The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has begun a weeklong training of Journalists in Northern Ghana. The Story Development Bootcamp for 2022 started in Tamale in the northern region on Monday (February 14, 2022) and expected to end on Friday (February 18).
With funding support from Deutsche Welle (DW) Akademie, the capacity building workshop is expected to train Journalists on how to pitch stories, identify themes and build comprehensive scripts for impactful journalism.
A Programme Associate at the Media Foundation for West Africa on media and good governance, Mr. Fredrick Quayson, during the opening ceremony told THE CUSTODIAN in an interview that the purpose of the 5-day camping workshop is to build the capacity and sharpen the story development skills of the journalists.
Journalism he stated, plays a very important role in Ghana’s development and democratic practice, therefore, it is important to improve the capacity of journalists to do critical journalism which he indicated will push forward change in the lives of people and the needed development in the country.
“So that is the reason for this bootcamp, it’s the first time we are doing it here in Tamale. We are also having other workshops and training in other regions; we will be in Accra, we will be in Kumasi too.”
The MFWA Programme Associate added the media as the fourth estate of the realm are supposed to keep the development of the country in shape, explaining basically what the media are supposed to be doing is to ensure they do stories that would bring about change and development.
Objective Journalism
Mr Fredrick Quayson noted after the training the journalists are expected to be objective, be fair and balance in their reportage and also apply all the ethics in developing impactful stories for the relevant authorities on them.
“With this training, we expect every participant would have a story idea; and through the guidance of the facilitators and the Media Foundation for West Africa, we would be able to shape that story into a full fletch story and then publish it which would then mean that the training has had its impact” he explained.
Impactful Journalism
One of the trainers, Mr. Justice Baidoo, a multiple awards winning Journalist with the Multimedia Group, for his part said a lot of journalists do stories but the way the stories are being told does not get the actual impact.
“You can only have your story impact when people enjoy the story, people are able to find a reason to watch, listen or read your story and so I hope that over the next five days, we’re able to engage and help all of us through on how to properly structure your stories, how to find your ideas, who to talk and basically how to craft your story in a way that people are encouraged or motivated to watch, read or listen to your story” he pointed out.
The Editor and Documentary Filmmaker indicated more than half of his career stories has come from Northern Ghana, notwithstanding that, he feels part of the reasons why there is very little development in this part of the country is because impactful stories are not being unearth to the rest of the country and beyond.
“And so people are not even aware of the living conditions in northern Ghana; the fact that, almost half of the year there is very little economic activities because there’s only one raining season and there are people in southern Ghana who are shocked to know that for 6 months, there is no rain and they don’t even understand how that factor alone feeds into many other things” Mr. Baidoo further highlighted.
The Story Development Bootcamp like any other capacity building program for journalists is critical for Ghana and any other United Nations member states to achieve the sustainable development goals particularly goal 16 which promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
UN Member countries are enjoined to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals by 2030.