AJMI - Doha

Al Jazeera Media Institute launches a new course on e-learning platform titled "News Agency Journalism, eyes on the world to make news", targeting journalists and those interested in working in newsrooms and news agencies.

The course is conducted by Omar Al-Saleh, Editor-in-Chief of Al Jazeera Media Network, with more than 22 years of accumulated experience in journalism, and the current Editor-in-Chief of Al Jazeera English website, who have held a number of editorial positions in prestigious international institutions, in addition to his academic background specialized in international media.

The course will enable participants to understand the pivotal role of news agencies in digital age, how technological development has changed the nature of news production and exchange, as well as highlighting the position of these agencies as key sources of news for media organizations around the world, and importance of developing journalists' skills to keep pace with speed requirements, accuracy and professionalism in a media environment characterized by information overload and fierce competition.

The course focuses on a set of knowledge and skill-based objectives, including introducing the function of news agencies in current media landscape, the characteristics of agency journalists, and standards of journalistic work adopted by these agencies, in addition to training participants on progress of news between urgent, simple and complex, how to formulate headlines, conduct interviews with eyewitnesses, dealing with conflicting narratives and importance of information verification in a time of widespread disinformation.  The course also addresses the problems of reliance on agencies, limits of trust in them and awareness of hidden agendas embodied in circulating news.

This course is a qualitative addition to specialized training content in the field of news agency journalism, as it combines theoretical dimension with practical applications, and provides a unique opportunity for participants to gain deep understanding of the nature of news industry in digital age and its evolving professional requirements.