Australia Embassy Holds Journalism Training In Makassar

Jakarta, March 15 (Antara) - The Australian Embassy in Indonesia held a journalism workshop for journalists from across Eastern Indonesia supported by the Australian Government and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Friday. "We`re proud to support media training, especially seeing the Indonesian media helping itself to improve standards and meet the challenges of maintaining accurate, balanced and ethical reporting," said Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty in a press release here on Friday. More than 50 journalists joined the professional journalism training and would undergo competency testing during a workshop. "A professional, ethical media is an important part of any democracy," said Moriarty. The participants were consisting of journalist from online, print, television and radio media, and are based in Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Maluku, Bali, NTT, NTB and Papua. They will attend a two-day workshop and competency test on ethics in media and journalism. "Here in Indonesia, the world`s third-largest democracy, the robust and dynamic media plays a crucial role in keeping people informed," Moriarty added. Indonesian journalists are encouraged to undertake a competency test, introduced by the Indonesian Press Council in 2011, in order to ensure they are credible, ethical and produce high-quality reporting. The testing covers three different stages of a journalist�s career, and examines knowledge, awareness and skills. Journalists who pass the test with a minimum score of 70 per cent are declared competent, and their names published online. The Alliance of Independent Journalists has been appointed as one of the five journalism institutions able to conduct competency training. The Australian Government aid agency, AusAID is helping to fund this week`s workshop.