Environmental journalism in offing

By Charles Wendo The Department of Mass Communication in Makerere University is to introduce a regional training programme on environmental journalism to promote responsible coverage of environmental issues in eastern Africa. The training, expected to begin next year, will include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The Academic Registrar, Sebastian Ngobi, says Makekere has sufficient experience and infrastructure to run such a regional programme. The Swedish International Development Aid (SIDA) has agreed to provide initial funding for the programme for five years. "The environment is very important in development, given the impact it has on people's lives and health," says Rolf Ericksson, SIDA Counsellor. Stakeholders attending a planning workshop recently agreed on a Post-Graduate Diploma as well as tailored certificate courses on environmental journalism and communication. The certificate courses will cover practising journalists as well as environmental communicators in the field. Makerere will conduct the post-graduate course, whose entry requirement is a university degree in any speciality. Each participating country is to conduct the certificate courses in collaboration with Makerere. Mrs. Monica Chibita, Head, Department of Mass Communication, says the programme would enhance skills in gathering, packaging and disseminating environmental information in eastern Africa. The inability of most journalists to understand, digest and simplify environmental information has been one of the main constraints in the coverage of environmental issues. Ends