Microsoft Ghana has organized a one-day training workshop for 25 journalists drawn from major media houses in Ghana. The workshop is a capacity-building programme designed to provide journalists with essential skills using Microsoft technologies to enable them work effectively.
The objective of the workshop was to train the journalists on how to effectively report news on ICT issues, use technology properly in their day-to-day activities and create an affinity with the Microsoft brand and our solutions and services.
Windows 8 & Office 365 is the Microsoft solutions that were focused on at the capacity building to help enhance journalists’ skills and make their jobs simpler.
The Country Manager of Microsoft Ghana, Otema Yirenkyi, tasked Ghanaian journalists to take advantage of technological advancement to make strides in their profession.
She said when journalists explore technological opportunities, stories they write will impact heavily on the nation at large. Mrs. Yirenkyi made these remarks when she gave the opening address at the workshop to educate journalists on some new technologies that would enhance journalism in the country.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony, a Senior journalist and Director of Newspapers of Graphic Communications Group Ltd., Mr. Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo advised journalists to make use of technology to conduct research to enable them tell better stories.
Explaining the rationale for the programme, Mr. Asante Akuoko, Technology Evangelist, Microsoft Ghana, noted in his presentation that the social media is the number one activity on the website. It has revolutionalized the way people receive and perceive news.
He further stated that, the benefits of social media include: cost reduction, wider audience reach, opportunity for feedback, less stressful means of getting information, among others. The traditional ethic rules still applies online and journalists should assume everything they write online will be publicly known.
He however stressed on the need for journalists to use the internet as a platform to engage readers, professionally. He later advised them to independently authenticate anything found on a social networking site, and be transparent and admit when they go wrong, online.
Mr. Alfred Antwi, Technical Account Manager, Microsoft Ghana, shared his thoughts about the training. He noted that the workshop was one of the company’s programmes to highlight the technology, capabilities and what the company can provide.
Mr. Antwi revealed that most organizations unknowingly lose revenues through pirated softwares; hence the company as part of its initiatives will educate consumers on how to purchase and use genuine products.
Participants came from various media houses such as Daily Graphic, GTV, TV3, The Ghanaian Times, Daily Guide, Daily Dispatch, Citi FM, Radio Gold, G.N.A and B & FT amongst others.
Certificates of participation were given to all the journalists at the end of the one-day workshop.
Credit: Microsoft Ghana