Moving away from ‘parachute’ journalism training in South Sudan
In South Sudan, journalism training is often too brief and sporadic. A recent study from the world’s youngest country finds a need for long-term training that builds journalism skills from the ground up
South Sudanese journalists have seen their share of international journalism trainers come and go since the country gained independence a year ago. This has created a sense of fatigue within the media sector, says the study conducted by Swedish journalism training institute FOJO with IMS support:
“There is a fatigue among South Sudanese journalists towards what they call ‘parachute trainings’ – international trainers fly in, produce a two-day workshop, and fly out. This has so far been standard procedure, providing a multitude of short, similar trainings with no progression in time.”
Lacking basic skills
Beyond the need for more sustained training, this approach often fails to take into account that many journalists lack the most basic writing skills.
To avoid this and to put the improvement of skills in their own hands, over 30 journalists, editors, and managers from South Sudanese media met in the country’s capital Juba to discuss their needs and how they should be addressed. Here, the journalists highlighted their needs in areas such as basic journalistic skills, investigative reporting, media management, and newspaper design.
Driven by the needs of local media
The meeting was a first step in developing a journalism curriculum to be taught with the assistance of the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS), a South Sudanese organisation established by editors and owners of the leading media outlets in the country. A much-needed change after a year of ‘parachute training’ says the study:
“The simple assumption is that the media practitioners in South Sudan know their own needs better than donors. The whole idea is to change the trainings so that they are driven by the needs of the media of Sudan, rather than the interests of the international community to trainings”, writes the report
South Sudan currently has no higher education institutions providing courses on journalism. The country became independent in July 2011 after a popular referendum, which followed a decade-long civil war with its now-neighbour Sudan.
The study was supported by IMS and Norwegian People’s Aid, and carried out by the Swedish journalism training institute FOJO in collaboration with the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS).
