Training attracts Azerbaijan’s highest-flying journalists

It’s not really surprising that the British Council’s Business Journalism programme is recognised as one of the most successful journalism training programmes in Azerbaijan.

In this Caucasus country still less than 25 years into independence, where oil and gas dominate a growing economy, business is hard-wired into journalism in a way some might find at first surprising.

For example, how many journalists do you know who can quote the current price of a barrel of crude oil or its wider global implications? Most Azeri journalists can.

The combination of hands-on training in Baku, optional English tuition through the British Council plus a study tour in London, has consistently attracted some of Azerbaijan’s highest-flying journalists.

Last year was no exception, with a record number of applications (thanks in no small measure to the enthusiastic promotion by the previous year’s participants) for the dozen or so places.

Business is hard-wired into journalism in a way some might find, at first, surprising.

Azerbaijani journalists from print, broadcasting and online media come together for the start of the British Council's Business Journalism training in Baku 

This is the fourth year the Thomson Foundation has delivered training for the programme, and it’s interesting to look back on the dramatic changes in training content.

This year, the focus is more than ever on mobile skills, data and multimedia story forms that drive audiences through social sharing. 

Buzzfeed-style lists and quizzes, Quartz-style context stories and snappy BBC-style explainer videos have their place, as do photography, video, timelines, curation, verification and social media.

Developing business skills by guiding journalists, working in teams, through planning and budgeting for a business-related digital start-up will feature again this year.

The first four-day workshop was completed in December, the second, in Baku, in January, and again in February.

The London experience follows in March, usually coinciding with the Azerbaijani festival of Novruz.

Novruz celebrates the coming of Spring and is a time for universal hope and optimism. 

If previous programmes are anything to go by, these journalists have a lot to look forward to.

Business journalism training in Baku, Azerbaijan

The Business Journalism programme is led by the British Council Azerbaijan, with support by Pasha Bank and the Thomson Foundation. This is the fourth year that the Thomson Foundation has delivered training for the programme.