A number of Local journalists and journalism students on Wednesday began a three-day training programme organised by the University of Guyana and Ohio University as part of their ongoing partnership.
The training programme is focusing on Democracy, Journalism, and Responsibility: Expectations for an Informed Society. The United States Embassy in Georgetown is lending assistance to the programme which has two former foreign correspondents as the facilitators of the workshop.
Former Washington Post Ombudsman Andy Alexander and Ohio Professor Dr. Yusuf Kalyango will focus on various types of reporting from political to conflict reporting. Alexander who spent a number of years in the media said the job of a journalist is a very satisfying one but he said journalists must also be responsible.
University of Guyana Deputy Vice Chancellor Phillip DaSilva said becoming a journalist should be considered an act of character because of the nature of the job and the important role journalists would play in the shaping of the society.
Ambassador of the United States to Guyana Brent Hardt spoke at the opening of the workshop. He said the media plays an indispensable role in building a democratic society. “The press fosters active public debate and serves as a forum to express different points of view, particularly on behalf of those who are marginalized in society. It serves a crucial function in being one of the few institutions capable of promoting vigilance against abuses of the law and government authority”, Ambassador Hardt said.
He noted that investigative journalism and good journalism could lead to changes in the society.
Over the past years, Guyanese journalists have been exposed to training programmes in and out of Guyana. The Guyana Press Association has encouraged journalists to take advantage of the many training programmes that are being offered as the media landscape changes continuously.
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