US embassy cable - 03AMMAN938

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000938 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/PPD for Bill Mooney and Catherine Bourgeois; 
IIP/T/GIC for Jennifer Bochner 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KPAO, XF, JO 
SUBJECT: Jordan Media Training: Workshop on Feature and 
Analytical Writing 
 
1.  Summary:  In support of the MEPI goal of 
encouraging a professional and independent media, 
veteran journalist Gil Butler conducted a 3-day 
"feature and analytical writing" workshop for Jordanian 
journalists January 21-23.  The program was part of PAS 
Amman's ongoing Media Professionalization Program. 
Twenty-five junior and mid-level Jordanian journalists 
took part, representing the range of Jordan's daily and 
weekly newspapers, television, radio and internet-based 
media outlets.  Butler gave particular attention to 
eliminating bias and subjectivity in reporting, 
delivering a primer on the difference between news 
reporting, opinion, feature writing and analysis. 
Response of participants was extremely positive, 
particularly among younger journalists, who appreciated 
this rare opportunity for in-depth professional 
development training.  End Summary. 
 
2. Description on Activity:  Gil Butler, retired VOA 
correspondent, conducted a 3-day workshop organized by 
PAS Amman for 25 Jordanian junior and mid-career 
journalists representing Jordanian print, TV, radio and 
internet media outlets.  Title of the workshop was 
"Feature and Analytic Reporting", but topics covered 
also included "How to Write a News Lead" and 
"Eliminating Bias in Reporting".  Workshop included a 
feature writing exercise, a news lead writing exercise 
and an interviewing techniques exercise.  Materials 
were compiled and translated by post.  English-Arabic 
interpretation was provided. 
 
3.   Date: January 21-23, Fiscal Year: 2003, quarter: 
2. 
 
4.   Justification and objectives:  The Jordanian media 
suffers from a lack of professional development 
opportunities, among other difficulties.  Very few 
working journalists in Jordan have had formal training 
of any kind (e.g., a formal journalism curriculum in 
school), and media organizations are not generous 
regarding training opportunities for employees. 
Consequently, Jordanian journalists often lack what are 
viewed as basic reporting skills, hindering their 
ability to play a more positive role in this developing 
society.  This quarterly series of media training 
workshops begun by PA Amman in FY 2000 have attempted 
to address some of these issues.  With regard to this 
program, Jordanian journalists have difficulty 
distinguishing in practice between "straight" news 
reporting, feature writing and   opinion.  This basic 
shortcoming leads to biased reporting and a shortage of 
objective feature and investigative reporting in 
Jordan, limiting the development and impact of Jordan's 
media sector. 
 
5.   MPP objective and audience reached:  Promotion of 
democracy and freedom of expression by enhancing the 
professional skills of junior and mid-career Jordanian 
journalists. 
 
6.   Result/impact:  Through group exercises and open 
discussion, workshop leader Gil Butler engaged the 
participants in practical skill building, and 
discussion of important and controversial topics 
regarding the media in Jordan.  In an exercise to 
highlight how to develop an objective news lead, for 
example, participants opened a discussion on the 
appropriateness of editors and writers inserting 
pejorative or loaded terms when describing events in 
the region, a common practice here.  Butler's 
preference for an exercise-driven workshop with very 
little "lecturing" to the participants was extremely 
welcome and successful.  A further positive result was 
the great interest of the younger journalists in 
developing interesting feature stories (Butler used as 
examples two recent feature stories he had developed 
for Washington-area public radio on Frederick 
Douglass).  While we can only judge the impact of this 
workshop over time, the participants were given a 
strong introduction to the subjects covered and 
provided extensive positive feedback on the workshop. 
 
7.   Material developed by post:  Post created a 
special workbook for the workshop that included 
articles and radio feature scripts provided in advance 
by the workshop director in English and translated into 
Arabic by post (for example, four articles regarding 
the matter resulting in the resignation of Senate 
Majority Leader Lott - a news report, an analysis 
piece, an opnion piece and an editorial, all taken from 
the same U.S. paper). 
 
8.   Non USG source of in-country funding/in-kind 
support: none. 
 
9.   Quality of U.S. support and IIP offices involved: 
Excellent support from IIP/G/NEA (Terance Scott), and a 
special thanks to Jennifer Bochner for her excellent 
work and unflagging energy in helping post put together 
this ongoing and valuable series.  BERRY