Pure players hone their online writing skills in Dakar

Forming part of the Naila project, this first training session in online writing and surveying techniques was held to hone the skills of the participants and help them to adapt their writing to the specific characteristics of the internet and produce cross-border surveys.

For the journalists and chief editors from the 11 beneficiary media outlets, the session above all gave them the opportunity to acquire the tools they needed to 'flesh out' information and present it as news: knowing how to produce recaps and 'listicles' (articles in the form of lists), devise and enhance newsletters, and reuse fellow journalists' information through the so-called 'intelligent cuckoo' technique.
These were just some of the many practical tools that were directly implemented during the session. The spotlight was also placed on hypothetical reporting and investigative techniques, in order to encourage the media outlets to conduct surveys on cross-cutting topics developed in synergy.

Every media outlet also received a customised consultation meeting with the trainer. The aim was to come up with a brief diagnosis for each website and to show everyone the strengths and weaknesses, and above all what improvements could be made. The recommendations related not only to content but also to layout, in order to make the websites more attractive to readers and more professional from an editorial perspective.

This workshop allowed us to find out more about the tools, techniques and professional practices capable of improving the quality and diversity of the content of our up-and-coming media outlets in French-speaking Africa. The training was carried out in a friendly atmosphere, and taught me a great deal – I've certainly come out of it a stronger journalist!
Olivier Ribouis, Banouto.info, Bénin

A second session will take place in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), from 5 to 15 March 2018.