Posted: 3 December 2010/Region: Juba, South Sudan
Sixteen journalists from across South Sudan received training at a workshop organised by the Media Diversity Institute (MDI) and its local partner, the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS), in Juba, South Sudan, between 24 November and 3 December 2010. The ten day Inclusive Journalism training course was lead by Sorious Samura, acclaimed British-Sierra Leonean documentary film maker, and Albino Okeny Olak, an experienced South Sudanese editor and communications specialist for the World Bank.
The participants produced articles during the workshop telling the stories of the ordinary people of South Sudan; their struggles, needs and hopes and the impact or non-impact of government policies on their lives.
The training covered issues of ethics, impartiality, censorship, story gathering on sensitive topics, working with excluded groups, using visuals in stories,
and safety and security in hostile environments among many other issues.
There was a special focus on covering the unheard voices in rural communities such as different ethnic groups, the poor, women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
The stories produced which will be published in the first edition of a newspaper supplement, called ‘The People’s Voice’, that will appear in leading South Sudanese newspapers.
The supplement, which will appear monthly, is the main component of an 18 month project, which includes assisting UJOSS to build its capacity and holding roundtable debates that provide a space for dialogue between journalists and government officials. The project is funded by the EC Delegation in Khartoum.
