Media strengthening pilot project ends on high note in Honiara
The “Strengthening the Media in Solomon Islands” pilot project has ended on a high note with journalists better equipped for their work in the country.
Group photo of the journalists, BBC Media Action Senior Trainer Naomi Goldsmith and the senior CBSI team.
With a total of seven short workshops completed in Honiara including two provincial centres, participants acknowledged they have learned a lot as well as sharpened their skills further.
The final workshop took place at the Heritage Park Hotel in Honiara this week where participating journalists learned about economics and financial reporting.
A four-member team from the Central Bank of Solomon Islands took the participants through understanding key economic terms and how to report on the government’s annual budget.
The team included Michael Kikiolo, Manager Advisor Policy for CBSI, Marco Malusà and Angeline Rohoia, Senior Research Analysts and Uriel Matanani, CBSI Communications Manager.
The workshops were conducted by the BBC Media Action and supported by the British High Commission in Honiara as part of a pilot project called “Strengthening the Media in Solomon Islands.”
Prior to this week’s training session, BBC Media Action’s Senior Trainer, Naomi Goldsmith, together with Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI) board member, Gina Maka’a visited 7 media outlets in Honiara and asked the editors and journalists how they would like to be supported.
One of the most common responses was training in how to understand the government’s annual budget. The journalists and media outlets said they wanted to report on this with greater knowledge when it is published every year. They were also keen to learn about key economic terms and their impact on the everyday lives of people in Solomon Islands.
British High Commissioner, His Excellency Thomas Coward, an economist himself, officially closed the workshop and spoke with the participants about what they have learnt in this and the previous workshops.