break to exchange ideas about their work - for example, about their experiences with Facebook. Some of them were rather light-hearted about the medium, posting photos from their stay in Germany, says Krishna Prasad Acharay from Nepal. But he says others are cautious and very restrictive about access to their profile, such as Rehab Abd Almohsen. The 29-year-old sees Facebook primarily as a medium to achieve political goals. During the Arab revolution she deliberately used the social network to provide editorial coverage of the events in Egypt.

But another aspect is also important for Ludmila Bogheanu: "In August we were still strangers; here in Cologne we meet again as friends," Columbus Mavhunga from Zimbabwe adds: "At Intajour I got to know Muslim people for the first time. This is an exciting experience for me."

It also emerged time and again on this day in Cologne that the six young men and women had indeed already learned a lot in their own countries, but often they lack professional support. For instance, everyone was delighted by the presence of cameraman Winnie von Wilmsdorff . "I’ve never met a real cameraman before in my life," says Oleg Shynkarenko. "I hope I can learn a lot from him." And like the other RTL representatives, von Wilmsdorff enjoyed his time with the Fellows and took sufficient time to explain the technical processes involving his camera to them. "Working with someone who has as much experience as he has is impressive. We have already produced several films, and I’ve already noticed how much more confident I am in handling the camera," says Carlos Roberto Fonseca.

Another highlight for the twelve Fellows took place on their first day at RTL: They were allowed to stay in the studio during the live broadcast of "RTL aktuell" and watch Peter Kloeppel and Ulrike van der Groeben at work. During the program, absolute silence reigns in the studio, and even if they couldn’t understand what was being said all twelve listened intently and followed each news item very closely. After the show, Peter Kloeppel once again took time to answer the Fellows’ questions. Their questions reveal how differently they see the news. What seems obvious to us from a Central European point of view is anything but for many of them. For instance, Ludmila Bogheanu wanted to know, for example, why the broadcast began with international issues, when in Moldova they would only be put at the end of the news. The other Fellows agreed with her and listened to Kloeppel’s response with interest. "In Germany people are very preoccupied with these issues, especially because they do have something to do with us, such as the Greek crisis."

Fatoumala Nabie Fofana from Liberia wanted to know how one handles excitement during a live broadcast, and was surprised when Peter Kloeppel explained that at some stage you forget the excitement, and presenting the news eventually becomes routine.

For the Fellows their Intajour work is now also becoming routine. After the kick-off in Hamburg they remained in touch with one another online via various e-learning offers. "In the e-learning phase the Fellows deepen the knowledge they acquired in the previous attendance phase," says Intajour Director Werner Eggert. "Under our tutelage, the Fellows transfer their new knowledge to the context of their work in their home countries."

In June, they will return to Germany for the third and final attendance phase in Berlin. But right now they don’t want to think about the fact that their time at Intajour will then have to come to an end. Gayane Mirzogan Armenia says: "We’ve already learned a lot here, both professionally and personally. At Intajour we can exchange ideas internationally during our work, for example, on our blogs, which we will unswervingly maintain even after the program."