Abdulrasheed, Hammad, a participant in the Future News Worldwide conference reports on the outcome and impact of the training on young journalists worldwide.
Participants in the recent Future News Worldwide conference for young journalists globally organised by the British Council have shared lessons and skills they learned during the three-day training and networking programme.
The theme for this year’s conference held July 12- 14 was: “Building the skills, support, and resilience needed for journalism to meet the challenges of a changing world”
Topics covered during the conference by media experts and other resource persons included dealing with disinformation, covering conflicts, studying in the United Kingdom and use of Google tools and Google-compatible software in doing research and reporting.
Other sessions were on how to survive and thrive as a journalist in 2022, Safety and resilience in a hostile online world and best practices for pitching for stories
Swastika, a delegate from India said the training was well conceptualised as it included the voices of the relevant stakeholders in the field of journalism across the world, noting that the knowledge imparted to the participants was beneficial to his understanding as a newbie in the field.
“The most unique thing for me would be the speakers. They ensured diversity in the panel as it was promised. However, my favourite part would be the session taken on Google News Lab. The session was highly informative. For improvement, I would request the organisers to conduct these sessions physically and stretch them over a few more days,” he suggested.
Sambai Chemeli Brigid, from Kenya, noted that the training was incredibly amazing and extremely informative, adding that it comes to the young journalists at a time they needed it most.
“Personally, I am just starting my career in broadcast journalism and as a content creator. From the very first training by BBC’s first-ever disinformation specialist, I was able to learn how to ensure information is accurate and verified and how to deal with abuse and bullying online.
“The panel discussion on covering conflict was also extremely informative. As an advocate of mental health, I took part in this with enthusiasm. Not only does conflict reporting require emotional intelligence from the victims, but verification of information is also very important since one is dealing with sensitive information. Keeping the same and taking active care of one’s mental health as a journalist covering conflict is very important and very necessary.
“On day two, I found the training on Google News Lab tools very informative, important, and necessary in ensuring time management, verifying facts, organizing information, and a lot of other important skills in journalism. This was followed by a panel discussion where I gained insights to better my journalism career with the best in the business; Priceless! We also got our journalism questions answered, which was so great!
“Day three was Newsday where we got a chance to put our skills to practice and get reviews from an experienced editor! The training, in general, was incredible. I am now confident in taking my journalism career to great heights,” she explained.
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She rated the event at 88% due to the ability to bring together experienced and highly recognised professionals across the world with the young journalists who are just starting their careers. He, however, stated that the knowledge gained was immense and she was glad, not only for meeting fellow young journalists throughout the world but also to connect with experienced professionals from powerhouses.
“The goals that needed to be accomplished were met while at the same time everything ran on schedule.
“What would make it 100% for me, however, is, if the ideas we came up with would be seen through to life before the actual conference comes to an end. It would be a great opportunity to see our creativity and the knowledge gained put to test and successfully applied,” he stated.
Brigid noted that the abilities she gained after the training made her feel she was ready to utilise the knowledge, adding that her favourite session was on News Day where the delegates had a chance to put their story ideas together and presented them to a highly recognized editor.
“We presented our ideas to Lola Hierro and got her opinions and recommendations. This was also a great day for me because we were grouped at random and therefore we had the chance to interact with other delegates from different countries and appreciate the similarities and differences regarding certain topics and matters.
“What I would say needs improvement, is that the ideas put together should not just be forgotten when the conference ends. The organisers should find a way to see to it that they are fully pursued and published if they meet the standards of those partner media powerhouses. Not only would this boost the confidence in our careers but also make the resumes stand out,” Brigid recommended.
Abdulganiyu Abdulrahman, a delegate from Nigeria said the training was inspiring, eye-opening and helpful to his journalism career.
He added that the most unique thing that amazed him about the conference is the choice of facilitators who are experts in the field.
“As for me, I will rate it 90%. The organizers should use online platforms that are well known and participants can use effectively. Also, the organizers should consider paying a stipend for the participants for network connectivity,” he advised.
Adewale Zainab, another delegate from Nigeria said it was a great opportunity for her to be among the participants and an awesome experience learning from the international journalists and facilitators across the globe.
“The three-day session was fantastic and I had a nice time. Although I had network issues so I couldn’t get to listen to everything the facilitators passed across but all the same, it was a nice experience.
“I would rate the conference 60%. I would have loved to rate them more but during the sessions, I noticed some Nigerians find it difficult to navigate the platform. It was a lot easier for the international delegates as I assume they must have been familiar with it.
“But in a situation whereby they know they will be accommodating different journalists across the world, they should have opted for a better platform that will be easy to use and navigate. My favourite part remains the break-out session on the third day.
Lucas Marllon, a delegate from Brazil said he was glad about exchanging ideas and experiences with many great people all over the world, adding that the best part was studying in the United Kingdom and talking with Lola Hierro.
Ramees, from Kerala, the southern part of India expressed his gladness over the conference, adding that it was a great opportunity to meet great journalists across the globe.
Facilitators at the training included Marianna Spring, the BBC’s first Specialist Disinformation and Social Media Reporter, Professor Steve Jukes, Bournemouth University, and Lucy Young, British Council and Caroline Scott, Google News Lab Teaching Fellow for the UK,
Others were Rushati Mukherjee, Social Media Producer, Reuters Eyewitness, Simon Robinson, Global Managing Editor, News Publishing, Reuters, Jon Zilkha, Controller, BBC World Service English, Catherine Gicheru, Director, Africa Women Journalism Project, ICFJ and founder of the AP’s Online Harassment Committee, Karen Mahabir, the