Twenty-two Azerbaijani reporters continued their training at the 18th war journalism program conducted in coordination with Anadolu Agency, Turkey's state-run aid agency and police academy said on Wednesday.
Organized as part of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA)'s Correspondent Training Program and with the contributions of the Azerbaijan Media Development Agency, the 12-day event aims to boost the ability of reporters to operate and survive in conflict zones and emergency situations.
During the first three days of the program, which began on Aug. 9 and is scheduled to end on Aug. 20, the participants received theoretical training about war journalism, air and naval operations, map reading, war theory and terminology, and information on Turkey's fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt.
The participants were also trained in first aid and were put through simulations of public events and demonstrations, with sessions on smoke grenades, tear gas, and water cannon at the Police Academy in the ongoing program.
Bora Bayraktar, the director of Anadolu Agency's News Academy, said that on Wednesday, the participants received lessons on how to respond and behave when faced with such situations.
"They won't be surprised when faced with a real event, at least they'll have experience," Bayraktar explained.
"We expect journalists from all over the world and from Turkey. The training program is open to all institutions that need this training," he added.
Over two dozen separate lessons were scheduled to be taught by expert academics and professional security personnel as part of the program.
At the end of the training, successful participants will be handed internationally recognized merit certificates.
Since 2012, a total of 327 journalists, including 118 from outside Turkey, have attended the war journalism training. The schedule differs from that of other training programs in terms of duration and theoretical and practical course hours.
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