Training Opportunity at Wits University on Media Freedom

The University of Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg has called for application for a free online journalism training.. The course would take place for a period of seven weeks and it would be titled “Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Africa”.

The course is a free-of-charge MOOC (massive open online course) and it aims to empower activists, students, regulators, journalists, lawyers, and everyone interested in ensuring a free, pluralistic and independent African media.

In a press release by the university, it expressed the context of the training thus: “When societies achieve this kind of media, they can benefit from journalism playing a critical role in democracy and development. This is the policy context whereby journalists inform citizens, defend freedom of expression for everyone, and enable access to information that some people would prefer to keep covered up.”

The statement said the course instructors will be Prof. Justine Limpitlaw (Wits LINK Centre), Paula Fray (Frayintermedia), Zoe Titus (Namibia Media Trust), Dr. Sarah Chiumbu (University of Johannesburg), and Koketso Moeti (Amandla.mobi).

The Verified Certificate which ordinarily costs US$ 49 is free for existing students of the university: If a student is already a registered Wits student with a Wits University email address, he or she can obtain the certificate free-of-charge with a coupon number.

Participants in the course will engage with the following:

• core elements of the principles of freedom of expression, media freedom, and access to information
• policy and practical components necessary to democratic media ecosystems
• regulatory and other measures that build media pluralism and diversity
• mechanisms of self-regulation, co-regulation, statutory regulation and regulatory independence in democratic media ecosystems
• the practical and policy dimensions introduced by online media, online expression, and online information access
• strategies for effective civil society engagement with policy and practice in support of democratic Africa media ecosystems
• the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on journalists and the media

Participants from any part of Africa wishing to enrol can visit the website https://bit.ly/3eb1mST.