- Ms. Mower visiting the girls at her alma mater in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, formerly the HH Aga Khan Girls Secondary School during her time, now the Zanaiki Girls School
FY2012 – Training and Media Development.
Promoting Entrepreneurship through VOA's popular Tujahe program in Burundi
With VOA's Jacqueline Segahungu at a Town Hall meeting on entrepreneurship in Bujumbura
Between October 28, and November 1, 2012, Joan Mower, VOA’s Director, Business Development Office trip to Burundi included attending a Town Hall meeting on Entrepreneurship. Over 100 people attended, including at least a dozen reporters who were trained on covering business news. Speakers discussed challenges of setting up a business, successes, obstacles and the need for Burundians to learn English. While on the trip, Ms. Mower explored the possibilities of installing an FM dish at the new US Embassy complex, obtaining broadcast licenses, and spent time with our affiliates RPA, Bonisha, Rema and the State radio station. She also met with the VOA reporters on the ground, the PAO and the DCM.
The Voice of America Office of International Media Training organized and coordinated a media management training program Malawi Broadcasting Corporation during the week of October 29th, 2012. Program Officer Sandra Stewart and Regional Marketing Director, Paula Caffey planned the program. Dr. Sam Swan, Professor at the University of Tennessee, conducted the training. The training was requested by Malawi Broadcasting Corporation. Dr. Swan developed the program modalities to response to specific topics requested by Dr. Benson Tembo, Director General of MBC. Topics of interest included programming changes to reach the most audience, management efficiencies, local content productions, equipment updates, and personnel issues such as training, moral and professionalism in reporting.
From October 18-20, 2012, the BBG’s Office of Strategy and Development conducted training for fifteen reporters and editors from print, radio and television networks across Moldova at a seminar organized by Independent Journalism Center (IJC). Funded by the USAID under the Rule of Law Institutional Strengthening Program (ROLISP), the training was part of a one-year-project “Mass-media and Judicial System in Moldova: Strengthening Capacity and Promoting Responsibility” implemented in partnership between BBG and IJC. The seminar held at the IT Relax resort in Vadul- lui-Vode outside Chisinau.
Inna Dubinsky, (BBG/OSD); Lauren Perlaza, PAO U.S. Embassy Chisinau; and USAID’s Frederick Yeager, Chief of Party, ROLISP
The seminar was attended and observed by Lauren Perlaza, PAO U.S. Embassy Chisinau; USAID’s Frederick Yeager, Chief of Party, ROLISP; and Sandina Dicianu, Outreach and Communications Specialist, ROLISP.
Special interest areas discuss included: “Best practices” and ethics for journalists covering judicial issues; corruption and journalists’ contribution to preventing and combating this phenomenon, moderated by founder and head of the Moldovan NGO — the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption Galina Bostan; and role and issues of online and New Media, especially audience interactions via Facebook and Twitter. Trainees were particularly interested in Ten New Media Rules adopted by the American Association of News Editors (ASNE) in May 2011
Elena Candu, Director of the IJC Department for Media Law and Policy
The press release “Legal aspects for a better journalism as seen by the guild,” noted that “the participants found the program very useful, mentioning that they would apply in practice the recommendations provided by the experts, thus contributing to strengthening professional journalism based on rights and responsibilities.”
Reporters and Journalists Participants in the Seminar
