Campuskini’s first workshop on 'Facing the Media' earned praises, kudos and strong recommendations from participants.

The two-day workshop was held on May 21st and 22nd, and those who missed it will be able to join a repeat of the course on July 2nd and 3rd .

'Facing the Media' covered a wide range of topics about press relations and was conducted  by M Krishnamoorthy, a veteran journalist currently working for international and local media.

Krishnamoorthy worked with The Star (15 years) and the New Straits Times (11 years) and is currently working as a freelancer for overseas TV networks like BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera.

He is also a certified HRDF  trainer and has taught part time in universities like Monash, UTAR and HELP.

“The workshop provided an excellent platform for the sharing of minds and methodologies,” said Ghazalie Abdullah, Chief Strategist and founder of GRA Communications.

On the comprehensive 'Navigating Crisis' topic, he said: “Crises come in different shapes and sizes and we discovered that different approaches are needed to bring about the required resolution.  A great course to attend.”

GRA Communications is an award-winning communications consultancy headed by Ghazalie who has over 30 years of mass communications experience in radio, television, print and consulting.

Kini editors share expert insight

The interactive workshop’s activities covered role plays, mock press conferences, group press release writing exercises, video clips and energisers.

Campuskini was also in a unique position to offer insights from some of Malaysia's top editors. The Editor-in-Chief of Malaysiakini, Steven Gan and the Founding Editor and CEO of Kinibiz, P Gunasegaram, dropped in for short sessions with participants where they shared some top level tips 'n tricks on interacting with the media.

GRA Communicaitons’ PR consultant Yusuf Abdul Alim, who has been in the PR industry for over six years, shared that the workshop was an eye-opener for him. "Getting first-hand information from the Malaysiakini founder Steven Gan and others really benefitted the participants.”, he added.

Participants came from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels.

Azura Daud, head of PR & Communications at Petrosains said: “I have learnt many new things and explored other people's perspectives on how things are done.”

First steps into world of journalism

Augustine Chewa Raja who works for a Member of Parliament noted: “This workshop represents my “baby steps” into the world of journalism and public relations. Now I will be prepared to step up to the podium if the need arises for my organisation. I'm looking forward to other PR related courses courses at Campuskini.”

National Kidney Foundation’s (NKF) fundraising executive Stephanie Wee said of the workshop: "It is indeed an 'eye-opener' for me. I managed to get a better insight into Public Relations from interviews, writing and structuring news releases to managing crises. In addition to that, I learnt the importance of having good rapport with journalists, editors and reporters and the impact of social media on public relations.”

Another NKF manager and former Bank Negara staff Teo Say Guan said: “The course covers the practical and conceptual approaches, often under an informal environment, thus making the contents easy to remember. On top of that, a very interesting and memorable part of the course was the up close and personal interviews we conducted with the Malayisakini editors.”

UITM’s final year communications student Athina Marzuki said she enjoyed the course and learned a lot on the MH370 crisis through the case studies in the book Flying Through Crisis . “I have a better understanding of the theories I learned in university and how it can be practically applied.”

All participants were given a complimentary copy of the Flying Through Crisis book (worth RM45) and the latest KINIBIZ  magazine.

By popular demand, another 'Facing the Media' course will be held on July 2nd and 3rd. Sign up  here , all are welcome!