The African Centre for Media Excellence is conducting a series of training workshops for Ugandan journalists on numeracy, “Numbers and the News.” The series of one-day and half-day workshops, fully funded by the Washington-based non-profit, Population Reference Bureau (PRB), are meant for editors and journalists who report on business, development issues such as health, education, as well as politics and governance.

Reporting about numbers remains a major challenge in Ugandan newsrooms. This is not a peculiarly Ugandan problem. The challenge of numeracy in the newsroom has been well documented. Writing about this veteran American journalist Jack Hart once said: “In the grand scheme of things, most journalists rank numbers somewhere below cockroaches. If the truth be told, a good number of us chose journalism as a college major because it allowed us to avoid math courses.”

Whatever the causes of the problem, our news media commit “crimes of numbers” almost on a daily basis. The categories of the “crimes” vary from computing percentages wrongly, presenting wrong conversions, through getting multiplications or divisions wrong. Some journalists get the numbers right, but the reader would require a Ph.D in economics or statistics to make sense of them. Their writing is simply not accessible and is often devoid of context. Others avoid numbers altogether, making it difficult for their audiences to make comparisons or understand claims, for instance, of increases or decreases in all manner of areas.

Journalists can’t simply give up on numbers. They can’t run away from numbers. Much of what they report is based on numbers. Election results, government budgets, corruption scandals, economic forecasts, environmental degradation forecasts, population growth, unemployment figures, food shortages, oil prices, name it. The news is full of numbers. Through newsroom and  workshop-based training, journalists can improve their skills in reporting about numbers.

The training covers the following areas:
• A mathematics competence test
• A review of the use of numbers on different media platforms
• Some basic math/statistical concepts [Percentages, percentiles, means, medians, ratios, fractions,
cross tabulations, graphs and charts, etc]
• Conceptualising stories based on numbers
• Writing with and about numbers

How to Apply

If you are interested in attending the “Numbers and the News” Workshops, please send your details (Name, Media House, Designation) to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 0782508992 for more information.

Are you a journalist in Uganda reporting on business, development issues such as health, educ, politics & governance?

ACME in partnership with Population Reference Bureau is conducting a training workshop on “Numbers and the News” on June 23.

If you are interested, send details (Media House, position, Tel no) to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Upcountry journalists are also welcome.

DEADLINE: JUNE 17. Limited spaces available.

Start date: 19 Sep 2011 | End date: 23 Sep 2011
Location: London, United Kingdom
Language: English
Application deadline: 08 Jul 2011

This five day training course teaches creative approaches to producing TV news stories. Subjects include research, writing for TV, camera work and editing. Lectures are supported by practical exercises and video examples. The class is run by senior Reuters television journalists.

Eligibility:

Applicants must be broadcast journalists and currently working as a  journalist or regular contributor to broadcast media organisations. Applicants must be able to demonstrate a commitment to a career in journalism in their country, must have at least two years’ professional experience and have a good level in spoken and written English. If you have been on a Thomson Reuters Foundation training programme within the last two years you will not be eligible to apply.
Funding:

Thomson Reuters Foundation offers:

Full bursaries for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition working for organisations with no resources for training. Bursaries would include travel expenses (economy class), accommodation and a modest contribution towards living allowance. This arrangement is subject to variation.

Part-funded bursaries are available for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition who work for organisations that have limited resources for training, in this instance Thomson Reuters Foundation waives the tuition cost and you will be expected to cover travel and accommodation costs. In exceptional circumstances journalists from the developed world will be considered for part-funded bursaries.

Non-funded - Thomson Reuters Foundation also offers training for journalists from any region from an organisation that has the resources to fully cover the following costs of the programme: tuition fees: £200 per day (£1000 for a 5-day London course), travel and accommodation costs and living expenses. If necessary Thomson Reuters Foundation can provide a list of hotels for participants who require accommodation in London. If you have any questions please email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Submissions:
A biography of up to 250 words outlining your career.
Two recent examples of your published work, preferably relevant to the course for which you are applying, with a brief summary in English (if necessary). TV/Radio journalists can send in their scripts and a brief summary.
A statement of between 250-500 words describing any experiences you have had in presenting television/radio programmes, reporting, script writing, producing/video-editing. Explain how you hope to benefit from the course for which you are applying.

