Accra, Ghana

The International Institute for Journalism (IIJ) of Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung (InWEnt) – Capacity Building International, Germany, is offering a two-week training course on "Freedom and Responsibility in the Media" to be held in Accra, Ghana, for journalists from print media, news agencies, and online editions in member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The course is designed to examine the interdependence between quality and ethics in journalism. It seeks to empower journalists to make ethical decisions even under difficult circumstances.

The syllabus will include the following topics:

• Media and responsibility: why do ethics count?
• Codes, norms, and standards: what is their value?
• Journalists' working conditions and journalists' duties.
• Relevant norms and their pitfalls: Accuracy and fairness; fair methods of reporting; privacy; protection of sources; conflict of interest.
• Special fields of journalism where ethics apply: conflict reporting; covering elections; interviews; covering accidents, calamities, and catastrophes.
• Dealing with the past: how to incorporate historical experience into reporting on current affairs.





Click here to download more information about the course in PDF format.

The course is open to journalists from newspapers, magazines, news agencies, and online publications. Young journalists (no older than 35) in member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are invited to apply. Applicants must have a minimum of two years of professional experience; have a strong interest in media ethics; be proficient in English; and obtain, before travelling to Ghana, visas and other documents which may be required. Women journalists are particularly encouraged to apply. Deadline for application: July 24, 2009.