Graduates of AA News Academy conferred certificates

Graduates of "Agency Journalism Certificate Program" of Anadolu Agency (AA) News Academy have been conferred their certificates during a ceremony held in AA. Thirty successful students of 841 applicants for the News Academy experienced happiness of receiving their certificates after a three-month theoretical and applied training. At the certificate ceremony, a short movie was displayed which showed practices of the grad students during the training term. Coordinator of AA News Academy Ahmet Tek made a speech at the ceremony saying he believed that qualified journalists could be trained with intensified efforts. In addition, Omer Eksi, AA deputy director general and editor-in-chief, said the grad students displayed a great hope and they would experience journalism in working life as the next stage. One of the grad students, Baris Saglam, said they tried to learn essence of journalism for three months, adding "Being a piece of English News Desk which is one of the prominent steps of AA's centennial vision excites us." A Tunisian trainee, Hajer Mtri, expressed that AA personnel were like a family for her during the term when she was away from her country.      Director General Kemal Ozturk and AA's other executives awarded the certificates to the students in the aftermath of speeches. Speaking at the ceremony, Ozturk stressed need for further institutionalization in the agency. The director general said that the Anadolu Agency (AA) should institutionalize more, adding AA had been experiencing an intense institutionalization period in recent two years.   Stressing that the system and organization structure of AA were similarly used in Reuters and AP, Ozturk underlined the AA's Editor Desk had more quality and was technologically better than theirs. "We should enhance institutionalization more in the agency. We should conduct our works with more professional model and working desire, at the same time without losing our amateur spirit," said Ozturk. Noting an international standard should be gained at every stage, from the agency's personnel to news making, Ozturk said they would structurally carry out some changes in AA. Ozturk also said reporters would share their news and photographs, which take place in international media, in social media as well. Ozturk stated that he would announce those who succeeded in AA News Academy and would be employed in Anadolu Agency in the following days. The training lasted for three months and the participants received a total of 420 hour courses for twelve weeks, 280 devoted to theory and 140 to practice.