JOURNALISTS UPDATED ON PHOTOJOURNALISM

By Correspondent
Friday Simbaya,
Iringa

JOURNALISTS have been called upon to write news stories of the rural areas because the media coverage in the country is predominantly urban.

The challenge was given yesterday by Danstan Raphael a trainer from the Flame Tree Media Trust (FTMT) during the on going ten-day effective rural photojournalism coaching in Iringa region.

He noted that Tanzania has a population of around 38 million people and about 80 percent of Tanzanians live in rural areas, yet the media coverage in the country is mainly urban.

“The media outlets are in the urban, while the newspaper columns and TV/radio is filled with urban happenings and details, according to the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) report of 2007/08” said Raphael.

The effective rural photojournalism education is involving ten journalists who are members of Iringa Press Club (IPC), it is funded by Tanzania Media Fund (TMF) in collaboration with MCT.

The under reporting of rural issues ‘kill’ the rural areas and make them less known to people outside.

However, rural areas only get attention when some politicians or public figure make visits or when there is an outbreak of epidemic, accidents, floods, domestic violence and such unusual events.

Raphael noted the in order for someone to become a rural reporter one should acquaint him/ her with knowledge of rural areas in terms of social, political and economic development

“For instance, in the classroom survey we brought in about four local newspapers in both languages it shows that there were more urban news than rural” he pointed out.

A prominent photographer, Mwanzo Millingo said the coaching project is aimed at empowering regional photographers with skills that they may use to visualize grass-root issues.

He explained that the photographers are coached on how to generate ideas, select approach and visualized them by picture stories.

“We encourage each of the photographers to have a unique idea and approach in visualizing so that their final work remains original and independent,” he said.

However, he said that the aim is to have photo stories published in the newspapers as part of improving the quality of photojournalism and the media products in the country.

The coaching covers Lindi, Iringa, mara, Mwanza, Zanzibar and Kigoma in a period of one year.

End