JEMSTONE Newsletter 5

Contact us now if you are interested in any of the activities below. Our recent workshops have been over-subscribed and we have had to turn people down.

Specialist Reporters -- we are looking for journalists interested in particular subject areas. We have a workshop soon for education reporters and one on the media itself (one of the fastest growing specialisms in the West). If any of your journalists has a special interest in either of these subjects please let us know. Our aim is to create regional networks of specialists who can then support one another.

Economic journalists who attended last month’s big workshop, organised jointly with the World Bank, have now created a specialist Jemstone internet network. This operates through e-mail and will be installed on the Jemstone web-site soon. A regular circular is being sent to members, with everyone’s contact details, the latest news and requests for information. If you want to join, e-mail: lara@jemstone.net

News-photographers -- following Cyprus in 1996 and Amman last year, we are holding another ‘masterclass’ for senior news photographers: this time in Gaza in May or June. The expert will be the Dutch photo-journalist Theo Audenaerd.

The summer journalism course in Holland -- this year we will be selecting thirty of the best young journalists in the region; ten from radio, ten from TV and ten from the press. To be eligible you should have worked in the media for at least three years and be aged under 30. Half the participants will be women. English is essential. Any organisation wishing to send more than one participant will have to contribute towards the training costs of the second, as well as paying all travel costs. The workshop begins on Monday 27th July and ends on August 14th -- there will be a short computer course beforehand for anyone without computer skills. As this annual Jemstone workshop was not held last year, because of funding delays, we expect very heavy demand for places -- we’ve already received applications.

The latest on Med Media -- more discussions between the European Parliament and the Commission now mean that a relaunch before the summer is unlikely. Jemstone’s own special contract runs out in the autumn and we’re seeking new, much longer-term funding arrangements to secure our existence for four or five years.

E-mail -- is vital to Jemstone. The specialist networks, like the one for Business, Economic and Finance journalists mentioned above, can only work on e-mail. We want to start similar networks for other media specialties. If we don’t have your e-mail address please send it now to lara@jemstone.net.

New Phone Numbers -- we’re told that all our numbers will change at the end of April; and that you will then have to put a 5 in front of the old number. tl/8/3/98