Reporters, editors, producers, bloggers and anyone reporting or writing about elections in their country are invited to participate in an online workshop organised by the African Regional Hub of the United States Department of States.
The English workshop of the workshop will hold on Tuesday, February 16 from 13:30- 15:00 GMT.
Judy Yablonky, Media Consultant and Journalism Trainer is the mail speaker at the training which will be moderated by Jerelyn Eddings, Senior Program Director ICFJ, Knight International Journalism Fellowships.
Interested participants should send RSVP to afmediahub@state.gov and indicate the requested date/language at least 24 hours prior to the start of program.
The online link for the workshop will be sent to applicants.
The virtual workshop will introduce journalists in the region to best practices in election reporting as well as the opportunity to interact with international journalists experienced in election coverage in Africa and beyond.
Workshop speakers will introduce and reinforce professional standards in the many aspects of reporting on elections and address the importance an impartial media and its relationship with both the government and the general public during the electoral process. The workshop will address:
• Election processes
• Covering campaigns (i.e., analyzing content of candidates’ electoral programs/speeches, polling information, candidates’ debate coverage)
• Journalists’ rights to information during an election
• The difference between journalists and election observers
• How to prepare a coverage plan
• Personal safety during election coverage
• Post-election reporting
The speakers are experienced journalists who are familiar with the challenges of reporting on elections on the continent (bios below).
Jerelyn Eddings
Senior Program Director, Knight International Journalism Fellowships
Jerelyn Eddings supervises and implements global programs and serves as editor of the Knight Fellowships thought leadership blog. She has extensive experience in the United States and Africa as a reporter, editor, television producer and director of media capacity building programs. Previously, she worked as a foreign correspondent for the Baltimore Sun in Southern Africa (1990-94), as Atlanta bureau chief and then chief congressional correspondent for U.S. News & World Report (1994-97) and as director of the Freedom Forum’s Africa media center in Johannesburg, South Africa (1997-2002). Eddings holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of South Carolina and is a former Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.
Judy Yablonky
Media Consultant and Journalism Trainer
Judy Yablonky is a former journalist and editor who spent the last 20 plus years working as a media consultant and journalism trainer. She has worked as a trainer with a number of international organizations, such as the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), the Soros Foundation, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, and le Centre pour les Journalistes et les Communicateurs (CAPJC. She also has taught at university level and consulted with numerous newspapers and radio stations in a variety of countries. She has run training programs in nearly 30 countries for journalists from 40 different countries.
