tawandamusarurwa
Shayne Gurure
A FOUR-MEMBER team from Zimpapers visited Munashe Private High School on July 2 to train members of the Junior Media Club on basic journalism.
The session was attended by 30 learners.
Zimpapers was represented by Mrs Pauline Matanda (public relations and communications manager), Mr Ishmael Ndlovu (ZTN head of output), Mrs Fatima Bulla-Musakwa (media club coordinator) and Ms Kimberley Muguti (public relations).
My takeaways from the training were on news values.
News refers to anything of interest to the reading public, but new to them. The event, which is newsworthy, should have occurred recently and cannot be ignored.
As junior media club members, we have to write news that captivates readers and has great impact. There is also need to ensure that journalists desist from sensationalising issues.
For instance, if a person succumbs to malaria, it is unfortunate, but that cannot be of media interest unless the cases rise to unprecedented levels and we have a recurring trend.
When writing articles, we should also consider the time the incident being covered occurs.
Proximity is another factor to consider.
The approach in article writing is equally vital.
The introduction should have the 5Ws and an H — who, what, where, why, when and how.
In terms of radio broadcasting, news is for the ear.
When coming up with stories, some need to be of human interest.
At one point, we had a simulation broadcasting session. This part turned out to be very interesting.
The training started in the morning and ended in the afternoon, on a high note, while the learners were still asking for more.
Shayne Gurure is a Form Three learner at Munashe Private High School.
Online Reporter