2015-06-01

I’lam Media Centre in Nazareth, and the Media Development Centre at Birzeit University, last Friday led a crash course in writing news. The course took place over 3 consecutive days – 18 hours of instruction in total.

Participating in the course were 18 journalists, editors, public relations specialists in civil society associations, and activists. At the end of the session they each ‘graduated’ and received certificates from Birzeit University.

The session included information given by a professor of media at Birzeit University, and editor of the newspaper ‘New Life’ Saleh Masharqah, who defined different journalistic and press templates, provided training on news production patterns, and also training on writing news reports.

These theoretical teachings were accompanied in the sessions by practical training on news writing and reviewing, and how to deliver the information in a variety of ways to portray the best and most accurate image possible – while taking into account the number of words used, the place and purpose of the publication, and the target audience.

Professor Masharqah underlined the importance of holding such sessions because of their inherent professional and political significance, explaining that these courses are able to enhance and strengthen the media across Palestine, in addition to being a bridge of communication and networking among Palestinians in the West Bank and in the Palestinian community inside Israel.

He also stressed that the Media Development Centre at Birzeit University is aware of the need to work together with other centres, and with the status of ‘media’, to promote itself to journalists at home at a time where the appropriate educational institutions are absent.

In turn, Professor Amal Jamal also praised the cooperation between these centres of media development, as well as the attendance of the participants in the sessions.

He championed the I’lam media centre in his speech, as the only media centre run by Arab journalists and civil society activists inside Israel. He added that the centre seeks to develop courses designed to provide participants with the mechanisms needed to contribute to the reintegration of media into the labour market. These courses and workshops are built on a professional basis commensurate with the everyday practical needs of journalists and media professionals, as well as technological updates.

Prof. Jamal added that further media courses are being organized in partnership with Birzeit, and called for attendees to subscribe to join them in September this year.