Beijing snow brings luck to video journalism course

Published: January 7, 2012

Xinhua course By HELEN SCOTT

As the snow continued to fall, any hopes of filming outside were fading fast.

“But the first snowfall is lucky”, said Li Dan. “You will be lucky!” My group of 18 young journalists from the Xinhua news agency were bright, enthusiastic and convinced it would all work out.

And it did. The weather cleared just in time. Li Dan was right … luck was on our side. The clear skies meant we had no time to lose. But the participants rose magnificently to the challenge.

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Judges get set for 2011 Inquirer Awards for investigative journalism

Published: January 2, 2012

Some of the Middle East’s most distinguished journalists and media figures are preparing to cast an expert eye over entries for the 2011 Inquirer Awards.

The Inquirer Awards, hosted by the Thomson Media Foundation, spotlights the achievements of investigative journalists in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq whose stories really make a difference. Print and television journalists as well as photojournalists are eligible to compete for the prestigious award. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Beirut on February 3.

❮ Click here for Arabic version of this story جائزة الصحافي المتقصي لعام ٢٠١١

The judging panel comprises:

Print category. First round judges

From Jordan, Ms Randa Habib has spent a quarter of a century covering war, politics and economic development in the Middle East. Currently the bureau chief of the French News Agency in Jordan, Ms. Habib has long experience as a field journalist having extensively covered the situation in Iraq since the first Gulf war in 1990.

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Search is on for Nepal’s top investigative journalists

Published: December 9, 2011

Paul Horrocks A competition to find the top investigative journalists in Nepal has been launched by the Thomson Media Foundation and the British Embassy in Kathmandu.

It followed a week-long course on investigative reporting in print delivered by Thomson Media Foundation consultant Paul Horrocks, former editor in chief of the Manchester Evening News (pictured). The project is being co-ordinated by the Centre for Investigative Journalism in Nepal – the second course held there this year.

The campaign, supported by the British Embassy, will judge the best two journalists who have had stories published up to the end of January 2012 , with an emphasis on exposing corruption. The winners will visit UK media houses in March next year.

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A 50th anniversary call to Thomson Foundation alumni

Published: November 28, 2011

Calling all Thomson Foundation alumni … those thousands of journalists and communications professionals who have trained with us all over the world.

In 2012, we’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Thomson Foundation. Over the decades since 1962, we’ve supported the growth of some of the developing world’s most dynamic media organisations. As champions of responsible journalism and press freedom, we have led projects to empower media emerging from times of war, oppression or natural disaster; raised awareness of global issues such as climate change; brought together journalists divided by cultural and political boundaries …

And throughout those 50 years, our trainers have led countless courses and workshops, inspiring journalists and raising professional standards.

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Multimedia workshop gives Caribbean journalists a taste for liveblogging

Published: November 1, 2011

Ruth Alleyne Breaking news of Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi’s death gave a group of Caribbean journalists the chance to hone their new liveblogging skills.

Just hours before, the 14 journalists from television, radio and newspapers across the region had learned how to create and manage liveblogs using a variety of online tools, sources and curation techniques.

The session ended with the journalists reporting ‘live’ on a press briefing and Q&A on the work of the British High Commission.

As the drama of Gadaffi’s death unfolded, the journalists taking part in a Thomson Media Foundation Multimedia Workshop were able to compare how major media organisations were using liveblogs to keep pace with the story, as well monitor the wave of comment, speculation and conversation sweeping across the social web.

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SABC radio journalists discover the power of putting people first

Published: September 5, 2011

South African Broadcasting Corporation radio reporters face daily challenges in reaching listeners separated by thousands of miles and numerous languages.
During the latest in a series of courses at SABC, Thomson Media Foundation consultant DEREK IVENS, left, helped journalists discover how powerful human stories can bridge the gap

Kliptown, the oldest suburb of Soweto. A name with an honourable place in every modern South African history book, as it was here in 1955 that those committed to changing the way the country was governed met to create their Freedom Charter.

On this cool, windy Tuesday morning in the spring of 2011 a minibus draws up next to Kliptown’s open-air market and fifteen journalists from all over the country get out. They’re off to find stories which they’ll turn into compelling radio by using the skills they’ve learned during the Thomson Foundation’s latest training course for the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

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