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To increase public involvement and governmental accountability, promoting access to information is not enough – the information people receive must be accurate, objective, comprehensive and compelling. Improving reporting quality is thus crucial to creating the conditions for wider participation and positive change. For this reason, Ma'an is committed to building the structural and professional capacity of Palestinian media, and providing training for Palestinian journalists is a key activity of Ma'an Network. Our trainings aim to enable media professionals to better meet Palestinians’ news and information needs on a daily basis, and significantly raise media standards over the long term.  

Almost all Ma'an projects include a training component, and we have hosted a series of courses covering everything from Hebrew for Palestinian journalists to reporting on elections. While the content of these courses are driven by the priorities of Ma'an Network and its member stations, the majority are also open to Palestinian journalists or technicians from other media organizations.

Since 2003, Ma'an Network has held a number of training courses in print, TV and radio production, reaching over 600 Palestinian journalists and media professionals. Ma'an staff members frequently participate in conferences and workshops on issues relating to the media, Palestinian politics, human rights, freedom of expression and the challenges of state-building. To help develop a new generation of Palestinian journalists, we regularly offer internships for local university students and recent graduates, and occasionally host international interns wishing to hone their journalistic skills in an emerging media culture.

 As Palestinians struggle to establish an independent state, media professionals not only function as the daily historians of their people, documenting their endeavors and aspirations, but also have the power to influence the public debate and efforts to shape Palestinian society and institutions.

 Ma'an plans to continue and expand our training programs for Palestinian TV, radio, and print journalists. While some of our courses focus on technical skills such as camera techniques and producing live programs, we also prioritize topics like journalistic ethics, investigative journalism, and facilitating debate on controversial issues. The surveys and audience feedback collected by our research unit help us refine our training courses and give journalists a better sense of the public’s news and information needs, level of knowledge on specific issues, and attitudes towards the media.

Our ultimate goal is to create a ‘Center of Excellence’ that will provide a permanent framework for ongoing skills development and knowledge sharing for Palestinian journalists, editors, producers, managers, and other media professionals, as well as offering training and other services to the wider community.

Ma'an has already delivered workshops on communications skills and media relations for governmental and civil society organizations seeking to better utilize the media. For example, we trained agronomists from the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture’s media office in a project supported by the UNDP. By helping specialists develop better communication skills, we hope to improve the level of information shared with the Palestinian public.

For more information on Ma'an Network’s media training programs, please visit Projects to read about a selection of past Ma'an workshops and courses.

Main Office, Bethlehem

  Al-Majd Building, 4th floor
  Al-Karkafa Street, Bethlehem
   Tel: 2760085/6
   Fax: 2760088

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