The Graduate School of Media and Communications has launched a new programme to promote excellence in environmental journalism.
The Environmental Reporting Programme, to be run in collaboration with prominent media houses, will train local journalists and filmmakers to produce insightful reports on Africa’s most pressing environmental problems.
Speaking about the programme’s vision, Michael Meyer, the dean of the Graduate School of Media and Communications said: “Here in East Africa, as elsewhere, environmental reporting is generally sporadic and superficial, devoid of nuance and scientific context. The new Environmental Reporting Programme will spread awareness about how the destruction of our ecology degrades our ability to exist and prosper.”
So far Andrew Tkach, the programme’s visiting faculty member, has trained production teams from Kenya’s NTV, Citizen, and KTN broadcast stations. Together they’ve produced TV features on the impact of high speed rail construction on wild elephants, Kenya’s historic destruction of 105 tonnes of ivory and the threats faced by Nairobi National Park.
Now Mr Tkach, an Emmy winning producer, will mentor the independent filmmakers and journalists who won AKU’s Environmental Reporting Challenge as they cover East Africa’s most critical environmental issues. All the films and multimedia content will be posted on givingnatureavoice.com and will hopefully spark a lively discussion on how to save East Africa’s natural heritage and improve the lives of people living closest to nature.
“Through the initiative we will nurture budding journalists and enable them to produce environmental reporting that is illuminating, intelligent and impactful,” Mr Meyer added.
Applicants to the Environmental Reporting Programme will be eligible for financial aid and will also receive wide-ranging training and assistance from GSMC to help them raise awareness about their chosen topic.