Journalism Solutions in a specialized workshop for the Ministry of Information and the Virtual University

Damascus-SANA

Today, the Ministry of Information and the Syrian Virtual University launched a specialized workshop on community solutions journalism entitled “Towards a digital media that spreads a positive, motivational culture” and will last for three days at the Lifelong Learning Center.

The workshop aims to adopt solutions journalism with its digital model as a strategic option to devote a culture of self-reliance and focus on solutions instead of drowning in problems and obstacles, raise the level of positive relationship between digital journalism and public opinion, support digital media success stories close to the concept of solutions journalism, and address the media gap facing journalists when Moving to digital media and from there to solutions journalism and forming a dialogue media environment around the digital media site in support of a positive model in society.

The interventions in the first session of the workshop focused on the added value that the media must provide through the solutions it presents and come from the community and the public and the importance of continuous training for media workers on the different types of journalism and the distinction between constructive journalistic types that may interfere with solutions journalism such as investigative journalism and advocacy and civil.

Some of the interventions indicated the need for the journalist in the solutions journalism to provide answers regarding the beneficiaries of the proposed solution and the criticism directed at it, and whether the solution presented is specific to a particular community or not, in addition to being a carrier of solutions.

Minister of Information, Dr. Boutros Al-Hallaq, said in a speech during the opening of the workshop that solutions journalism is not a new case, as the media is a motivating case for society and can provide added value through solutions that it monitors from reality and the public, stressing that the journalist is not required to provide solutions, but rather to monitor and transmit them from the community Instead of being content with conveying and presenting problems.

Minister Al-Hallaq indicated that the media should not be satisfied with broadcasting messages, but rather evaluate these messages and their impact, stressing work on capacity-building and dedicating training as a continuous case.

In a press statement, the President of the Syrian Virtual University, Dr. Khalil Ajami, indicated that the first session is preparatory for setting a general framework for solutions journalism, its definition and purpose, and listening to the proposals of journalists and academics in order to reach a general methodology for solutions journalism and distinguish it from other types of journalism.

The Director of the Media and Communication Program at the Virtual University, Dr. Abdul Aziz Qabalan, explained in a similar statement that the second session will include experiences of some media professionals in the field of solutions journalism and discuss them, pointing to the need to introduce solutions journalism in the academic field and give journalists the scientific basis for its application and integration with the skills they possess in addition to activating the role of society As a whole, in the face of the problems encountered.

In a statement to SANA, Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning, Saya Google, stated that the workshop comes in implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed with the Ministry of Information, which aims to introduce solutions journalism to reach a model and basis through which we can provide training courses and strengthen the existing foundation of journalists.

Tarek El-Sayed and Mada Alloush