REPORTERS in the print media were able to sharpen their writing and photography skills during a two-week print production workshop that was organised by the Universities of Guyana (UG) and Ohio, United States of America. The Centre for Communication Studies (CCS) at the University of Guyana in collaboration with Ohio University teamed up under a ‘Higher Education for Development grant’ which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Three participants from the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (Guyana Chronicle), three from Stabroek News and one from Guyana Times attended the workshop, along with a few from UG and the electronic media.
Participants were given certificates last Friday indicating that they satisfactorily completed the workshop and will be informed by UG, in the future, if the amount of marks they gained in the final test is enough to be used, along with other acceptable qualifications, for entry to the CCS.
The workshop, which commenced July 12 at Theatre Guild, Parade Street, Kingston, and ended last Friday, included sessions for editors, owners and managers, as well, and was conducted by Mr. Alan Miller, Managing Editor of the Columbus Dispatch in Ohio.
At the closing ceremony, Mr. Miller thanked the participants for teaching him new things including creoles used by Guyanese. “I feel blessed to have been here and I have seen so much growth over the past two weeks,” he commented.
He said the fact that reporters were “so invested” in conversations and debates told him much about them, adding that he saw immediate results of the workshop in their reports.
Miller told reporters that he added their respective newspapers websites to his online favourite list so that he can keep up to date with their reports.
Mission Director of the USAID and Charge d’ Affairs of the US Embassy, Ms Carol Horning, said she was happy to hear that the workshop sparked debate and discussion and that there was never a dull moment, as was related by Stabroek News reporter Cathy Richards.
Horning further told reporters that she will continue to take note of their advancements and she is hopeful that there will be other occasions like this.
UG lecturer Dr Paloma Mohamed remarked that reporters now have a better understanding of what is required of them and she thanked the participants for their time, adding that she was fully aware that it was difficult for news agencies to release their reporters for two weeks.
Mohamed noted that the training would assist in changing the way reporters do things in the media and that Miller was one of the most unassuming intellects she met.
Comments and debates were welcomed during the workshop on topics such as road blocks to telling the truth, the components of a good story, identifying biases and giving voice to the voiceless, dealing with victims, interviewing, social problems, ethical codes and values and covering elections.
One of the sessions was dedicated to hearing from veteran journalists such as John Mair, who presently lectures on journalism in the United Kingdom; Bert Wilkinson, an Associated Press correspondent; and Denis Chabrol, former president of the Guyana Press Association and a correspondent for the French Press Agency and Demerara Waves.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony and Office of the President Press and Publicity Officer, Kwame Mc Coy, were invited at another session that encouraged discussion on the relationship between government and the media in Guyana.
Ms Joy Wilson, a counsellor and part-time lecturer at the University of Guyana was invited to do a presentation on domestic violence, which most participants agreed was a number one social issue in Guyana.
The goal of the three-year collaborative partnership is to strengthen mass communication and journalism education in Guyana. This is the second year of the project.