Click here for information on how to apply

The Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley is pleased to invite applications for a yearlong fellowship to be awarded to two experienced East African journalists for the 2011-2012 academic year. The fellowships will each total $35,000, including round trip airfare, professional stipends, and accommodations at the International House on the UC Berkeley campus.

The selected fellows will join the School’s Visiting International Scholars Program and participate in a journalism training initiative aimed to provide high quality coverage of public health and medical issues in Africa for dissemination in U.S., African, and international media. The initiative will also offer dedicated funding for both domestic and Africa travel for research and reporting work.

Requirements: Selected fellows must bring at least five-years of experience in journalism in East Africa, defined here as Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, in any medium, including newspaper, magazine, television, radio, documentary, or new media format such as blogging, podcasting, and other online publishing. Their work must demonstrate a track record of commitment to telling truthful stories, and a willingness to investigate the many public health and medical problems facing their populations. At minimum, a bachelor’s degree is strongly desired, along with experience and knowledge about local and regional public health issues.

Selected African fellows will be expected to participate in a semester-long class on covering public health issues in East Africa, including sharing their own knowledge and experience of Africa and journalism. They will also be expected to enroll in at least two public health courses and will have the option of attending other journalism classes of their choice. Once back home in Africa, they will be expected to engage in some form of peer outreach to other health journalists.

The deadline is Friday, 3 June 2011. We appreciate that the turn-around is rapid.

Please submit applications via the online form.

To access the form, use the password: africa2011

The online form provides spaces to include your resume, a one-page cover letter containing a statement of interest, and links to three examples of work.

For questions, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This opportunity is part of a grant provided by the Ford Foundation to the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley.

The Nation Media Group (NMG), East Africa’s biggest media organisation, has decided to hire a specialist to “enforce numerical accuracy” in response to a common problem in journalism—innumeracy.

“Our readers and television viewers have raised concern at the frequent inaccuracy of figures carried in NMG stories,” Joseph Odindo, the Editorial Director, wrote to the Group’s Kenyan newsrooms early this month. “We often get calculations wrong, undermining the credibility of the stories we publish.”

He said a specialist would be posted to the main newsroom floor “with immediate effect” to “cross-check figures and calculations in stories and ensure they are correct”.

In a major addition to the group’s editorial policy, sub-editors and managing editors will now be required to “refer numbers-laden stories” to the specialist for a “final check”.

I spoke to Odindo, a friend who I worked with closely when I was training editor at NMG, about the new development.
What causes this numeracy problem? “May be it’s the case that language competence grows in inverse proportion to our numeracy skills,” he joked. “May be the two are mutually exclusive.”

We had a good laugh over that.  But I forgot to tell him that our language competencies have also been attacked.

“On a serious note,” Odindo said, “it could be that people who end up in journalism are by nature not inclined to numbers.”

How big a problem is it?

“It’s a serious problem,” Odindo said.

Would hiring a specialist to “enforce numerical accuracy” fix the problem?

“It’s a short-term solution,” he said. “First of all we must do something about our gate-keeping”—which he admitted had slackened in recent years all over the world partly as a result of technological advancements and the growth of 24/7 news.

“But we must also help the individuals through providing them with training on ‘numbers for journalists,’” he added.

It is great that NMG acknowledges the problem of innumeracy in its newsrooms and that the group’s managers are doing something about it. In fact they should extend the same attention to Kampala and Dar es Salaam. NMG owns the Daily Nation, Business Daily, Taifa Leo, NTV, and Easy FM in Kenya; the Monitor, NTV, and KFM in Uganda; and Mwananchi Publications (publishers of The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers) in Tanzania. NMG also owns and publishes the regional newspaper, The East African.

