3-Day Data Journalism Workshop for Election Reporting Ends in Kumasi

18 selected Journalists from the Northern sector of Ghana have successfully undergone a three-day intensive Training in data Journalism aimed at strengthening their skills and help leverage their knowledge and experience for improved issues-based coverage of Ghana’s 2016 general elections.

Executed by Penplusbytes in partnership with EIB Network and with support from the USA Embassy in Ghana, the Training formally opened at the Royal Lamerta Hotel on Thursday, October 6, 2016 after a short ceremony addressed by heads of key elections stakeholders. They included the Ashanti Regional Head of the Electoral Commission, Mr. Serebour Quaicoo, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, COP Kofi Boakye, Kokofu Hene Barima Offe Akwasi Okogyeesuo II who represented the Peace Council and Mr. Kingsley Hope, the Regional Secretary of the GJA.

The workshop formed a part of the implementation of the “Voter’s Count – amplifying voices through new digital platforms” project designed to keep citizens informed and engaged on political campaign issues to enable them make informed decisions at the polls while strengthening Ghana’s credentials as a beacon of democracy in the sub-region.

Participants drawn from an array of media organisations comprising Print, Radio, TV and Online establishments were introduced to data Journalism, digital visualisation and digital storytelling tools and were taking through various processes of sourcing data and how to clean and analyse them to produce data-driven stories.

At a short ceremony to present certificates to the participants, the Executive Director of Penplusbytes, Kwami Ahiabenu, II, said “This training is a step towards preparing our journalists towards a mastery of reporting with data, a lot of which will be required in the coverage of the 2016 Ghana Elections.” He reaffirmed his organisation and her partners’ will to champion media excellence in Ghana and beyond through new digital technologies.

According to Eno Safowaa Safo of Ultimate FM, "the workshop has been an eye opening one with a lot of lessons taken and I hope my listeners will better appreciate my analysis of data.”

Donald Ato-Dapatem of the Daily Graphic also stated: "the training has exposed us to what data Journalism is about, how beneficial it is to readers, how we can get concrete stories from it and the processes we can use in doing that."

On his part, Osman T. Kaapoure of Radio Progress in Bolga also expressed his satisfaction with the 3 – day workshop. “I had little knowledge in analysing stories with data but now I can back my stories up with charts. That’s a huge plus,” he added.

Participants are expected to produce and publish data-driven stories with their newly acquired skills.

The 2^nd set of Training for selected Journalists in the Southern sector is slated for the 26^th – 29^th October, 2016 at the New Media Hub in Accra.



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About
Penplusbytes is a not-for-profit organization driving change through innovations in three key areas: using new digital technologies to enable good governance and accountability, new media and innovations, and driving oversight for effective utilisation of mining, oil and gas revenue and resources.

EIB Network is led by a team of seasoned and competent managers who have helped in diverse ways to establish most of Ghana’s competitive media brands. A relatively new entrant in Ghana’s media landscape, EIB Network’s ambitious corporate drive is the reason for its phenomenal growth over a relatively short period. The network serves both English and twi-speaking demographics across its seven radio stations, two television stations and a newspaper