Fruits of College of Journalism training can be seen on video

Feedback on CoJo's Essentials of BBC Journalism DVD has been arriving from all over the world. And there are already practical results to show for it. Training based on the DVD has been offered by BBC World Service instructors in India, Nigeria, Syria and Lebanon. 

In Lebanon, the trainer Maha Taki used the DVD in a session on the art of storytelling and film-making. "We used a short film by Ramaa Sharma," says Maha. "The film gives the basic information on how to shoot a film on a small Flip camera or mobile phone and the workshop participants, who have had very little or virtually no previous filming experience, learned a lot."

After the workshop, the students went on to use their new filmmaking skills. The result is a series of short films about being a domestic worker in Lebanon.

One example is this film by Abbas Ahmad (below) shot on a mobile phone. It shows the plight of a Sudanese worker in Lebanon. 

The film was the result of collaboration between the BBC World Service Trust and a local Lebanese production company, Batoota Films. They have produced an Arabic language web series called Shankaboot, aimed at audiences across the Arab world but primarily focused on the lives and aspirations of young people in Lebanon.

The College of Journalism DVD gives all BBC international reporters and stringers the opportunity to improve their journalism skills and knowledge, particularly where access to the this website is difficult.



Some of the key modules have been translated into 21 languages, and the DVD also has English language modules (including a guide to pronunciation) for journalists who want to improve their English.