Jordan Media Institute’s MIL training project inspires youth

AMMAN — The Jordan Media Institute (JMI) has throughout this year held intensive training on media and information literacy (MIL) and story production, training teachers who in turn trained 40 students aged between 14 and 16.

The training, implemented by the institute and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, is part of the JMI’s “Youth Voice in the Media” project, according to a statement shared with The Jordan Times. 

The first workshop was held for 12 teachers from King Abdullah II Schools for Excellence in Amman, Salt and Madaba, who within five days learned how to produce TV news reports, and throughout the year transferred the skills to batches comprised of a total of 40 students.

A team of trainers from the Public Broadcasting Service, an American public broadcaster and television programme distributor, delivered the training, and are implementing a similar project in the US, according to the statement.

The students in turn are going to produce their own news reports on matters that concern the society and youth like them through student reporting labs that will be set up for them, the statement said, adding that the students’ reports will be broadcast on Al Mamlaka TV station. 

“We learned a lot in the training. I did not expect to learn as much as I did. We learned about the basics of media, especially in regards to articles, opinion pieces and also rumours,” Alyaman Abu Rubiha, a 15-year-old who received the training at the JMI, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Tuesday.

Abu Rubiha said they learned a lot about montage, especially in regards to images. How to capture them and use them in news reports, and also how to deduce fake images used in fake news and how to fact-check their origin and learn the distinction between real and fake images and news.

A big portion of the training also focused on the proper ways to use the cameras and angles of shooting interviews and reports, in addition to writing and presenting the news. 

Hyatt Awamleh, also 15, told The Jordan Times that the training “exceeded” her expectations, and helped her conduct a report on “improving the skills of youth”, for which the training helped her to interview a movie director, a parent and a student.

Awamleh said that she learned a lot about montage and proper ways to conduct interviews, noting that after she presented her report, she received a lot of positive criticism that helped her improve her work further. 

As part of the project, which runs until the end of next year, the last batch of students will finish the intensive training at JMI’s facilities on August 13, according to the institute.

The participants include both male and female students from four schools in Al Qweismeh, Amman, Madaba and Salt.