Reporting about numbers is not a peculiarly East African problem. The challenge of innumeracy in the newsroom has been well documented. Writing about it, veteran American journalist Jack Hart once said: “In the grand scheme of things, most journalists rank numbers somewhere below cockroaches.” He added: “If the truth be told, a good number of us chose journalism as a college major because it allowed us to avoid math courses.”

Whatever the causes of the problem, our news media commit “crimes of numbers” almost on a daily basis. The categories of the “crimes” vary from computing percentages wrongly, presenting wrong conversions, through getting multiplications or divisions wrong.

A few months ago, a Ugandan newspaper reported about proposed electricity tariffs and said consumers would be required to pay 15 per cent more. I took out a calculator and using the same figures found out that the increase would in fact be 20 per cent. The same newspaper had earlier given David Beckham’s Bentley a value 10 times higher because the reporter (or sub-editor) got the conversion from the pound to the shilling wrong.  More recently another newspaper reported that “as of June 2010, illicit government borrowings from Bank of Uganda increased during the period by 25.8 per cent from Shs.25 trillion to Shs.3.1 trillion” (just in case you’re numerically challenged, note that a movement from 25 trillion to 3.1 trillion can’t be an increase. Note also that even if we assumed that the 3.1 trillion was a typo and the actual figure should have been 31 trillion this would suggest an increase of 24 per cent, not 25.8 per cent).

Some journalists get the numbers right, but the reader would require a Ph.D in economics or statistics to make sense of them. Their writing is simply not accessible and is often devoid of context. Others avoid numbers altogether, making it difficult for their audiences to make comparisons or understand claims, for instance, of increases or decreases in all manner of areas.

Yet, journalists can’t run away from numbers. Much of what they report is based on numbers. Election results, government budgets, corruption scandals, economic forecasts, environmental degradation forecasts, population growth, unemployment figures, food shortages, oil prices, name it. The news is full of numbers.

And that’s why Odindo is right. Hiring a specialist to cross-check stories for numerical accuracy is a stop-gap measure. One long-term solution would be newsroom and workshop-based training coupled with a sustained engagement between reporters and their editors on their attitudes towards numbers. Journalists don’t have to be or become mathematical geniuses, but they can and should improve their skills in reporting about numbers.

The African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), which I head, recognises the problem of innumeracy in the newsroom and we have included a module on “numbers and the news” in most of our training for journalists. A few months ago, the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) gave us financial support to extend this training to more journalists, especially those who report on health and development issues.

We kicked off the training in April with a workshop for senior editors. We were worried that if we invited only 15 editors as our budget required, we would get only eight. So we invited 25. They all showed up—on a rainy Kampala morning.

By the end of the training, we didn’t have to sell to them the idea of encouraging their reporters to attend the training. In fact, the editors recommended we increase the duration of the workshop from a day to two at the very minimum.

Then they nominated their reporters for the next training in May. We literally begged a half of the number we had invited to turn up. And about a half of them came late.

Our reward was the positive feedback from the keen reporters.  They want to come back for more training on numbers. And they want their copy editors to come along too.

***
To learn more about ACME’s News and Numbers workshops, click here
***

About the Author: Dr. Peter Mwesige is Executive Director of the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME). He has chaired the department of journalism and communication at Makerere University and is a former Executive Editor of the Monitor in Kampala.

From now until August 1, 2011 applications are being accepted from print and online journalists for the 2012 Alfred Friendly and Daniel Pearl Fellowships. Successful candidates will report for American newspapers from March-August 2012.

