This programme is aimed at supporting regional independent media outlets across all regions of Uzbekistan to become strong actors of democratization. The program will work to strengthen the capacities of the local media to provide quality content to their audiences whilst increasing citizens’ demand for objective, fact-based and reliable information in local communities via media literacy tools. Among the main objectives of the program is the development of a viable and sustainable Uzbek fact-checking community across the country involved in trainings, events, fact-checking contributions, etc. We will also strengthen the resistance of vulnerable youth to online hate speech and extremist propaganda through the educational game platform “QLEVER”.

Milestones

  • Two Media Hackathons organized for local media outlets to increase networking, intersectoral collaboration and to develop fundraising capacity (March 2023 and 2024)
  • Follow up small grants and long-term mentorship are available for media to strengthen their organizational capacity, improve content and increase their audiences (from April 2023)
  • Factcheck methodology developed based on Uzbekistani context and factcheck website is created (December 2022 – April 2023)
  • Three Fact-Checking ToTs for 36 local journalists from the 12 regions of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan Republic organized (February 2023)
  • Trained journalists organize a series of 72 events and discussions for journalists, bloggers, students, etc. from their regions on the importance of fact-checking, promoting the program’s tools (from April 2023)
  • Media tour for the most active contributors to the factchecknet.uz to Kazakhstan (May 2023)
  • Uzbek factchecking community is further expanded through awareness raising events among key stakeholders (from April 2023)
  • 6 new educational games for the QLEVER platform based on factcheck developed (October 2022 – December 2023)

 

Project Activities

  • Community Radio Experience Exchange (Leadership)
  • On-the-Job Mentorship (Management/Leadership)
  • Training- Audience Research for Enhanced Radio Content and Income Generation
  • Training- Radio Program Production/Adobe Audition
  • Training- Radio Program Production/Adobe Audition for Women Journalists
  • Experience Exchange- Radio Program Production around Gender/GBV
  • On-the-Job Mentorship- Journalism & Radio Program Production
  • Community Radio Experience Exchange- Digital Tools for Community Engagement
  • Community Radio Experience Exchange- Preventative Equipment Maintenance
  • On-the-Job Mentorship- Digital Tools, Social Media for Community Engagement and Journalism

Donors

Special thanks to our donors:

  • US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL)

Partners

Special thanks to our partners:

  • Modern Journalism Development Center – MJDC