News Digital Media Viability Lab

New Digital Tools and Media

Digital technology has give us new tools and open source software to promote content, but there are still some journalists who are not knowledgeable about these tools and programs.

Trainer in new media, Roula Frahat, says that journalists are not aware of digital tools, and that mainstream media doesn’t provide them with enough time to seek relevant training; journalists are always occupied with their daily tasks.

While media suffers from the lack of innovative content, many large companies are supporting new content through providing digital tools. According to the International Center for Journalists in the Middle East and Africa, Madona Khafaja, “digital media tools are many, and every day there is a new tool, large companies are working today to facilitate the work, and there are tools for producing videos and drawing plans like Adobe Spark, Google My Maps, and others.”

There is a gap between the availability of tools provided by large companies and the knowledge of journalists, thus additional efforts are required from companies, media institutions and specialized associations to improve the digital skills of journalists.

According to Khafaja, large companies should work with journalists in different sectors to bridge the gap between journalists and technicians, which can create a common ground and help present media content in best ways possible.

Farhat adds that companies should promote the digital media tools (making their use free is always a good way to encourage journalists to use them) in addition to continuous training programs in this regard.