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM:

In the conviction that a strong, free press is essential to the healthy functioning of a democracy, the late Alfred Friendly, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and former managing editor of The Washington Post, conceived a fellowship program that would both impart American journalistic traditions and respond to worldwide interest in the dissemination of fair and accurate news. It was Alfred Friendly's belief that working side by side with reporters and editors is the best way to absorb the practical realities of journalism in this country and the instrumental role it plays in our society. Therefore, he created the program that bears his name to immerse approximately ten journalists each year for six months in American newsrooms. Since 1984 the ALFRED FRIENDLY PRESS FELLOWSHIPS (AFPF) has trained nearly 300 journalists from almost 80 countries.

In addition to the six month newsroom experience, the program works closely with home and host news organizations to create specific plans for the Fellows; offers specialized fellowships by topic (business, health, investigations, online, etc.) and region (Muslim world); and introduces Fellows to what is new and unique in American newsgathering and delivery. Our goal is to increase the level of effectiveness and excellence of the AFPF program in the 21st century and to broaden the impact of the program on countries that are working to understand press freedom.

The fellowship program begins in March with a two-week orientation seminar in Washington, DC designed to prepare the Fellows -- both personally and professionally -- for the challenges of living and working in the United States. At the middle of the program, Fellows and staff come together for a week to attend seminars focused on writing, editing, multimedia reporting and investigative reporting/Computer Assisted Reporting. A final seminar in Washington reunites the Fellows and allows them to compare and evaluate their experiences and discuss their impressions of the American media. Fellows return to their home countries in early September to begin sharing their knowledge and skills with colleagues, editors and publishers in their home newsrooms.

The Fellowship covers all costs of program-related international and domestic U.S. travel, health insurance and provides a monthly stipend to cover basic living expenses. It is highly recommended that Fellows bring additional money with them. While family members may visit for up to one month, they cannot accompany the Fellow for the duration of the Fellowship.

The application forms are available here http://www.pressfellowships.org/application.html.

When: July 4

Where: ACME Training Centre, Bunga

Time: 8:30am- 4:30pm

The African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) is conducting a series of training workshops for Ugandan journalists on numeracy, “Numbers and the News.”

The series of one-day workshops, fully funded by the Washington-based non-profit,  Population Reference Bureau (PRB), are meant for editors and journalists who report on business, development issues such as health, education, as well as politics and governance.

The workshops are designed to strengthen reporters’ and editors’ basic newsroom math skills, such as calculating percentages and working with decimals; comparing numbers meaningfully; reading and understanding charts and graphs; conceptualizing stories based on numbers; and translating numbers so they are comprehensible to the average reader, viewer, or listener.

We are pleased to announce July 4 as the date for the next “Numbers and the News.” workshops at our training centre in Bunga.

If you would like to take part in the training, send your details to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Start date: 26 Sep 2011 | End date: 30 Sep 2011
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Language: English
Application deadline: 15 Aug 2011

This course is designed to help journalists in East Africa to strengthen their reporting on financial and economic topics by developing their understanding and skills. “Learning by doing” is a core part of the programme, which includes practical exercises and live reporting. The course also focuses on improving coverage of national and international financial issues through detailed briefings, presentations by guest speakers and, where appropriate, a reporting visit to a financial institution. In-depth discussions will explore ways of tackling subjects such as resource exploitation, economic governance and capital flight from developing countries.

Eligibility:

For this Thomson Reuters Foundation programme applicants must be business journalists in Eastern Africa and currently working as a journalists or regular contributors to print, broadcast or online media organisations. They must be able to demonstrate a commitment to a career in journalism in their country must have at least two years’ professional experience and have a good level in spoken and written English.
Funding:

Thomson Reuters Foundation offers bursaries for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition working for organisations with no resources for training. Bursaries would include economy class travel expenses, transfers and accommodation. This arrangement is subject to variation.

Submissions:

• A biography of up to 250 words outlining your career.

• A submission of 250-400 words on "an aspect of global finance which has a direct impact on your national economy and which you believe is under-reported or insufficiently understood."

• Two recent examples of your published work, preferably relevant to the course for which you are applying, with a brief summary in English (if necessary). TV/Radio journalists can send in their scripts and a brief summary.

