Emphasise hands-on training, journalism training institutions told

JOURNALISTS | TRAINING | SKILLS

Journalism training institutions have been urged to emphasise hands-on and up to date skills training of students.

Practising journalists fear that journalism institutions are undercutting their students by prioritising theoretical training over hands-on skilling.

The journalists say the move is causing the production of journalists who are not fully prepared for the digital and digitalisation era. 

They add that this is also affecting their chances of getting employed in media houses that have already embraced multimedia journalism and their chances of making money from their profession.

The over 25 journalists from different media houses from central, western and northern Uganda regions made the call on October 28, 2022, at Kabalega Resort Hotel in Hoima city. 

This was during the closure of a five-day multimedia and digital skills training conducted by Ultimate Media Consult and supported by US Mission Uganda.

Ssebulime Richard (Scooper News) and Achomo Proscovia (Radio Pacis Gulu) presented recommendations generated by fellow journalists from a discussion about how journalism training institutions can promote digitalisation, multimedia and digital journalism. 

Other recommendations

On top of embracing hands-on training, the institutions were urged to: Revise their curriculums to match the skills needed in the digital era, hire experts in multimedia courses, give refresher courses for their lecturers to be up to date with the changes in the world and invest in research.

“Exchange visits to other institutions will open the eyes of the students because they will get to learn what is being done differently in those other institutions,” Ssebulime said.

Other recommendations were taking students for exchange visits to other journalism training institutions, create partnerships with media houses for their students to benefit more from the training, come up with multimedia and digital skills competitions to motivate their students and field visits that would aid the production of award-winning multimedia stories.

Businge said Ultimate Media Consult partnered with the US Mission Uganda to enhance value added news, information and knowledge through the training.

“By creating partnerships with big media organisations, the training institutions will be able to tap into the organisation’s experience, which will be good for the students,” another journalist said during the discussion.

Digital technologies

The journalists’ training was premised on helping journalists appreciate the new media means of mass communication using digital technologies, such as the Internet and mobile gadgets and how they can position themselves in the digital era to grow professionally and keep afloat.

The training was facilitated by Gerald Businge (leader), Enid Nabumati, Patricia Busingye, Edward Tumwine and Herman Nyanzi.

Businge said Ultimate Media Consult partnered with the US Mission Uganda to enhance value added news, information and knowledge through the training.

Beneficiaries of venture

The journalists who benefitted from the training, included those from Vision Group (Radio West, Bukedde, New Vision, TV West, Wan Luo TV, Radio Rupiny), Mantie Media, Kings Broadcasting Services, Next Media, Mega FM, Kazi-Njema, Insight Post, Uganda and Kagadi Broadcasting Services.

Other were from Kabarole Research and Resource Center, Scooper News,Jubilee Radio Fort Portal Catholic Diocese, Peace Journalism Uganda, Spice Media Services, Chimp Reports, Voice of Toro, Radio Pacis [Gulu and Moyo] and Monitor Publications Ltd.