Media for Development initiative concluded two training courses in Istanbul

AJMI - Doha

Al Jazeera Media Institute concluded two training courses in Istanbul, as part of activities of Media for Development initiative, with a total participation of 51 trainees from several Arab countries including; Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

The first course was “Building evidence-based stories”, presented by trainer Hossam Al-Wakil, with a total participation of 27 trainees from Iraqi Media Professionals Association in Turkey, with the aim to develop their skills on depending on accuracy, objectivity, and credibility when producing journalistic stories.
Trainee, Mohammed Al-Kubaisi, expressed his appreciation for the training content, stressing that the course added practical knowledge to him and his colleagues on how to build journalistic stories based on strong evidence and professional standards, praising the trainer and organizers' keenness to provide a stimulating and interactive learning environment that helped them make the most of the training program.

Part of the course

The second course was “Data stories enhanced by Artificial Intelligence”, held for 24 trainees and was also supervised by trainer Hossam Al-Wakil.
Hossam Al-Wakil explained that, training extended for twenty hours targeting journalists, program developers, and Arab students of media and journalism faculties in Istanbul, with the aim of introducing them to basics of data journalism, its tools and commonly used work methodologies, in addition to methods used for collecting and analyzing data in order to employ it in building digital journalistic story powered by artificial intelligence.
Al-Wakil stressed the importance of practical application and exercises to acquire skills, stressing that artificial intelligence represents a supporting tool for journalists, but not a substitute for their professional role.
Media for Development initiative embodies Al Jazeera Media Network's orientation towards consolidating the right of public to access information, enhancing media role in serving society and contributing to developing lives of individuals.