Thirty-six people attended the first journalism training course offered by the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Rangoon this month, supervised by senior party leader and journalist U Win Tin.

The training course syllabus includes an introduction to journalistic principles, freedom of the press, translation, news writing, ethics and citizen journalism. Mizzima

Freelance journalists at risk

ProPublica reporter Kim Barker describes the harrowing tale of how her former colleague and brother's fiancee, Dorothy Parvaz, was captured by the Taliban. In the story, she argues that journalists today are at increased risk as major news corporations have scaled back their international coverage, leaving freelancers to fill the gaps. In the event of a crisis, they do not have the support of media organisations when they come into harm's way. Much to Barker's relief, Parvaz was returned to safety earlier this month. Los Angeles Times

Bay Area media still struggling

State and federal labour statistics in the United States show that employment among San Francisco Bay Area media workers has fallen 43 per cent since 2001. The decline was attributed to massive restructuring at local news outlets whose financial losses measured in the billions. Newspapers were hit hardest, shedding more than 4,000 employees. The television and radio sector fared slightly better, reporting a marginal rise in jobs over the period. Most continue to suffer from limited wage growth. "Many journalists are faced with low-pay employment options, even as the opportunities to make their mark are enormous," a member of the industry wrote. "This puts tremendous pressure on individuals to survive in a very expensive area of the country." SF Public Press

Fairfax employees call off strike

Journalists at Fairfax Media will not take industrial action over management's controversial move to outsource sub-editing at the company's key titles, but have vowed to keep fighting a decision they claim will diminish the quality of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance federal secretary Chris Warren said journalists would continue to protest at job cuts in a public campaign. The Australian