“Reporting Sensitively on Human Rights in Business” a training session was held for senior students studying journalism. The training was organized within the framework of the "Agents of Change: Youth and Media for Responsible Business" project, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNDP.

Since its establishment, the Media Council of Mongolia (MCM) has received and resolved over 600 complaints related to the ethics of journalistic works. About 30 percent of these complaints came from business organizations, and they typically alleged that editorial boards did not verify their sources, did not check the accuracy of the information, did not provide an opportunity to comment, failed to ensure balanced reporting, disclosed the personal information of the organization's employees, or attacked the reputation of individuals and the organization. Meanwhile, Principle 1 of the Media Ethics Principles states that delivering truthful information, valuing humanity and human dignity, verifying information, and maintaining balance are the fundamental principles of rigorous and careful journalism, while Principle 6 emphasizes respect for privacy. Therefore, the MCM developed a training curriculum and materials on respecting human rights in business and reporting on it sensitively, and organized its first pilot training on April 25th.

Out of 34 registered students from the National University of Mongolia, the School of Radio, Television and Media Arts at the Mongolian State University of Arts and Culture, and the University of the Humanities, 23 students participated in the training. The morning session of the training was aimed at providing knowledge and correcting stereotypes through the theme of "Understanding the Issue," covering topics such as "What are human rights in business? The current situation, consequences, and positive and negative impacts on human rights," and "Changing stereotypes based on examples of journalistic works that successfully influenced businesses to respect human rights in their operations, and the lessons learned from them." The afternoon session focused on how to effectively report and cover issues in this area and how to develop journalistic writing skills. A special feature of the training was the combination of theoretical knowledge with practical exercises and engaging games.

The participants expressed that developing the training curriculum using participatory methods rather than traditional lectures was innovative, effective, and interesting, and they requested that multiple training sessions on this topic be organized in the future. This was the first training organized under this curriculum, and the goal is to involve investigative journalists next time.

Furthermore, moving forward, the participants of this training will produce, prepare, and distribute short-form media content that meets ethical standards regarding human rights issues in business.