Basic Journalism

Jul 272011

Academy Award-Winning Documentary Producer Helps Haitian Journalists See Their Work In A New Light

by Kathie Klarreich

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my Fellowship in Haiti. It was a challenge-filled year and the path that has led me to a place where I have a new vista on journalism in Haiti has been strewn with obstacles and even a few dead ends. My overall experience has been one of tremendous personal growth that encompassed the full gamut of emotions. Ultimately, it has been so positive that I’ve extended the Fellowship. I can say with all honesty that that I am looking forward to building on my past successes and achieving new ones with renewed energy.

Journalism Ethics in the Digital Age: A Training Program for Turkish Media

In Partnership With: 
Medya Derneği

ICFJ conducted two online courses, each for 35 journalists (with some taking both courses), followed by an in-person workshop for the 18 best participants. The project focused on journalism ethics and standards in Turkish news media. The first course examined overall ethics and standards, to help journalists from different media companies establish strong ethics frameworks to bring back to their newsrooms. The second course specifically addressed the ethical decision-making issues affecting journalists in the digital age, enabling journalists to meet the needs of Turkey’s rapidly expanding Internet audience. The workshop brought together 18 of the best participants to work on developing a structure for codes of ethics for their news organizations and a broader one for Turkish media as a whole. These efforts raised the bar and encouraged healthy competition between these media companies on an ethical playing field.

Professionalism, Pride and Press Freedom: A Holistic Program to Strengthen Media Workers in The Gambia

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has launched a program designed to enhance the skills of journalists in The Gambia and strengthen the institutions that work to defend their rights.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Spurring Innovation and Experimentation in Newsrooms

Justin Arenstein is a Knight International Journalism Fellow who is helping the African Media Initiative (AMI) to establish a digital innovation program that supports experimentation in newsrooms across Africa. AMI, the continent's largest association of media owners and executives, is working with more than 600 of the most influential media companies in both northern and sub-Saharan Africa.

See video

Knight Fellow Hena Cuevas, in a Skype interview from Peru, discusses how provincial TV stations were able to contribute stories to a national news program. It was a new feature that was part of the Knight Fellowship efforts to improve political coverage in the country.

Apr 182011

In Malawi, the battle over trees pits the poor population against the government

by Edem Djokotoe

Editor note: Knight Fellow Edem Djokotoe discusses contrasting philosophies between a government bent on prosecuting the charcoal industry and a rural population dependent on its profits.

Two weeks after he returned from the UN climate change conference in December, Malawi’s energy minister, Grain Malunga, made a controversial public pronouncement: “Arrest all charcoal sellers.”

Prosecuting them, he argued, would save the country from the devastating effects of deforestation and deter others from chopping down trees for charcoal.

Apr 182011

At Long Last, Recruitment Begins at Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation

by Stephen Douglas

The radio notices started in early spring. The constant television scroll made the announcement amidst reports about Libya and the Salone Stars football team. On Wednesday, March 23rd, three of the 30-odd daily newspapers in Freetown ran center spot, double-page spreads. Pages were stapled to notice boards within the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). The new SLBC web site lists the jobs available and has a PDF of the application form. And, the media sector in Sierra Leone is abuzz… with the news of the SLBC recruitment campaign.

Feb 282011

Witchcraft in Malawi Provides Challenges for Journalists

by Edem Djokotoe

Editors note: Knight Fellow Edem Djokotoe discusses the challenges and various methods of identifying and prosecuting withcraft.

The witchcraft stories that make the news range from spine-chilling and spooky to downright bizarre to fatally tragic. Take the case of 26-year-old Leticia Wyson from Nkondilile Village in central Malawi, for example. On January 15, villagers say she gave birth to two plastic bags containing a millipede, a snail, two mango seeds and nine small stones instead of a baby.