The Journalism Hangout: What the participants are saying

The Journalism Hangout I started on May 3, 2019 has come to stay. Like a safe haven for journalists, participants discover camaraderie, they find warmth, inspiration and motivation to do more and better journalism.

As we share meals and drinks while we share knowledge, practical ways of doing and engaging in accountable, high impact journalism, a friendly atmosphere exuding trust, and a sense of dedication to the craft of journalism envelopes everyone present with a sense of power and the courage to stand up to be counted as we exchange ideas on how to improve our journalism.

The Journalism Hangout, which I started as a modest, cost effective and innovative idea to informally train other journalists is becoming more impactful than expected. The participants, including other professionals share their experiences and thoughts.

A Hangout with Mr. Dogbevi offers a complete package of modern journalism practice. You’ll gain motivation, experience, practical skills, and opportunities. I can’t afford to miss any of these sessions. – Emmanuel K Gyan.

We’ve had journalists from the state-owned and private media attending, from the Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, Ghana News Agency, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, TV3, JoyFM, Adom FM and CitiTV among others.

Ayishatu Zakaria Ali describes it as: “A life-changing experience that opened my eyes to new perspectives and equipped me with the tools to excel in my field. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to attend and to have made lasting connections with fellow professionals.”

For Emmanuel K Gyan of SkyFm, Sunyani, “a Hangout with Mr. Dogbevi offers a complete package of modern journalism practice. You’ll gain motivation, experience, practical skills, and opportunities. I can’t afford to miss any of these sessions,” he says.

“The experience has enriched my overall perspective in appreciating the huddles some have to jump just so they remain true to the calling. At the core of this forum is how journalists focused on promoting the public interest are bonding and creating a real sense of camaraderie. This can potentially be the catalyst for the change we all crave for.” Rabiu Alhassan.

Kwabena Oppong Kyekyeku on NewsHunterMag.com who was part of the session in Sunyani says, “For some years

now, I have been hoping to meet Ghana’s veteran journalist, writer and media trainer –

Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, so it was a good opportunity to have a one-on-one encounter with him as he was travelling to my home region, Bono. Who wouldn’t want to hangout with the 2022 Christopher J. Welles Prize winner? It was also an opportunity for me to reconnect with my colleague journalists in Sunyani since I have been away for some time. Apart from listening to him keenly, I was also happy to share my experience and observations in this field with my revered colleagues.”

 

Rabiu Alhassan of Fact-Check West Africa who attended the event in Accra in June had this to say: “I joined The Journalism Hangout to engage with other journalists, sharing my unique experiences on the job, and listening to the many different encounters others have had working on important stories. The experience has enriched my overall perspective in appreciating the huddles some have to jump just so they remain true to the calling. At the core of this forum is how journalists focused on promoting the public interest are bonding and creating a real sense of camaraderie. This can potentially be the catalyst for the change we all crave for.”

 “I met Emmanuel Dogbevi nearly ten years ago at a training programme organised by NewsBridge Africa. I must say, he charmed me immediately with his style, when he took his turn as a facilitator. During the programme, I developed new perspectives on news writing and pitching. We later had a journalism hangout in Tamale. I must say, I always make it a point to join Mr. Dogbevi’s journalism Hangouts anytime I get the opportunity, because you will always learn something new,” says Murtala Issifu of GBC.

“The Hangout was beneficial and provided an angle of storytelling I hadn’t considered. For example, you mentioned that if a story is trending and is on every media platform, you can still focus on that story from a different angle i.e by sharing new information all the other articles have missed or focusing on subtle and hidden aspects of the story. You also hammered on the importance of verification in journalism,” says author Princess Umul Hatiyya Ibrahim Mahama.

By Emmanuel K Dogbevi

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