“MediaCorps Fellows to Be the Eyes and Ears of People Who Cannot Speak for Themselves”

Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum (SDJF) concluded successfully the MediaCorps Fellowship Program for Young Peace Journalists (group 4). The program was held from August 21-25 at Hotel Suisse, Kandy with the participation of 21 young journalists (10 Sinhala, 5 Tamil, 6 Muslim; 13 male, 8 female) from across the country. These young journalists hail from diverse ethno-linguistic backgrounds and represent print, electronic and web media.

During the Covid-19 period, as a precursor to the in-person training program, the MediaCorps Fellows also took part in four webinars series on themes such as (i) sensitivity to diversity and pluralism (ii) conflict sensitive journalism (iii) gender sensitive journalism and (iv) social media for journalism conducted by a panel of experts in the respective field.

The in-person training recently held in Kandy inaugurated with a brief ceremony with the participation of Ms. Jean Mackenzie, Chief of Party IREX and Mr. Kanishka Rathnayake, Program Officer, IREX, Mr. Mohamed Azad, Program Director, SDJF, Ms. Sumudu Perera, Program Manager, SDJF. “We are training the MediaCorps Fellows to be the eyes and ears of people who cannot speak for themselves. They will be reporting stories that no one else has seen in a way no one else has reported before'', said Ms. Mackenzie, addressing the inauguration ceremony. During the ceremony, each Fellow was presented with a MoJo toolkit including a smartphone.

The training focused primarily on practical MoJo training conducted by Mr. Kapila Ramanayaka,and Mohammedu Aswer  MoJo trainers , Ruwan Bogamuwa SDJF staff. In addition, the Fellows were also trained in Script writing and basic data journalism by experts including Mr. T.M.G. Chandrasekara, Specialist, Strategic Communications, ICTA, Mr. Shihar Aneez, Former Correspondent Reuters and Head of Training, Center for Investigative Reporting.

The fellows also had the opportunity to put into practice the MoJo skills they learnt during the training, in a field visit made to two nearby locations; Agro-Technology Park, Gannoruwa and Solid Waste Management Center, Gohagoda. The field allowed the Fellows to hunt for stories, develop a script as well as practice taking basic shots, interview techniques and to shoot a video sequence. Having returned from the field the Fellows edited and completed 21 MoJo stories with the support and guidance of their field mentors. The completed MoJos were reviewed by Prof. Padmasiri Wanigasunera, Chairperson, SDJF and Mr. Mohamed Azad, who congratulated the Fellows on their first MoJo and gave constructive feedback for further improvement. (Link to stories )

The MediaCorps Fellowship Program is being implemented by the Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum in partnership with the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) and the USAID as a part of the Media Empowerment for a Democratic Sri Lanka (MEND) Program.

In the two previous intakes of the Fellowship program 112 young journalists have been benefited and produced over 200 appealing MoJo and multimedia stories.