The Information and Communication technology (ICT) for Small Newsrooms project was supported by UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and implemented by the Kazakhstan Newspaper Publishers Association.

The workshops were held in the second half of 2008 and covered topics such as developing web-based newspaper editions, replacing ‘pirate’ software with FOSS and customizing free software for specific publishing needs in the newsroom. Participants quickly learned how open source applications can be efficiently used for all content processes, advertisement preparation, newspaper design and layout.

Artem Goryainov, a trainer-consultant and IСT-coordinator of the Civil Initiative on Internet Policy, stressed the importance of the ICT for Small Newsrooms project for regional newspapers in Kazakhstan: “The implementation of such projects encourages increased interest in FOSS and its wider use in the publishing industry. Small news companies can significantly minimize economic and legal risks linked to the use of unlicensed software by making the choice to use FOSS.”