Baku, March 16. AZERTAC

Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) has announced that Sharjah Press Club (SPC) is organising a series of activities, including two specialised workshops with Thomson Reuters Foundation and SPICA, and two interactive sessions with world-renowned journalist Kelvin O'Shea as well as other media experts from the UAE, as part of the sixth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017). Under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, IGCF 2017 is being held from March 22-23 at the Expo Centre Sharjah.

The first workshop, to be delivered by Mathieu Robbins and Saad Hattar from Thomson Reuters Foundation over the course of the two-day Forum, will provide early career journalists with the necessary tools and sharpen their skills towards producing accurate and comprehensive stories, in accordance with Reuters professional guidelines.

Practical exercises form the core of this programme, designed to spur the participants into improving their basic news-hunting and writing skills, with emphasis on accuracy, storytelling and structuring feature stories.

Participants will also be encouraged to recognise their inner potential and acquire the time and space to refine their skills, within a mentored framework.

The workshop will outline techniques for structuring a news story and writing a clear, concise and simple copy, as well as tips to recognise the relative importance of different sources. In addition to reinforcing the basic journalist qualities of balance, accuracy and speed, it will provide tips on how to conduct better interviews and treat sources and quotes. It will also give participants tips on feature writing analysis and headlines, legal risks ethics and safety, and blogging.

Led by Abdullah Shwaikh, Member of the Board of Directors of SPICA, the second specialised workshop will focus on the experience of the University of Sharjah in shifting to smart media systems through its Smart Media Centre. It will further shed light on developments in various smart media services.

SPC is also hosting an engaging dialogue session on day one of IGCF 2017 with Kelvin O’Shea, an award-winning journalist who has been working in the field since 1976. Kelvin will share his experiences and will shed light on the importance of journalism in general.

Another interactive dialogue session titled “The Need for Press Clubs” will be hosted by SPC on day two of the sixth IGCF, together with a workshop on journalistic writing. Aimed at highlighting the importance of having press clubs, the session will feature Hessa Al-Ossaily, a pioneer in women’s journalism and the Mother of UAE Media, and Dr Aisha Sultan, an Emirati writer.

Commenting on SPC activities, Huda Al Dah, Manager of Sharjah Press Club, said: "We are pleased with SPC’s contribution to the activities of the sixth International Government Communication Forum. This contribution will shed light on our efforts in enhancing media relations and enriching the knowledge of media professionals in Sharjah and the entire UAE.”

“We have sought to draw the participation of the best in the field in our workshops and our collaboration with Thomson Reuters Foundation befits the status of the International Government Communication Forum. Moreover, our cooperation with internationally-acclaimed journalist Kelvin O'Shea, who has extensive experience in the media industry, represents an added value to journalists participating in his session,” added Al Dah.

Launched in 2012 and hosted by Sharjah Government Media Bureau, the IGCF aims to showcase best global practices in government communication, and enhance the performance of governments through improving their communication with citizens.

Under the theme ‘Societal Participation…Comprehensive Development’, IGCF 2017 will see more than 2,500 world leaders, opinion makers and media and communication experts brainstorm over how best to implement the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They will debate issues and challenges facing governments around the world and the world community and discuss ways of creating a better world.