Dubai: A new training programme that teaches journalists how to report about science was launched on Monday by the Emirates Scientists’ Council in partnership with Dubai Press Club (DPC) at the Arab Media Forum.
The programme targets journalists who work in the UAE on the ways of reporting about science and technology in a way that could be easily understood by the audience, speakers said at a press conference.
Arab Media Forum Kicks off with discussions on constructive media dialogue https://t.co/bnay5pxNnU pic.twitter.com/1Sl1S5QTMS— Gulf News (@gulf_news) May 1, 2017
“With the UAE entering an era of technology and its focus on future scientific projects like the Mars mission, our goal is to improve the skills of journalists and media personnel and provide them with an experience that matches the needs of this era, ” said Alia Al Theeb, Director of DPC.
The aim is to render jargon-laden information into a form that the general public can understand, while still communicating the information accurately, she added.
Giving more details, Sara Al Amiri, Chairwoman at Emirates Scientists’ Council said that 20 journalists, to be nominated by different media institutions in the UAE, will go through workshops twice a month between July and October
Breaking down jargon
“The programme will help provide journalists with the basic language and the fundamentals of reporting on science and technology and a better in- depth understanding of the each of the areas of science and technology that are of importance to the country,” Al Amiri said
The fields in focus include: space, aviation, energy, biotechnology, Infortmation security and more.
She added that: “In partnership between the UAE science community through the Emirates Scientists’ council and journalists through DPC, we launched the programme to provide the right image of the current developments and the status of developments of science and technology within the country.”
Approved certificates will be issued upon completing the course, Al Theeb said.
