UNESCO media literacy project commences with workshop on broadcasting techniques

AMMAN — The UNESCO Amman office has recently launched a media training programme for youth, according to a joint statement sent to The Jordan Times. 

The “Youth Empowerment” project, with funding from the EU, aims to advance media information literacy (MIL) to support the safe and ethical use, consumption and production of media in Jordan. 

The statement added that this week, in partnership with the Jordan Media Institute, UNESCO implemented a three-day workshop focused on MIL broadcasting. Nine participants from Yarmouk FM and Sawt Al Janoub were invited to take part in the workshops. 

“MIL skills are more important now than ever, especially amidst the conflict we face in the Arab region,” said Basim Tweissi, dean of the Jordan Media Institute.

The “Youth Empowerment” project, carried out in cooperation with the ministries of education, higher education and media affairs, plans to implement workshops across Irbid, Zarqa, Maan and Mafraq in 2019. The trainees at this week’s workshop ranged from professors to staff members at two community radio stations — Yarmouk FM and Sawt Al Janoub.

Cedric Neri, UNESCO associate project officer, delivered a presentation during the workshop, explaining why advancing MIL skills in Jordan remains a critical task. “Today, the sheer abundance of media content provides us with increased opportunities to find information, but we are confronted as well by misinformation or disinformation.”

Neri added that “MIL empowers citizens to understand the functions of media, critically evaluate content and make informed decisions as users and producers of information and media content.”

Anas Omari, the programme manager at Yarmouk FM, trains about 80 student volunteers at the radio station each term. He said in the statement that he hopes to gain a wider understanding of MIL during the workshop. 

“When I get back to Yarmouk FM, the students will still be on their break from studies. This will be the perfect time for me to deliver a short version of this training to them, to pass on my MIL knowledge before we return to broadcasting on Yarmouk FM,” Omari said.