International Journalists Hone Multimedia Skills at Ithaca College Workshop

by 07/17/2009

Matt MogekwuAmong the topics covered in workshop sessions will be mobile journalism using portable audio and video equipment; free or cheap alternatives to audio, photo and video editing software; the myth and reality of the “Twitter revolution”; distributing video online via YouTube and Vimeo; search engine optimization; best practices for online interviews and podcasts; and writing for the Web.

“Participants will learn to conceptualize, map and produce compelling stories across media platforms, including audio, video and interactive graphics,” says Matt Mogekwu, associate professor and chair of the journalism department. “They will talk with experts and exchange ideas on multimedia journalism, gain field experience in multimedia storytelling using digital content-gathering tools and present case studies on multimedia journalism. Through this workshop, the Park School hopes to contribute to the global discussion on the role of new media platforms in the practice of international reporting.”

Scheduled for July 20–24, the Multimedia Workshop for International Journalists was developed by the Department of Journalism in Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications.

Visit http://www.ithaca.edu/rhp/depts/journalism/interworkshop to view the complete workshop schedule.

A ReadyCam satellite uplink is available for conducting interviews.

Both Mogekwu and fellow workshop leader Vadim Isakov have extensive international media experience. Prior to joining the Park School, Mogekwu had served as dean of the faculty of human and social sciences and as a professor of communications at the University of North-West in South Africa. Isakov, who serves as a scholar-in-residence in the Park School, has worked in Central Asia as a reporter for Agence France-Presse and a press officer for the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 2006 he was recognized as one of the top 10 bloggers in Uzbekistan.

The workshop will feature presentations by two guest speakers. Jeff Cohen, director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College and founder of the media watch group FAIR, will speak on “The State of Independent Media in the U.S.” Paul Jay, CEO and senior editor of the Real News Network, a start-up aiming to be a daily mass video news service for the Internet and television, will discuss “Surviving and Thriving in the Online Media Environment.” Jay was executive producer of the CBC news shows “CounterSpin” and “Face Off” and has produced and directed more than 20 major documentaries, including “Return to Kandahar.”

Workshop Participants

Margarita Akhvlediani is a founder and editor-in-chief of the Go Group/Eyewitness Reporting Studio, based in Tbilisi, Georgia. The studio’s network of professional journalists, together with actively involved “resident reporters” from the general public, produce short documentary films and multimedia productions that are placed on the studio’s website.

Ekeh Kenneth Anayo works as an independent marketing consultant and freelance journalist in Nigeria, writing feature stories on political, social and economic issues.

Moatlhodi Dilotsotlhe is director of corporate affairs and marketing at the Tshwane University of Technology and teaches media studies at the University of South Africa. He has 15 years of experience in journalism, public relations and business communication.

Lissy De Abreu Gallego started her career as a local news reporter at “El Nacional,” Venezuela’s leading newspaper. She currently reports for the international section and has recently covered such issues as the OAS Summit of the Americas, the situation in Cuba and the use of Twitter during the Iran election protests.

Prithviraj Hegde is deputy managing editor at Rediff.com, India’s largest and oldest news, information, entertainment and shopping Internet portal. He previously worked at Mid Day Multimedia Ltd., publisher of Mumbai’s largest-circulation afternoon newspaper.

Siok Hui Leong is a senior writer at “The Star,” Malaysia’s largest English-language newspaper. She has a special interest in ecotourism and works closely with the conservation group Wild Asia.

Sergiy Leshchenko has been a journalist for the online newspaper “Ukrainska Pravda” since 2000. He won the Oleksandr Kryvenko Award and is one of the Ukraine’s best-known investigative reporters.

Roseleen Nzioka began her journalism career in 1993 as a cub reporter for “The Standard” in Nairobi, Kenya, and now serves as an online editor for the newspaper.

For more information on the Multimedia Workshop for International Journalists, contact Matt Mogekwu at [email protected] or 607-274-1994.

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