Public Communicators Retool At The Eagle Media Academy Training

BY PRECIOUS OSADEBAY

The Eagle Media Academy has begun a series of teaching seminars to help build the capacity of budding journalists and enhance the career development of Public Relations practitioners.

 The programes which come under the academy’s Master Class and Mass Communication internship schemes respectively, held first sessions at two different locations in Ogba, Lagos.

Programme’s coordinator of the Eagle Media Academy, Mary Omokhagbor had urged participants to avail themselves of the programmes, saying it is part of the efforts of The Eagle to provide technical backup to attendees.

At the Masters’ class particularly, she explained that the academy decided on a compact class to ensure participants get the best.

Similarly, she urged all trainees to make the best use of the opportunity so that they could advance in their chosen fields.

According to her, it is rare to find a training of such a nature running for two weeks and the trainees taken through all necessary practical drills, and also a commitment to follow them up after the training.

“The academy is really committed to building the capacity of people in the fields of Mass Communication – newspapers, television and blogs and also Public Relations, especially those skills which would readily be required for anyone acting as a Public Relations Officer or Corporate Affairs officer.

“We all know that sometimes, some people graduate in the field but cannot work in a real office setting because of the lack of required skill; they may lose the job or face daily frustration and abuse – those are the people we are targeting”.

The first day of the programme saw Mr Cami Ezenwa, formerly of the Daily Times, Financial Standard, Business Television amongst others, but currently lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism facilitating.

He identified the skills of writing, reporting, editing, good human relations, media friendliness, in fact good knowledge of governmental policies, amongst others as critical qualities PR, media and corporate communications excellence.

Illustrating with the fact that many media practitioners who excel on their beats usually end up in corporate organisations’ PR, corporate communication and public communications desks, he enjoined his listeners to imbibe the needed skills to forestall getting the opportunity and not utilizing it.

According to him, “a journalist must have the skills of writing, because skilled writing is one of keys a journalist uses to separate himself.  A journalist must also be friendly on the beat as a friendly attitude, both towards colleagues and news sources usually come in handy in times of need.

You must also be knowledgeable and to gain knowledge one must read and read, while at the same time, be a good listener”

One of the interns, Bisola Oshinbolu, sharing her experience expressed happiness in being able to grace the event.

“ have been able to meet great people during the seminar and I also learnt that a journalist must be bold, and is free to go anywhere the seminar was indeed mind blowing”.

READ ALSO: How To Develop Yourself, Others For Positive Action

Attendees to the training were from the public service, uniformed forces and students’ trainees.

A follow-up edition is billed for next Tuesday and Wednesday.