Open Courses in Hilversum

Broadcast Journalism on Good Governance and the Broadcast Journalist

International Course Broadcast Journalism (Radio, Television, Internet)
Theme: Good Governance and the Broadcast Journalist
12 weeks course from
February 1st – April 22nd, 2010

Applicants from eligible countries can apply for a fellowship, whereby travel, accommodation and the course fee are paid for by the Dutch government.

RNTC application deadline has expired
Embassy NFP application deadline: 1st October 2009
NFP application deadline: 1st November 2009
The deadline for non-fellowship applicants is November 15th, 2009.

Course Aims:
To strengthen the capacity of broadcast journalists and the organisations they work for to research, investigate and report for broadcast and new media in a responsible and ethical way on issues and events to do with the observance and non-observance of principles and standards of good governance in their societies.

New demands on journalists

In many societies around the world political and technological changes are making new demands on journalists working in the broadcast media. As national and international sources of information multiply and reach across borders in a way that national governments are largely powerless to stop, listeners, viewers and internet users are gaining access to information previously denied to them. The actions of institutions whether they be public or commercial are subject to greater scrutiny than ever before and the globalisation of media means that the glare of media attention can have immediate repercussions beyond the purely local level. Increasingly, audiences demand not only to know the opinions and actions of those that exercise power and influence on their behalf but also to make them accountable for those opinions and actions.

Maintaining integrity and credibility

This represents an important challenge to broadcast journalists worldwide at a time when they also face increased competition from other radio and television stations taking advantage of technological innovation and of a climate in which national governments are opening up the national spectrum to newcomers.
In response to these changes broadcast journalists must not only rise to the technological challenge being presented to them but seek to establish and maintain their integrity and their credibility as sources of information if they are to survive. The challenge being laid before them and indeed journalists at large - press, broadcast and Internet - is no less than to fulfill their role as guardians of an increasingly vocalised public interest and as independent watchdogs, free of ethnic, political and other affiliations.

Investigative research and analysis

The courses will focus on the role of the broadcast journalist in meeting these challenges. Special attention will be given to research and analysis and to skills required for investigative journalism as well as to other essential news and current affairs skills such as selection and interpretation, speed and accuracy under pressure, communication and teamwork. There will be a considerable measure of interaction and exchange of knowledge and skills between radio and television.

Multimedia

Course participants will work with analogue and digital technology for radio and television and be involved in the design and development of material for an Internet site related to the theme and focus of the course. As well as attending sessions devoted to developing their knowledge and skills in the field of news and current affairs participants will be sent out on assignments to various locations in the Netherlands linked to the theme of good governance and the role of the broadcast journalist. After leaving the Netherlands at the end of the course participants will become part of a network of journalists and other experts through RNTC’s website, intended to foster co-operation and the further exchange of ideas and experience in the field of broadcast journalism.