Press Releases
Radio Tanzania Zanzibar Producer off to U.S. for study tour
July 13, 2007
Senior announcer and producer with Radio Tanzania Zanzibar, Hasina Hamad Shehe, has been selected to participate in a two-week programme on Radio Broadcasting in the United States, from July 16-27, 2007. This is part of the International Visitors Leadership Program run by the U.S. Department of State.
Shehe will join 19 other broadcasters from African countries including Angola, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, and Uganda.
The goals of the project are to promote a better understanding of the history, structure, and functions of broadcasting in the U.S.; to address the influence of radio in promoting an informed citizenry within a diverse, democratic, and decentralized society; to examine the role of radio communications in the U.S. in protecting democratic institutions and in promoting community development; and to explain philosophical and legal commitments to the freedom of expression and the influence of these commitments on U.S. communication policies.
Participants will visit Washington, DC; Tulsa, Philadelphia; and New Orleans. They will begin the tour with an introduction to the basic structure of the radio industry in the U.S., and to the potential radio holds as a tool for civic education in a democratic society. They will also examine the broad concepts of broadcasting regulations, media responsibility, press freedom and first amendment rights, journalistic standards and ethics.
They will also visit a variety of radio and TV outlets such as the Federal Communications Commission to explore issues related to the regulation of radio broadcasting and the National Association of Broadcasters to examine the trade association that promotes and protects the interests of radio and television broadcasters in Washington and around the world.
Arrangements have been made for the group to visit Howard University’s Department of Radio, Television and Film to review its interdisciplinary, student-oriented focus with a unique vision for teaching audio and visual media production, telecommunications management and critical studies. The group will also visit the Voice of America which is funded by the U.S. Government.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the group will examine the range of services radio can offer in rural communities, with a special focus on how it is used by those involved in agriculture. Participants will also meet with print and television journalists to explore the relationship between various media outlets in the U.S.
In New Orleans, the group will participate in a hands-on workshop on investigative journalism and computer assisted reporting. They will also meet with the press secretary of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who will address Hurricane Katrina and the role media played during the storm to inform citizens and afterwards, to raise public awareness and maintain government accountability after this natural disaster.
Shehe said as a journalist from the developing country, this tour gives me a chance to get better understanding of the U.S. Broadcasting System and its structure. “I will learn more on news gathering, interviewing techniques and Radio Production at large,” she said.