Harnessing Data Key Feature of NPC’s Professional Development Series Training Programme
PUTRAJAYA, Jan 9, 2024 – The National Press Club of Malaysia (NPC) today organised the first of its 10 professional training series for journalists in the country.
Over 40 media personnel and journalism school students learnt how to harness data, among others, in the first NPC Professional Development Series (PDS) held at Dorsett Putrajaya.
One of the modules of the one-day programme included data analysis of the disparity between discussions among ministries and ministers on various topics, with a specific focus on Malaysia MADANI and its ability to strengthen economic growth.
The research was carried out by Dataxet Nama with additional analysis by the Crisis Management Centre.
The analysis sourced media data by Dataxet Nama from the first week of April to the first week of November 2023.
The report showed that the top five ministries that had references to the Malaysia MADANI concept were Education, Finance, Health, Communications and Agriculture and Food Security.
The Education Ministry had 3,146 mentions with 46.8 per cent related to topics on economic growth.
The Finance Ministry saw 2,806 news pieces with 64.1 per cent related to the growth of the nation’s economy.
Health and Communications had 2,668 and 1,536 news mentions respectively with 36.3 per cent and 68.8 per cent respectively focused on economic growth.
The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry saw 1,327 news mentions with 73.8 per cent related to economic growth.
The report summarised that while there is a notable focus on economic growth, there is room for more media engagement regarding the MADANI concept and initiatives.
NPC president Datuk Ahirudin Attan said journalists need to be empowered with data that strengthens their reports.
“Research such as this, which uses the latest technology, together with in-depth knowledge of ongoing topics, will assist the media to reinforce the significance of their stories,” said Ahirudin.
“The vision of the National Press Club of Malaysia is to see a vibrant media industry that can continue to play an active role in the future of national development.
“We are grateful to be working with strong and innovative partners for the NPC PDS, which includes the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Institut Penyiaran dan Penerangan Tun Abdul Razak (IPPTAR), Crisis Management Centre, Dataxet Nama and Telum Media.
“We also wish our heartfelt thanks to our corporate sponsors for their ongoing support, namely Maxis Berhad, Huawei Malaysia, Cheffaro by Eng Sheng Sdn Bhd, Blackmores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, The Gilded Lion Antiques & Art Gallery, West Coast Expressway, and Telekom Malaysia Berhad.”
The trainers involved in the first NPC PDS were MCMC head of investigation department, Akmal Hamdy Baharudin; Mediha Mahmood, executive director of the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (Content Forum); Mawar Abd Latiff, Content Forum senior manager; Ahmad Fazlin Abu Kassim, Content Forum manager; Nordin Abdullah, Crisis Management Centre founder; Bernama TV producer Gerard Ratnam; and Chris Seto, managing director of Dataxet Nama.
The next NPC PDS will be held on Jan 11, 2024 at IPPTAR in Kuala Lumpur.
Photo– Steven Foo’s Facebook
