Content for Radio Journalists Training

By Jake Brown
Journalism Lecturer/Trainer

How do I make a dull newspaper article, press release or yesterday news into sharp informative fresh news for radio?
Broadcast radio news is the most important medium of journalism there is. News can be soaked up while driving, cooking and working, with your eyes closed and even while watching TV or reading a book. But, the human ear can only digest and process interesting, sharp and to the point information. This workshop will help you build the skills needed to make your news stand out and stick in peoples heads, be understood, sound fresh and ultimately make you and your radio station sound good.
This is a 2 hour workshop for professional journalists and members of the public interested in broadcast journalism. It’s aimed at introducing them to Australian and British radio news bulletins standards and enhancing their skills in news writing style, writing broadcast copy and on-air delivery.

The Workshop Program
News Writing Styles
• We Write for the Ear not the Eye
• Rewriting Copy
• Broadcast News is Always in the PRESENT

Writing Broadcast Copy
• The Lead
• Convince Your Listeners the News is Fresh
• Constructing the Rest of the Story

Delivering the News
• Marking Copy to Make you Sound Good
• Making the Audience Want to Listen to You
• Pronunciation Tricks

Training for Radio Journalists

Training for Radio Journalists will be held at the end of this month at Samoa Polytechnic. The training will further equip Broadcast professionals on writing, reading and reporting skills specific to Radio. This Training is a joint project by JAWS and Samoa Polytechnic Journalism Department to improve the level of news output in Samoa. Although targeted for Radio Journalists others in the industry are welcome to learn about this area of news writing. Please find below an invitation to this training.
Members are free to attend however non-members are required to pay $10.00 towards your membership fee before attending.
Associate and Life Members need not pay membership fees.

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Radio Journalists are hereby invited by JAWS to participate in Training for Radio Journalists. This training is for Broadcast Professionals but those in the print media are also welcome to attend.

Date: 30 August 2006

Time: 11:30am

Venue: Samoa Polytech/NUS

Trainer: Mr. Jake Brown

Note: Please confirm attendance to Secretary at jawsexec@yahoo.com or

phone 7773776.

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Trainer Profile: Jake Brown

JAWS Trainer for the Broadcast Training for Journalists Mr. Jake Brown is currently a Journalism lecturer at the National University of Samoa. He is in Samoa as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development. Jake’s Journalism career spans from the UK to Australia working with different aspects of the Broadcasting Industry.
Jake received his Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the City University London. His experience has seen him work for BBC radio as a producer and researcher, and later on as a Broadcast Journalist in commercial radio. Recently he has been freelancing in Australia.
His 10 years in Broadcasting has seen him involved with setting up community and university radio stations and running broadcasting summer schools for disadvantage teenagers. Since arriving in Samoa he’s been helping devise a Journalism Diploma course for the NUS and currently working towards creating a Polytech Student Radio Station, something we all look forward to as this will be the first of its kind.
Mr. Jake Brown is an Associate Member of JAWS.

What are defamation and libel?

Quick Facts for our Local Journalists

Defamation is any published material that damages the reputation of an individual or an organisation. This covers material on the internet as well as radio and television broadcasts - so even drama and fiction can be defamatory if they damage someone’s reputation. You can only publish defamatory material if it comes within one of the recognised legal defences. If it doesn’t, the publication will amount to libel and you may have to pay substantial damages.Libel online
Slander is 'defamation by word of mouth'
Internet sites are not exempt from any libel laws. If you are publishing on the internet you are bound by the same libel laws as print publishers. In a significant ruling in 2002, the Australian high court ruled that mining magnate Joseph Gutnick could sue publisher Dow Jones under Australian law for alleged libel online. The judge deemed that the web was no different from newspapers or television. In the UK, internet service providers are coming under increasing pressure to close sites containing defamatory allegations. You also have to be careful about the comments others post on your site. There have been cases where individuals have sued online publishers for libel over customer book reviews published on their sites. Such developments have implications for freedom of expression.The purpose of libel law Libel law protects individuals or organisations from unwarranted, mistaken or untruthful attacks on their reputation. A person is libelled if a publication:
Exposes them to hatred, ridicule or contempt
Causes them to be shunned or avoided
Discredits them in their trade, business or profession
Generally lowers them in the eyes of right thinking members of society For example, MORAL rights campaigner Victoria Gillick recently won a £5,000 settlement and an apology after taking libel action against the Brook Advisory Centre, a charity which gives sex advice to young people, over allegations that Brook had suggested Mrs Gillick "bore a moral responsibility" for an increase in pregnancies among teenagers. A fact sheet published by Brook contained the heading "What caused the teenage conception rate to rise in the 1980s?", and listed a legal action brought by Mrs Gillick against the Department of Health over contraception guidelines as one of the causes.

Courtesy of Action Network at http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A1183394