This archive report was first published on 3 September 2021.
The Nation Media Group (NMG) has launched its ninth class of graduate trainees for the Media Lab programme in partnership with the Aga Khan University (AKU), on September 3, 2021.
Seventeen trainees from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania were selected to take part in the four-month course undertaken in collaboration with the AKU Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC).
The students, from various disciplines including law, criminology, and journalism, will undergo a rigorous training designed to produce all-round journalists who will be attached to the digital, print, and broadcast platforms of East and Central Africa's largest media house, NMG.
Speaking during the launch of the cohort at the new Aga Khan University Centre in Parklands, NMG Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Gitagama emphasized the need to fully embrace convergence journalism, where news is first broken on digital platforms for immediate consumption by online readers.
Mr. Gitagama also urged the trainees to create more content targeted at the majority (youth) and inject the youth agenda in their reportage.
NMG Editorial Director Mutuma Mathiu, using a biblical story, articulated the need for young professionals to have unique attributes like an eye for details and staying power, besides hard work, to excel in journalism.
The Media Lab is hosted at GSMC, which also offers the academic and technical input. GSMC Vice Provost Dr. Alex Awiti said the programme will offer the students hands-on training and a first-hand experience of the newsrooms.
Dr. Awiti also emphasized the importance of incorporating faculties other than just journalism in the newsroom to enhance specialized reporting.
Among the trainees are Agatha Gichana, who studied law at the University of Nairobi, and Dudley Muchiri, with a degree in criminology.
