FCJ Regional Seminar brings journalistic excellence to the forefront
The Potchefstroom Herald attended the regional seminar in Bloemfontein that looked at various pertinent topics such as the upcoming municipal elections.
The highly anticipated FCJ (Forum of Community Journalists) Regional Seminar for the Free State, Northern Cape and North West took place on September 3 in Bloemfontein.
It was an informative experience for all the newsrooms from across the regions that attended the regional seminar, which was presented in partnership with AVBOB.
Publications present included BloemNuus Express, Bloemfontein Courant, Vista Newspaper (Welkom), VrystaatKroon (Kroonstad) and the Potchefstroom Herald. Wouter Pienaar (editor: Potchefstroom Herald) and Tania Coetzee (journalist: Potchefstroom Herald) attended.
Topics discussed included a session on the upcoming local municipal elections, presented by the IEC’s Mmathabo Rasengane. The focus was on how journalists can encourage readers to participate in the democratic process during the elections.
The main focus was on why it is important to give citizens a platform, instead of solely focusing on politicians. This could include reporting on voter experiences, the views of young people in the community, rural community perspectives, or stories on communities’ concerns and expectations.
The second session focused on “Visual Photojournalism: How to See, Capture and Tell the Story”, presented by award-winning photographer Wayne van der Walt.
Wayne focused on how different angles and perspectives can be used to tell a story without writing a word. It was a highly practical session, as some journalists and photographers had their photographs critiqued, with suggestions on where improvements could be made.
Lastly, the Executive Director of the FCJ, Ben Burger, gave a short presentation on the importance of meeting your audience where they are.
The emphasis here was on catering to the reader’s preferred platform and how they consume news. Communities are served across multiple platforms, such as newsletters, WhatsApp and Instagram, for example.
Attendees were then treated to a fantastic dinner and networking session at the BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central in the heart of the city to cap off the day.
