The Poynter Institute and Turkish Media Association Launch Innovative Journalism Training Program

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Poynter Institute (www.poynter.org), the leading educator of journalists worldwide, has announced it will partner with the Media Association in Turkey (http://www.medyadernegi.org/en/) and leading journalists to develop a cutting-edge international initiative, Poynter NewsU Turkiye.

The project is designed to provide training around journalistic skills in an evolving digital media landscape using a combination of free online courses and a certificate program through Poynter News University, plus a fellowship program for Turkish journalists at The Poynter Institute's campus in the United States.

In an age where online and mobile technologies are heavily disrupting traditional journalism models, Poynter's international programs are focused to grow under the leadership of Poynter's newly named president, Tim Franklin. Poynter is spearheading several collaborative programs focused on teaching journalists the skills and values needed to create journalism for emerging democracies around the world.

In June, Poynter will convene the first Global Fact-Checking Summit in London, which will bring together about 40 fact-checkers from places like South Africa, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, India, Egypt, the United States, South America and Eastern Europe. Last month, Poynter led a series of workshops for journalists in India. Poynter also has a strong working relationship with the European Journalism Centre, including training for Indonesian journalists, which was completed in the Fall of 2013.

"At this critical juncture, training for journalists has never been more important," said Howard Finberg, Director of Business Development for The Poynter Institute. "We are honored to work with the Media Association to extend Poynter's mission for improving journalism through this unparalleled initiative."

As part of this unique program, Poynter has created a NewsU Turkiye area on its multilingual site, NewsU International. The free Turkish-language courses join online modules in Arabic, Persian, Russian and Spanish that have been developed for journalists, journalism students, bloggers and everyone interested in improving their media skills.

"In an age where Internet and mobile technologies are heavily disrupting the traditional journalism models, this program will be a unique opportunity for everyone who wants to improve their journalistic skills," said Deniz ErgŸrel, Secretary General of the Turkish Media Association. "The Poynter Institute is one of the few distinguished journalism institutions in the world, and their expertise will be a valuable source for Turkish journalists."

The NewsU Turkiye "Improving Your Journalism" certificate is available to anyone who wants to improve their journalism skills and it includes these four free online courses:

• Social Media: Strategies and Tools for News
• Developing a Successful Journalistic Blog
• Introduction to Investigative Reporting
• Getting it Right: Accuracy and Verification in the Digital Age

The certificate is part of the Poynter Turkiye Journalism Fellowship program, which will bring up to 20 Turkish journalists to The Poynter Institute campus in St. Petersburg, Florida, for several days of training in October. Full and partial scholarships are available for journalists who wish to apply for the fellowship. To be eligible for the fellowship, applicants must earn the "Improving Your Journalism" certificate and complete an application about their current journalism work by July 1, 2014.

The program is also part of Poynter's strategy to greatly expand its training initiatives internationally. In June, Poynter will convene the first Global Fact-Checking Summit in London. Last month, Poynter led a series of workshops for journalists in India, http://www.poynterevents.org/poynter-india/. Poynter also has a strong working relationship with the European Journalism Centre, including a project for Indonesian journalists.

Poynter NewsU Turkiye is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State and has been supported by the U.S. Mission to Turkey. It represents part of an ongoing effort by the U.S. Mission to Turkey to support a free and independent media/press whose responsibilities include informing the public and providing platforms for open discussion of issues of public interest.

To learn more about the program, go to https://www.newsu.org/tr/newsu-turkiye.

About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is an international leader in journalism education, and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21^st century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and at conferences and organizational sites around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, www.newsu.org, offers the world's largest online journalism curriculum, with more than 400 interactive courses and 290,000 students. The Institute's website, www.poynter.org, produces 24-hour coverage of news about media, ethics, technology, the business of news and the trends that currently define and redefine journalism news reporting. The world's top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians and broadcast producers, and to build public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment and protected discourse that serves democracy and the public good.

About The Media Association
The Media Association is a non-profit organization that fosters, supports and directs elevation of the standards of the media for a more democratic society. It advocates freedom of expression, ethical values, diversity and honesty in the media. It believes in democracy as well as universal human rights and the rule of law.

CONTACT
Howard Finberg, Director of Business Development
The Poynter Institute 
[email protected]
@hif

Deniz ErgŸrel, Secretary General
Turkish Media Association
[email protected]   
@denizergurel

#PoynterTurkiye

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SOURCE The Poynter Institute