Training Local Journalists Paves the Way for Media Development in Jafarabad

Jafarabad – The Director of the Press House of Qom Province, stressing the need to develop local media in Jafarabad, announced this organization's readiness to train journalists and organize the county's news activists.

According to Mehr reporter, Fakhruddin Yusefpour, at the meeting of the Public Culture Council of Jafarabad city on Monday afternoon, referring to the role of the media in the current situation, stated: Today's confrontations are not limited to the military arena, and public opinion, society's perception, and people's mental peace are also exposed to media operations, therefore, strengthening professional media and increasing the capabilities of activists in this field is an undeniable necessity.

He added: According to the announced statistics, Qom province ranks first in the country with 711 media outlets licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and 59 media outlets per 100,000 people per capita, a capacity that doubles the media's responsibility in providing accurate information and reflecting people's demands, considering the cultural and religious status of Qom and the extent of its events.

The director of the Press House of Qom Province stated that the special religious and cultural position of this city has caused the media outside the country to unilaterally represent issues centered on Qom-phobia in some events, therefore, quick, transparent and documented information and explanation of the social and cultural realities of the province is of particular importance.

Yusefpour pointed out: Strengthening professional media, along with responding responsibly to people's demands, can provide the basis for accurate information transmission and realistic introduction of the province's capacities, and in this direction, training journalists and improving the ability to produce authentic content should be considered.

Explaining the capabilities of Qom Province press house, he said: This trade union organization has more than 300 members and in addition to participating in the public culture council, the information council and the press jury, it also works in the field of training and empowering journalists.

Yusufpour added: The responsibility of the news and media committee of the war media camp and the information committee of the energy optimization camp has also been entrusted to the press house, which shows the capacity of this group in organizing media and information activities.

The Director of Qom Province Press House announced his readiness to cooperate with the Public Culture Council, executive bodies and cultural institutions of Jafar Abad and stated: Identifying and organizing local media activists and creating a communication network between journalists, media managers and city officials is one of the proposed axes for the development of news activities in this region.

He listed the training of professional skills as one of the other areas of cooperation and added: holding courses in news writing, report writing, interviews, news photography and content production in the virtual space can help improve the quality of journalists' activities and increase the expertise of Jafar Abad media activists.

Media literacy is the way to deal with rumours

Emphasizing the necessity of expanding public education in the field of media, Yusefpour said: increasing people's ability to recognize fake news, identify rumors and responsible use of social networks should be part of the city's cultural programs.

He considered empowering the public relations of the executive bodies to be necessary and said: training in effective information methods, media response and constructive interaction with journalists can improve the relationship between the responsible bodies and the media.

The director of Qom Province Press House mentioned the introduction of Jafar Abad's capacities and issues as another priority and added: producing reports and media content about the capabilities, events and problems of the city can provide a better reflection of people's demands and strengthen two-way communication between citizens and officials.

He listed the establishment of the media and information working group of the city, the development of a three-month training program in cooperation with the press house of Qom province, and the holding of the first journalism and media literacy training workshop in Jafarabad as executive proposals for the start of these collaborations.

Yusefpour emphasized: Qom Province Press House is ready to participate in the training of local journalists and the development of media infrastructure in Jafarabad by transferring experience and providing specialized training, in order to provide a basis for improving the quality of information and introducing the capacities of the city.