TRAINING FOR ASPIRING MEDIA WORKERS

St. George’s, February 27, 2010 (GIS) – The Grenada Government, which intends to highlight the need for greater media training in a proposed national Broadcast and Media Policy, is taking the lead in that area of need.

It has begun a four-part training workshop for a group of aspiring journalists who have applied for employment at the Government Information Service (GIS). It’s being facilitated by veteran journalist and Communications Director in the Ministry of Information, Lincoln Toro Depradine.

Topics to be covered in the training sessions include “Writing a News Story;’’ “Getting the Lead;’’ “Interviewing;’’ “Researching;’’ “Media and Ethics;’’ “Presentation on Radio and TV;’’ and “Video Editing.’’

 “What we are doing is an orientation session to make sure that whoever is hired by government comes in with the basics of the profession,’’ Depradine said. “We are trying to teach them the fundamentals of journalism and public relations as well.’’

At the first day of the workshop, Junior Information Minister, Senator Arley Gill, told the trainees that the program is “an excellent starting point for launching their careers.’’

 “We are working on developing a Broadcast and Media Policy in Grenada because quality has to become the watchword for those of us who are involved in information,’’ Sen. Gill said. “We really have to, as a nation, step up on the standard of our work and our production.’’

GIS Director Ray Roberts described the training as aiming to “identify promising young people who can make journalism a career.’’ Press Secretary Richard Simon urged the participants to gain as much as they could from the training and to “use it to your own development and also use it to impact wherever you end up working.’’