US embassy cable - 04ROME1806

UNCLAS ROME 001806 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SECDEF FOR OSD/AJTORRES 
JOINT STAFF FOR SYIKE 

E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, IT, IZ, KPAO, XF, IRAQI FREEDOM 
SUBJECT: IRAQ: ITALY TRAINS IRAQ TV JOURNALISTS 
 
REF: ROME 355 
 
THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE PROTECT 
ACCORDINGLY.  NOT FOR INTERNET PUBLICATION. 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY:   ITALIAN STATE BROADCASTER RAI HOSTED TEN 
TELEVISION JOURNALISTS AND TECHNICIANS FROM THE IRAQI MEDIA 
NETWORK FOR A TWO-WEEK TRAINING SESSION IN JANUARY.  THE 
TRAINING PROVED USEFUL FOR THE IRAQIS, ACCORDING TO LUIGI 
SAITTA, A RAI NEWSROOM DIRECTOR WHO OVERSAW THE TRAINING. 
SAITTA DESCRIBED THE IRAQI JOURNALISTS AS TECHNICALLY 
PREPARED, BUT LACKING IN NEWS SENSE DUE TO YEARS OF WORKING 
IN A RIGID ENVIRONMENT.  RAI APPEARS WILLING TO HOST SIMILAR 
PROGRAMS FOR OTHER IRAQI JOURNALISTS, IF REQUESTED BY ITALIAN 
AUTHORITIES. END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U) ECON AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICERS MET RECENTLY WITH 
LUIGI SAITTA, NEWSROOM DIRECTOR FOR ITALY'S PREMIER NEWSCAST 
"TG1" ON STATE BROADCASTER RAI.  SAITTA PROVIDED EMBOFFS WITH 
A BRIEFING ON RAI'S JANUARY 9-23 TRAINING PROGRAM FOR 
JOURNALISTS AND TECHNICIANS FROM THE IRAQI MEDIA NETWORK 
(IMN).  THE PROGRAM IS PART OF AN GOI-SPONSORED, EURO 400,000 
(1 EURO = $1.20) ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO IMN (REFTEL). 
 
3. (SBU) RAI, BY SAITTA'S ACCOUNT, HAD VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH 
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PROGRAM.  HE EXPLAINED THAT RAI 
    RECEIVED A REQUEST ON SHORT NOTICE FROM THE ITALIAN MINISTER 
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO HOST THE GROUP.  THE PRESENCE OF THE 
IRAQI JOURNALISTS, HE SAID, WAS KEPT SECRET FROM THE ITALIAN 
PRESS AT THE MFA'S REQUEST. 
 
4. (U) MEMBERS OF THE IRAQI GROUP--WHICH CONSISTED OF CAMERA 
OPERATORS, GRAPHICS TECHNICIANS, EDITORS, AND ANCHORS--WERE 
GIVEN TWO WEEKS OF TRAINING WITH SEPARATE TECHNICAL AND 
EDITORIAL PROGRAMS.  AT THE END OF THE TRAINING, THE IRAQIS 
PRODUCED A NEWSCAST IN ARABIC USING RAI'S STUDIO AND 
EQUIPMENT.  SAITTA REMARKED THAT THE IRAQIS ALREADY POSSESSED 
ADEQUATE TECHNICAL SKILL AND THAT THE EDITORIAL AND 
MANAGEMENT ASPECTS OF THE TRAINING WERE MORE BENEFICIAL.  THE 
VISITORS, HE ADDED, GAINED THE MOST FROM LEARNING ABOUT RAI'S 
NEWSROOM ORGANIZATION AND EDITORIAL PHILOSOPHY.  IN 
PARTICULAR, HE SAID, THE IRAQIS WERE INTERESTED IN HOW TG1 
PRODUCERS PRIORITIZE STORIES BASED ON NEWS WORTHINESS, AS 
OPPOSED TO AUTOMATICALLY LEADING WITH THE PRESIDENT OR PRIME 
MINISTER. 
 
5. (U) COMMENT: SAITTA BELIEVES HE AND HIS RAI COLLEAGUES 
ESTABLISHED A GOOD RAPPORT WITH THEIR IRAQI COUNTERPARTS. 
RAI APPEARS WILLING TO HOST SIMILAR TRAINING SESSIONS, IF 
REQUESTED BY THE MFA.  POST, HOWEVER, HAS NOT HEARD OF ANY 
PLANS FOR FOLLOW-UP.  END COMMENT. 
 
VISIT ROME'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: 
HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/EUR/ROME/INDEX.CF M 
 
SEMBLER 
 

 
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	2004ROME01806 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED