Jordan Media Institute - Amman
At the Jordan Media Institute (JMI), a team of field correspondents, editors, and broadcasters from the Jordanian Radio and Television Corporation have finished their training in media coverage and content development for the upcoming parliamentary elections, as well as in addressing the challenges that such work poses in both the field and studio. The training was part of the EU Support to Jordanian Democratic Institutions and Development Program and held in collaboration with the Agence Française de Coopération Médias.
In intensive training sessions with Dr. Mustafa Hamarneh, a former member of parliament who headed the Corporation’s board of directors for a number of years, about 20 participants discussed the most pressing priorities, challenges, and issues regarding media coverage of the elections. Dr. Hamarneh noted how important it is that journalists become immersed in the various issues of their society and approach them from the perspective of political participation and the selection of the nation’s representatives in the parliament.
JMI also hosted Faisal Shboul, a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Election Commission, to speak about the constitutional and legal frameworks, systems, and guidelines that relate to the elections. He also established the timeline of the electoral process and traced its course before, during, and after voting. Shboul emphasized to the trainees that, as journalists in the field, they play a delicate role in overseeing the integrity, security, and transparency of the electoral process.
Field correspondent and trainee Ahmed Albakheit described the training as comprehensive, as they took place over 3 consecutive days and gave a concentrated dose of information that would help him better understand topics that bear on the elections and their media coverage. Alongside the skills of narrating a story from different angles that he trained in at JMI, Alkhatib also learned to employ sophisticated research tools.
For her part, Basima Wleidat, who prepares and delivers reports on Jordan TV, stressed how the training material and the manners of its application were rich, interactive, and highlighted many skills that field journalists ought to possess. Her colleague, Hassan Abu Assaf, agreed, noting that the consecutive demonstration of skills and tools in research, data collection, and the development of news stories from different angles has enhanced his ability to keep pace with rapidly-changing events and deal with the situations that may arise while on the air.
For the news editor and correspondent Khalid Qubeilat, the course underscored how television content is a journalistic art unbound to a given template or form - as long as there is a great deal of sources and documentation that provides a coherent set of backgrounds, perspectives, and linkages that address issues in nontraditional ways. He added that the “humanization” and use of statistics to prepare news allows it to become appealing to viewers.
Throughout the year, JMI trains professionals working in different fields of journalism and media in the newest tools and most important skills that are necessary for raising the quality of local and regional journalistic content.