Click here to apply

Start date: 12 Dec 2011 | End date: 16 Dec 2011
Location: London, United Kingdom
Language: English
Application deadline: 01 Sep 2011

This course is designed to assist journalists in combating corruption in all its forms. It offers sessions on defining and recognizing corruption and writing media campaigns on the subject.

What the course aims to achieve:

1. Define and describe common forms of corruption and the media commitment to redress this to increase public good
2. Improve critical thinking, including an ethical, objective approach to investigations
3. Explain in depth a range of financial documents, including government budgets, and published corporate accounts
4. Offer practical advice on how to uncover and report corruption using investigative journalism techniques
5. Deepen awareness of potential legal issues
6. Set guidelines for high-impact news, features and opinion writing.

Eligibility:

All applicants for Thomson Reuters Foundation training courses must currently be working as journalists or regular contributors to broadcast media organisations. They must be able to demonstrate a commitment to a career in journalism in their country, must have at least two years’ professional experience and have a good level in spoken and written English. If you have been on a Thomson Reuters Foundation training programme within the last two years you will not be eligible to apply.
Funding:

Thomson Reuters Foundation offers:

full bursaries for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition working for organisations with no resources for training. Bursaries would include air travel expenses (economy class), accommodation and a modest living allowance. This arrangement is subject to variation.

Part-funded bursaries are available for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition who work for organisations that have limited resources for training, in this instance Thomson Reuters Foundation waives the tuition cost and the participant will be expected to cover travel and accommodation costs. In exceptional circumstances journalists from the developed world will be considered for part-funded bursaries.

Thomson Reuters Foundation also offers training for journalists from any region from an organisation that has the resources to fully cover the following costs of the programme: tuition fees: £200 per day (£1000 for a 5-day London course), travel and accommodation costs and living expenses.Thomson Reuters Foundation would provide a list of hotels for participants who require accommodation in London. If you have any questions please email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Submissions:

• A biography of up to 250 words outlining your career.

• Two recent examples of your published work, preferably relevant to the course for which you are applying, with a brief summary in English (if necessary). TV/Radio journalists can send in their scripts and a brief summary.

• A statement of between 250 and 500 words describing any factors affecting your work as a journalist. Explain how you hope to benefit from the course for which you are applying

Click here for more information on how to apply

Start date: 31 Oct 2011 | End date: 04 Nov 2011
Location: London, United Kingdom
Language: English
Application deadline: 25 Aug 2011

Training is multimedia based, with examples from all branches of media with a combination of exercises and group discussions.

Eligibility:

Journalists from the developing world with a minimum of two years experience with a general news or specialist reporting background wanting to gain new online skills to help them work smarter. No prior technical skills required.

Funding:

Full bursaries for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition working for organisations with no resources for training. Bursaries would include return air travel (economy class), accommodation and a modest living allowance. This arrangement is subject to variation.

Part-funded bursaries are available for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition who work for organisations that have limited resources for training, in this instance Thomson Reuters Foundation waives the tuition cost. Participants will be expected to cover air travel and accommodation costs.  In exceptional circumstances journalists from the developed world will be considered for part-funded bursaries.

Non-funded - Thomson Reuters Foundation also offers training for journalists from any region from an organisation that has the resources to fully cover the following costs of the programme: tuition fees: £200 per day (£1000 for a 5-day London course), also travel and accommodation costs and living expenses. If necessary, Thomson Reuters Foundation can provide a list of hotels for participants who require accommodation in London. If you have any questions please email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Submissions:

• A biography of up to 250 words outlining your career.
• A statement of between 250 and 500 words describing any factors affecting your work as a journalist. Explain how you hope to benefit from the course for which you are applying.
• Two recent examples of your published work, preferably relevant to the course for which you are applying, with a brief summary in English (if necessary). TV/Radio journalists can send in their scripts and a brief summary.