In line with the efforts aimed to hone the skills of local digital media, the Government of Dubai Media Office and Google have launched an initiative to train the media sector and provide hand-on experiences and support through workshops to media personalities.

The announcement came during the second day of the 14th edition of Arab Media Forum. The two entities revealed that the training program will include a series of workshops in the UAE throughout the year, delivered by top trainers and product specialists at Google. This program is to cater for journalists, editors and producers across print, online and broadcast media. The objective of the initiative is to train media across areas like research, visualising data and engaging with audiences.

On the collaboration, Chairperson of the Organising Committee of AMF and President of Dubai Press Club Mona Al Marri, expressed her appreciation to Google and the technologies offered to contribute to revolutionising data acquisition. "We are happy to cooperate with such a prominent organisation as Google and hope that through this collaboration media cadres would benefit from training on latest technologies so as to keep abreast with the rapid digital shifts.

For her part Head of Communication for Google in MENA Joyce Baz said: "Around the world, we have collaborated with journalists, entrepreneurs, innovative and influential news organisations to help support a sustainable news ecosystem and promote innovation in digital journalism. We are very happy to continue our partnership with the Government of Dubai Media Office and want to maximise the huge opportunities of the web in creating great journalism in the UAE."

These workshops will provide an overview on how maps can help journalists tell their story in a compelling and visual way, as well as offer advanced Google Geo tools and features such as APIs which will enable trainees to create Web-based Google charts. Trainees will also learn how to visualise data using Google Maps, the program intends to guide through all the resources Google offers to journalists.
Source: WAM