Jordan Media Institute - Amman
Students at the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) have concluded a training workshop on the enhancement of in-depth media content through digital media tools that facilitate public policy accountability and reinforce freedom of expression.
Students were trained in employing digital tools to enhance media content through analysis and investigative journalism and the importance of their role in holding the public sector socially accountable; as well as the importance, in general, of freedom of opinion and expression around decision-making in public policy. The workshop was part of an initiative supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that seeks to enhance the skills of a new generation of Jordanian journalists and develop their ability to defend press freedoms and freedom of expression.
Susan Abu Sundus, a student at JMI, noted that her peers had already started to plan news stories and investigations that address the state of public services in health, education, municipalities, and development. Abu Sundus added that the training series had underlined how the practice of journalism entails not only conveying facts, but also analyzing, investigating, and foregrounding a diversity of perspectives; especially given that journalistic work is inherently shaped by “the spirit of the writer” and his or her cultural background. In this her peer Sherene al-Sagheer agreed and stressed the importance of commitment to professional and ethical standards in journalistic work.
Discussion sessions revolved around the details of reporting, interviewing, and investigating, as well as the article and the news story. Heba al-Kayed felt that the three-day workshop had shed light upon issues that helped familiarize her with the means for assessing public policy and its social impact, especially insofar as it serves the public interest.
The training examined samples of journalistic content that the students could assess in terms of both their quality and their commitment to professional ethics and principles. Commenting on this component of the workshop, Islam al-Shumuliyy said that “departing from the traditional form of journalistic material and leaving a distinctive mark allows for greater space in which to address the needs of society and diversify the topics that are chosen, as well as the way that they are covered and conveyed.”
JMI, which is welcoming its 12th intake of students this coming academic year, provides an interactive environment for students enrolled in its master’s program in Journalism and New Media. It is striving to support local and Arab media by promoting the practical dimensions of digital media tools and keeping abreast of the most critical and rapid developments in this field.