Scribes train on parliamentary reporting

27 journalists from various Rwandan media houses are undergoing a training that has been designed to improve on how the Parliament is covered in the news.

Thursday, July 08, 2010

27 journalists from various Rwandan media houses are undergoing a training that has been designed to improve on how the Parliament is covered in the news.

The Director General of Communication and Outreach in Parliament, Augustine Habimana, said, yesterday, that the training is aimed at exchanging ideas with journalists on how best information between the parliament and the local community can be disseminated.

"Journalists are a link between the parliament and the local community and by training them, we feel that the dissemination of this information will be more effective,” he said.

Habimana said that the training is a result of the requirements that come with reporting on parliament.

"Reporting on parliamentary issues requires specific skills, and we believe this training will improve the quality of stories on parliament,” he added.

Margaret Jjuuko, one of the instructors, told participants that the training was part of the parliament’s plan to enhance its capacity and promote the institution’s effectiveness.

"Parliament is a platform for vital political news and communication,” she told the reporters.

In the three days, the journalists will be trained on issues-based approach to the scrutiny roles of parliament, media ethics, accuracy, libel, story production, among other topics.

The training is taking place in Musanze District, Northern Province.

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