New Television Camera Presented To USP Journalism

SUVA: A second television camera was today presented to the University of the South Pacific's regional journalism programme staff and students.

Literature and language department head Dr Patrick Griffiths presented the $3000 camera to the programme, saying that USP journalism had set high standards for its practical work and it had a busy series of news and current affairs productions ahead.

"The USP programme has prided itself on the standards set in its practical work and the students achieve by doing," he said.

Dr Griffiths also welcomed a new lecturer who is supervising the television and radio students but also has extensive experience in computer-assisted reporting, Australian Dr Mark Hayes.

"I am a journalist but my academic background will also strengthen the scholarship side of the programme," he said.

Dr Hayes' students are currently working on mini-doco projects as diverse as Fiji's constitutional review, the Solomon Islands crisis, health in the Fiji Islands and coverage of the Fiji coup.

They will also be working on a regional television project in partnership with UNESCO. A previous UNESCO series on Pacific sustainability done by USP journalism students was recently broadcast on Fiji and Papua New Guinea television.

Journalism coordinator David Robie said the presentation of the camera and the arrival of Dr Hayes were some of the developments over the next few months that would enhance the programme's role as the "best in the Pacific".

He said a third fulltime staff person was expected soon who would boost the marketing and management strengths of the programme.

"We also hope to set up a digital editing suite for television projects," he said.

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