The participants of mobile journalism trainings will confirm that practice is an essential component of the training sessions. The new training kicked off with the participants familiarizing themselves with equipment to be used during the training days to follow: the attendees received sets of professional equipment with accessories for their editorial offices – modern smartphones, wireless microphone systems, LED lighting, tripods, and handy equipment bags. The training takes place as part of the ‘Strengthening Media Resilience in Ukraine’ project, implemented by IRMI together with Fondation Hirondelle with the financial support of Swiss Solidarity.
The participants set up the equipment, discussed and practiced the principles of shooting, the basics of framing, working with a tripod, light and microphone. We did a lot of practical exercises to practice editing, interview preparation, audio recordings and other skills. The last day was fully hands on, and the level of professionalism and journalistic skills of the group was highly appreciated by the trainers. The journalists chose the most relevant topics, including the one of social cohesion. We interviewed Lviv residents and IDPs – we even found compatriots from Izyum, Bakhmut, and Zaporizhzhia. We talked to experts. The protagonists were people of different ages, and they all spoke about social cohesion as a great value. The interviews grew into professional stories, as theirs authors worked not just to develop the topic, but also to build up their shooting, video and audio editing, and scriptwriting skills. The authors of the four best stories (selected by voting) received Lviv sweets – there is usually a mini festival at each training’s finale.
Mobile journalism offers tools that allow media professionals to get a new quality of the product, visualize stories and increase their credibility. Per the results of the training, experts believe that all participants are ready to use new skills in their daily work.
