Training Needs for South Sudanese Journalists
The report defines the long term training needs within the South Sudanese media sector. The primary objective of the report is to provide a basis for AMDISS future mid-career-trainings and curriculum for basic journalism trainings. The document is based primarily on findings from a “Training Needs Assessment Workshop” at AMDISS Media Development Institute in Juba, June 12-13, 2012.
During the workshop 31 journalists, editors and managers from 21 South Sudanese media houses and media organisations from seven States met to define the long term training needs within the South Sudanese media sector. The Fojo training needs assessment method used at the workshop is based on local ownership, providing the South Sudanese media with a possibility to formulate their proper needs in depth, regardless of the agendas and priorities of donors and other national and international actors.
Although South Sudan has existed for only one year, there is already a fatigue among South Sudanese journalists towards what they call “brief case trainings” – international trainers that 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.
The South Sudanese journalists argue that the best way to build a sustainable and professional media sector is by providing coordinated, long-term training opportunities, based on their own needs and with the objective of building professional national capacity – not only for journalists, editors and media managers, but also for trainers and teachers.
