Ezulwini- Local journalists have been challenged to move beyond traditional reporting and produce stories that emotionally connect with audiences and inspire action on critical social and developmental issues.
The workshop, which was hosted by the Central Bank of Eswatini in partnership with the Alliance for Financial Inclusion at the CBE Complex in Ezulwini yesterday, focused on equipping media practitioners with video and multimedia storytelling techniques for improved reporting on social, developmental and environmental issues.
Facilitating the sessions Dougal Thomson, stressed that impactful journalism should do more than merely relay information.
“We want to create stories that have emotional content that make people care about the issue,” said Thomson. “It is possible to achieve that through effective storytelling by using video, music and producing content that people will react to and respond to, he added.
Thomson said modern journalism requires reporters to adapt to changing media consumption trends by embracing multimedia platforms such as podcasts, social media videos and digital storytelling formats.
Additionally, the training also focused on how journalists can build compelling narratives, conduct meaningful interviews and create engaging content capable of reaching wider audiences across different platforms.
Beyond storytelling techniques, discussions during the workshop also touched on financial inclusion initiatives aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs and improving access to financial services.
According to Thomson, countries across the globe are increasingly collaborating through the AFI to strengthen systems that support women-led businesses and economic participation.
“There are a lot of initiatives looking at women’s financial inclusion to support women entrepreneurs and make it easier for them to access financial services and credit,” he said.
One of the attendees, Thamsanqa from Agribusiness Media, said the training exposed journalists to practical ways of improving storytelling in the media industry.
“The workshop enlightened me on impact storytelling and I gained tips on how to engage interviews and how to capture good content,” he said. “This will contribute so much to the media space because practitioners are now well versed on how to capture good and impactful content,” he stated.
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