Tunisian youth reporting on prime time National TV
Young people are barely visible in traditional Tunisian media. This means they have little say in their future. Free Press Unlimited supports Jaridaty, a network of young, local citizen journalists who report on topics relevant to them. Now, these young people are claiming their space on national Tunisian television.
The Jaridaty network has been supporting young people between 15-18 years old, connected to five youth clubs all over Tunisia, for over two years. One year ago, 25 of them came together in a media camp organised by Jaridaty and Free Press Unlimited, where they were trained in creating catchy videos. As a result of this camp, 59-second video reports created by these youngsters were shown in a weekly television programme called ‘Lokhrine’, broadcasted on national channel El Wataniya 2. After several discussions, the netmanager was convinced to integrate the ‘Lokhrine’ concept prime time into their new TV programme ‘Ghodwa Khir’.
Tomorrow will be better
‘Ghodwa Khir’ (tomorrow will be better) is a Tunisian TV programme that airs three times a week on El Wataniya 2, at 6.00pm. The programme is a 30 minute social cultural programme that deals with different topics. These items are prepared by professional TV journalists, and by the youth reporters from the Jaridaty network.
Boris van Westering, Programme Coordinator for the MENA-region: “That youth reporters from provinces across all of Tunisia are now claiming their space on National Television, is quite a significant step as it has never happened before. We hope that this experience with ‘Lokhrine’ and ‘Ghodwa Khir’ will open the door for many other young reporters to give a voice to the youth on their National TV.”
For the youth reporters participating in the Jaridaty network, this TV programme isn’t the end-station. It is only one way to reach their young audience. They continue their innovative reporting via local radio, podcasts and audiovisual content on YouTube and Facebook. By doing so they give voice to their generation, and steer their future in a positive way.
All the video productions the youth reporters made can be found on their YouTube channel.