Training participants with their certificates
By Crofton Utukana in Savusavu, Fiji
Journalists from across the Pacific region successfully completed a storytelling skills workshop at the Wasawasa Resort in Savusavu, Fiji, this week as part of the 8th Pacific Media Summit.
The workshop, sponsored by BBC Media Action, was attended by 16 journalists from across the region, who gained practical skills to strengthen their storytelling and reporting.
BBC Production Trainer Dan Curtis conducted the training, sharing techniques and insights to help journalists develop compelling stories for today’s changing media landscape.
Gregory Moses, a journalist from the National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea, described the training as an eye-opener, particularly given the growing influence of social media on journalism and storytelling.
“One thing that I learned from this workshop and I am going to take back home and use is the use of the teleprompter, something which is new to me,” he said.
He also expressed his excitement about the new knowledge and skills he gained during the workshop.
BBC Media Action Pacific Regional Project Director Dipak Bhattarai said innovative storytelling helps media professionals use mobile phones to create factual and accurate stories that resonate with audiences who increasingly rely on their phones for information.
“Now we have seen people are listening less to radio, watching less television and reading fewer newspapers, but getting more and more information on their mobile phones.
“So, we need to be where our audiences are, and we need to produce content that they like.”
He said research conducted by BBC Media Action found that audiences increasingly prefer to receive information through their mobile phones, but the content needs to be interesting and engaging.
“It should be presented in a way that captures their attention.
“So, this three and a half-day workshop has prepared Pacific journalists to produce content using mobile phones.
“And the content is factual, trustworthy and accurate information that is also engaging to the audience,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 8th Pacific Media Summit officially started yesterday.
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