During the upcoming couple of weeks the students of the 2015/16 class will research and write exhaustive well-organized clear pieces on topical socio-demographic issues at the course on journalism about population. The module is taught for the first time at SAJ; it is the result of the collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

 

The course on journalism about population aims at teaching the students general notions about demography and relevant terminology, as well as pass the knowledge that would educate journalists that are capable of writing texts, analyzing problems and promoting sound universal principles and values. The course will focus on key terms, such as human development, life quality, natural growth, active aging, population health etc.

'The students will learn how to write about population at this course. They will cover general topics, as well as simple cases, focusing on people and human rights. This course was conceived as a supplement to the other specialized courses taught at SAJ. It will provide background information to be used by the students to cover topics at other courses, particularly the economic journalism course and the social journalism course,' specified Vitalie Dogaru, the trainer.

The social and demographic topics are a continuous source of inspiration to journalists. However, their public agenda is not exhaustive. More improvements are needed to this end.

'It is important that the media report on the problems of population. The way the journalists report these issues to the audience may influence both state policy and the behavior and attitude of the people. Therefore, it is crucial to cover such topics accurately and lay focus on people. This is the reason why the UNFPA has expressed desire to contribute to the development of the journalists' skills in using data concerning the population of Moldova. The course on journalism about population is meant as support to our interests. Thus, several generations of journalists will be taught and eventually bring about change by communicating on these topics,' stated Natalia Cojohari, acting UNFPA Representative in Moldova, at the meeting with SAJ students.

The course was developed with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Moldova and does not necessarily reflect the views of the UNFPA, the United Nations or any affiliated organizations.