D’Silva: Journalism workshop to cultivate an interest in the craft among secondary students.
SOME 70 Form Four students from schools in Johor Baru will get newsroom experience through a two-day journalism workshop organised by the Johor English Language Teaching Association (Jelta).
The Craft of News Writing programme at Ibis Styles Johor Iskandar Puteri, taking place until tomorrow, is sponsored by University Book Store Malaysia and the hotel.
Jelta president Vincent D’Silva said the workshop was aimed at cultivating interest in journalism among secondary students while helping them understand the importance of news writing in today’s society.
“The occupation excites interest, but there is little knowledge outside the industry about its goals, methods and its utility to society,” he told StarMetro.
“This workshop would go some distance in showing what is involved in writing the first draft of the story.”
D’Silva added that the workshop would start by introducing the participants to common newsroom jargon and industry terminology.
The speakers comprising veteran journalists and media practitioners, he said, would share insights into their respective areas of expertise, covering topics ranging from hard news reporting to media ethics and digital journalism.
D’Silva said among the presenters would be former The Star sports reporter Rizal Abdullah, who would be discussing on how social media reshaped sports coverage.
Former The Star photographer Kenneth Wong was also expected to highlight the power of visual storytelling.
University Book Store Malaysia managing director Keith Thong would be presenting a session on how newspaper technology is being integrated into modern education settings.
“This course will cover the basics of news writing in its various forms,” D’Silva said.
“While the focus is mainly on newspapers, we will also touch on magazine and online content.
“Students will learn the structure of a news story using the classic inverted pyramid style.
“They will also explore how to write different types of articles from hard news to features, reviews, interviews and social media content.”
Another subject for the students is writing with speed and accuracy under deadline pressure – a hallmark of the journalistic craft.
“At the end of the programme, students will be tasked with a project where they will analyse different types of news stories and break down their structure,” added D’Silva.
The workshop is held in collaboration with Johor Education Department and an online magazine portal.
Johor Education Department director Mohd Hanafi Samad will launch the event.
D’Silva added that in conjunction with the workshop, six English language teachers would be recognised for their outstanding contributions to language education.
“They will be honoured with the Johor Excellent English Language Teacher Award,” he added.
