Baghdad: Europe and the Arabs
The "Journalism Basics" project led by the United Nations Population Fund in Iraq is an opportunity to hone Alaa Bint Mohammed's skills to develop her abilities in managing discussions and publishing through various media, especially social media.
Alaa Bint Mohammed was among about 160 Iraqi women who joined the project, which was designed to empower aspiring women to enter the field of journalism and provide them with basic journalism tools. According to the UN News Bulletin
The Iraqi journalist, political and human rights activist who now holds the position of CEO of the United Nations Digital Platform, told UN News that what "I got in this training was something great and added a lot to me. After completing the training, I started applying everything I learned."
She stressed that the matter was not limited to training on traditional media such as traditional television channels, but also focused on using social media to publish and deliver news.
Not only that, but also the ability to investigate, collect, and disseminate accurate and reliable information, “especially on issues that concern women and girls, including child marriage and violence against women,” as Sana Jalal, the Communications and Partnership Officer at the United Nations Population Fund in Iraq, explained to us.

She pointed out that the project is being implemented in partnership with the Rudaw Media Network, in addition to other partners including the Seed Foundation, Google News Initiative, Internews, and the British Embassy in Iraq.

Between Economics and Journalism
Before completing its first year, the Journalism Basics project won the Stevie Award for Best Social Program of the Year in the Middle East and North Africa region, even before reaching the target number of trainees, which is 300 by the end of 2024.

Among those trainees, in addition to Alaa Bint Mohammed, is Maryam Mu’ayyad, whose learning journey did not stop as she traveled from Baghdad to Cairo to become a master’s student in economics at the American University in Cairo.
“Bringing together journalism and economics is important in building a greater understanding of the Middle East and Iraq in particular,” Mariam Moayed told UN News.

She explained that the most important thing she learned in the Journalism Essentials project was “the value of preparing before conducting interviews, researching each topic in-depth, and taking into account different points of view, whether for or against, because this helps structure questions based on this comprehensive understanding, and achieves a more balanced discussion.”

Starting Point
The program consists of lectures on journalism, photography, documentary film production, and news writing, as Mariam Moayed explained to us, adding that “we had the opportunity to produce a live TV program during the five days of training.”
Alaa Bint Mohammed described the experience as “very realistic, which made me focus on many points afterwards that were essential and necessary, especially since I am a debater in political discussion sessions. These points are what made me start.”
This knowledge that Alaa Bint Mohammed gained, in addition to what she learned about publishing on social media, provided her with tools that helped her communicate the messages she presents through the digital platform she leads. She added: "In the future, I will be the head of a political group, and on this basis I will apply everything we learned in the program. In politics, we need a good interviewer and journalistic intelligence in asking questions."

As for Maryam Mu'ayyad, she confirmed that she will continue to apply the skills she learned, "through the opportunities I get at events that I will be invited to, whether in Cairo or Baghdad, especially if they are with local and international experts working in various fields, most notably economics and politics, in addition to obtaining a certificate proving her work as a journalist."

Defending women and girls
Women's and girls' issues in Iraq remain present in the activities of the participants in the "Journalism Basics" program. Alaa bint Mohammed said that she has worked extensively on everything related to the role of women in Iraq at the local level. Among the examples is a campaign launched by her digital platform entitled "No to Family Disintegration", in addition to presenting proposals regarding the Personal Status Law and the problems of domestic violence and underage marriage.
As for Maryam Mu'ayyad, she believes that what women and girls need is the "opportunity" to train and participate in local and international educational programs. She stressed that participating in a training program such as the Journalism Basics Project, "is a step forward to improve the status of women in Iraq on a personal or professional level." Sana Jalal, Communications and Partnership Officer at UNFPA in Iraq, said that they will continue with the initiative, and the focus will not only be on topics related to women and girls, "but also on journalism in the field of climate change, especially empowering young people in Iraq who are active in climate action."