Jordan Media Training: Workshop on Feature and

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000938

SIPDIS

NEA/PPD for Bill Mooney and Catherine Bourgeois;
IIP/T/GIC for Jennifer Bochner

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KPAO XF JO
SUBJECT: Jordan Media Training: Workshop on Feature and
Analytical Writing


1. Summary: In support of the MEPI goal of
encouraging a professional and independent media,
veteran journalist Gil Butler conducted a 3-day
"feature and analytical writing" workshop for Jordanian
journalists January 21-23. The program was part of PAS
Amman's ongoing Media Professionalization Program.
Twenty-five junior and mid-level Jordanian journalists
took part, representing the range of Jordan's daily and
weekly newspapers, television, radio and internet-based
media outlets. Butler gave particular attention to
eliminating bias and subjectivity in reporting,
delivering a primer on the difference between news
reporting, opinion, feature writing and analysis.
Response of participants was extremely positive,
particularly among younger journalists, who appreciated
this rare opportunity for in-depth professional
development training. End Summary.


2. Description on Activity: Gil Butler, retired VOA
correspondent, conducted a 3-day workshop organized by
PAS Amman for 25 Jordanian junior and mid-career
journalists representing Jordanian print, TV, radio and
internet media outlets. Title of the workshop was
"Feature and Analytic Reporting", but topics covered
also included "How to Write a News Lead" and
"Eliminating Bias in Reporting". Workshop included a
feature writing exercise, a news lead writing exercise
and an interviewing techniques exercise. Materials
were compiled and translated by post. English-Arabic
interpretation was provided.


3. Date: January 21-23, Fiscal Year: 2003, quarter:

2.


4. Justification and objectives: The Jordanian media
suffers from a lack of professional development
opportunities, among other difficulties. Very few
working journalists in Jordan have had formal training
of any kind (e.g., a formal journalism curriculum in
school),and media organizations are not generous
regarding training opportunities for employees.
Consequently, Jordanian journalists often lack what are
viewed as basic reporting skills, hindering their
ability to play a more positive role in this developing
society. This quarterly series of media training
workshops begun by PA Amman in FY 2000 have attempted
to address some of these issues. With regard to this
program, Jordanian journalists have difficulty
distinguishing in practice between "straight" news
reporting, feature writing and opinion. This basic
shortcoming leads to biased reporting and a shortage of
objective feature and investigative reporting in
Jordan, limiting the development and impact of Jordan's
media sector.


5. MPP objective and audience reached: Promotion of
democracy and freedom of expression by enhancing the
professional skills of junior and mid-career Jordanian
journalists.


6. Result/impact: Through group exercises and open
discussion, workshop leader Gil Butler engaged the
participants in practical skill building, and
discussion of important and controversial topics
regarding the media in Jordan. In an exercise to
highlight how to develop an objective news lead, for
example, participants opened a discussion on the
appropriateness of editors and writers inserting
pejorative or loaded terms when describing events in
the region, a common practice here. Butler's
preference for an exercise-driven workshop with very
little "lecturing" to the participants was extremely
welcome and successful. A further positive result was
the great interest of the younger journalists in
developing interesting feature stories (Butler used as
examples two recent feature stories he had developed
for Washington-area public radio on Frederick
Douglass). While we can only judge the impact of this
workshop over time, the participants were given a
strong introduction to the subjects covered and
provided extensive positive feedback on the workshop.


7. Material developed by post: Post created a
special workbook for the workshop that included
articles and radio feature scripts provided in advance
by the workshop director in English and translated into
Arabic by post (for example, four articles regarding
the matter resulting in the resignation of Senate
Majority Leader Lott - a news report, an analysis
piece, an opnion piece and an editorial, all taken from
the same U.S. paper).


8. Non USG source of in-country funding/in-kind
support: none.


9. Quality of U.S. support and IIP offices involved:
Excellent support from IIP/G/NEA (Terance Scott),and a
special thanks to Jennifer Bochner for her excellent
work and unflagging energy in helping post put together
this ongoing and valuable series. BERRY