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 Travel Writers' Resources | September 2007 
AFP Launches Worldwide Training Foundation
 Agence France-Presse
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Agence France-Presse opened a new dimension in its services Thursday with the formal launch of the AFP Foundation to promote higher standards of journalism worldwide.
The Paris-based foundation will train journalists in developing countries, conduct press-relations workshops for humanitarian groups, provide curricula to high schools and universities, and organize seminars on issues facing the media.
It will offer services in English, French, Arabic and Spanish, drawing on the considerable resources of AFP, the world's oldest established news agency with correspondents and photographers in 165 countries.
"The AFP Foundation is an extension of our basic mission, which is to report the news objectively and impartially. Like its parent company, the AFP Foundation will bring greater international perspective and depth to the news business," said Pierre Louette, chairman and chief executive officer of AFP.
"With its rich history, extensive network and multi-cultural tradition, no-one is better placed than AFP to pass on the core values of journalism to new generations of reporters, editors and communications officers."
Louette heads the AFP Foundation's six-member board that also includes Edward Mortimer, senior vice president of the Salzburg Seminar, Salil Shetty, director of the UN Millennium Campaign, and veteran AFP journalists Randa Habib, Annie Thomas and Peter Mackler.
The AFP Foundation has already trained journalists and graphic artists in Tunisia and last month it carried out a project funded by the UN Development Programme to train 40 journalists and photographers in Syria.
Directing the foundation is Robert Holloway, a journalist for more than 30 years with extensive service in the Middle East, Europe, Australia and the United States. He has held several posts at AFP, including editor-in-chief and deputy managing editor.
Holloway said: "The philosophy underlying our work is that those who benefit from training should be able to pass on what they have learned to their colleagues and to younger generations.
"We see it as part of our mission to teach those who may become tomorrow's teachers."
Training will be conducted by senior AFP staff or outside experts, all with decades of experience and knowledge of the latest instructional techniques. Learning materials will be adapted to the language, culture and specific needs of the client.
The AFP Foundation will also organize regular seminars to debate press freedom, ethics and other vital questions. It will support efforts to improve working conditions for journalists, particularly in hazardous areas, and to elevate the status of women in the news media.
Agence France-Presse, founded in 1835, offers a wide range of services, including news wires in English, French, Arabic, Spanish, German and Portuguese, photos, graphics, video and multimedia packages. www.foundation.afp.com |
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