The Consul for Press and Culture of the U.S. Consulate General in Krakow, William Bellis, together with the Podkarpackie Provincial Governor, Jan Kurp, and the director of South-Eastern Research Institute, Stanislaw Stepien, inaugurated a new international media program "Partnership for Democracy" on September 27, 2005, in Rzeszow.
Partnership is a new phase of the Consulate's successful Bridges to the East Initiative which seeks to link Poles and their Ukrainian counterparts on joint cross border issues.
The first in a series of six practical workshops for Ukrainian journalists, started with a three day study tour of the Polish agricultural sector and its adjustment to Poland's membership in the European Union. 16 representatives from Ukrainian national and local media visited farms, food processors, growers and breeders to see the impact and challenges involved in adaptating to EU requirements.
The experiences shared by Polish journalists - moderators of the program - will be brought to the larger Ukrainian public through radio and television programs produced by the participants. The series of trainings and workshops targeted at Ukrainian media representatives will help lead to the further development of democracy and civil society and thereby expand and maintain the achievements of the "Orange Revolution".
The study tour and lectures provided a huge body of material for live and post-workshop coverage by: Central State TV, Razem TV (under construction) - both national channels, and regional channel TV Lviv. Also taking part, among others, were the Ukrainian Press Agency, Postup and "For Free Ukraine" - national newspapers and Express a regional daily.
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