CARIMAC to offer workshop on specialised reporting
03-11-2010 (Kingston)
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The Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) and UNESCO’s Kingston Office will co-host, from 6 to 8 December 2010, a workshop for regional journalists on covering education, science and culture. Twenty journalists from the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries will have an opportunity to discuss how improved coverage of these areas can benefit the social and economic development of the region.
Assessments by Caribbean editors suggest that education, science and culture are the areas that are not well covered by regional media. The upcoming workshop is designed to address this shortcoming. Canute James, Director of CARIMAC, believes that “this deficiency is to the detriment of the people in the region, and to their social and economic improvement.” Isidro Fernandez-Aballi from UNESCO’s Kingston Office, who has continuously been working on enhancing regional media attention for education, science and culture, argues that Caribbean journalists have the skills to report on many topics, but they need motivation to report on science, education and culture. “UNESCO is pleased to collaborate with CARIMAC to make this event a reality,” he says.
One of the workshop’s primary goals is to sensitise journalists to uncovered and under-reported aspects of education, science and culture. According to Mr James, stories that are meaningful to Caribbean people could be generated if journalists widen their scope of inquiry. This could mean exploring the impact of financial policy on education, looking at other definitions of culture and examining the role of science in national and regional development. “The intention is not to teach journalism, but to assist journalists in applying their skills to the coverage of education, science and culture,” he explains.
CARIMAC will offer more than 15 scholarships to journalists who wish to attend the workshop, which will be carried out with the support of the UNESCO Kingston Office. The scholarships are open to journalists who have at least three years working experience and are recommended by their media house.
One of the workshop’s primary goals is to sensitise journalists to uncovered and under-reported aspects of education, science and culture. According to Mr James, stories that are meaningful to Caribbean people could be generated if journalists widen their scope of inquiry. This could mean exploring the impact of financial policy on education, looking at other definitions of culture and examining the role of science in national and regional development. “The intention is not to teach journalism, but to assist journalists in applying their skills to the coverage of education, science and culture,” he explains.
CARIMAC will offer more than 15 scholarships to journalists who wish to attend the workshop, which will be carried out with the support of the UNESCO Kingston Office. The scholarships are open to journalists who have at least three years working experience and are recommended by their media house.
The University of the West Indies’ Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) is the primary provider of teaching, training, and research and product development within the fields of journalism, media and communication in the English-speaking Caribbean.
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