In conjunction with the Bulan Akademia 2019, UTAR Faculty of Arts and Social Science’s (FAS) Department of Journalism successfully organised a “Mobile Journalism Workshop 1.0 2019” at Kampar Campus on 23 October 2019.

Themed ‘Future of News’, the workshop also known as #MOJO 1.0 2019 aimed at enlightening young students specifically the Journalism students on how technology has changed journalism in the current era. The workshop was participated by more than 70 participants comprising foundation and undergraduate students from UTAR, Quest International Universiti Perak and Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

The four-hour workshop shed light on topics such as mobile journalism and its challenges, data journalism, how do social media impact the news, how do social media affect newsroom operations in reporting an event, how social media affect the way journalists receive, gather and distribute news and what does it mean for the future of news.

The #MOJO 1.0 2019 was divided into three main talk sessions and the sessions were conducted by experts from the field of journalism, namely BERNAMA Journalist Muhammad Azim bin Zaif, The Star Online News Editor Philip Golingai and Data Journalist Kuek Ser Kuang.

Present to grace the opening ceremony of #MOJO 1.0 2019 was the Dean of FAS Dr Lee Lai Meng. In her speech, Dr Lee mentioned that mobile reporting is a compulsory course for every first-year journalism students in FAS. She also said that the students are taught on how to record, edit and produce images, videos, audio and graphic images that can be uploaded immediately into various websites and social media platforms for the purpose of disseminating information to the people.

She enthused, “UTAR perhaps is the first university in Malaysia to incorporate Drone Journalism in journalism courses such as Multimedia Content Production 1 & 2, Digital Photography and Broadcast Journalism. This shows the commitment of the department, faculty and university in producing journalism students with ‘MOJO Mindset’ without comprising the journalism ethics and standard.”

The workshop kick-started with the first talk by the BERNAMA Journalist Muhammad Azim on “Mobile Journalism: The Challenges”. In his talk he emphasised, “Journalism has undergone a major transformation and benefited as a result of multiple technological innovations over the last ten years. This advancement demands that traditional journalism adapts to constant change so media can meet the audiences’ expectations, specifically in terms of credibility and timing.”  He also explained that the journalists now are empowered to cover almost any story in a timely and safer manner. One of the most notable advantages of mobile journalism is that it enables the journalist to overcome frequent challenges and barriers, often strengthening freedom of speech and access to information. He also shared his mobile journalism experiences in covering various news.

It was then followed by the talk by The Star Online News Editor Philip on “From Amateur Video to MOJO”. Philip explained, “With smartphones in their back pockets, journalists no longer have to worry about setting up cables, connections, large cameras or satellite transmissions. They can go almost unnoticed. Mobile journalism has additional advantages, aside from increased mobility and access. The development of highly sophisticated cameras, apps and add-on equipment allow journalists to explore their creativity and use their smartphones not only in crisis or high-risk situations, but also to consistently deliver broadcast-quality news-pieces to the audience, such as feature stories and documentary films.” He added, “The key to success in mobile journalism is training. Mobile journalists have the skills to complete the whole process of news production in the field: from newsgathering to publishing and broadcasting.”

Last but not least, another talk on “What is Data Journalism?” was also delivered by Data Journalist Kuek. In his talk, he explained that the ‘data’ and ‘journalism’ are troublesome terms. Some people think of ‘data’ as any collection of numbers, most likely gathered on a spreadsheet. He stressed, “Twenty years ago, that was pretty much the only sort of data that journalists dealt with. But we live in a digital world now, a world in which almost anything can be and almost everything is described with numbers. Sometimes, it’s about presenting the data in a new, useful way by creating visual aids that explain the impact of dry statistics.” He also believed that many newsrooms are moving towards ‘data journalist newsroom’ and assured that data journalism is the journalism of the future.

The workshop summarised that the web has changed the world and transformed how information is published and consumed. The impact of the web has spread so wide that it affects almost everything in the world including the media. The workshop came to an end with a lively Q&A session and a souvenir presentation to the speakers.