Why I will never divorce IJNET

IJNET has been on my list of favourite websites ever since I discovered it accidentally in 2007. Since that time, I have participated in four international training events that I saw on the site. Apart from the training, IJNET always carries articles and resources whose many suggestions and tips I have used to improve my journey to journalism perfection. For instance, in June 2011, I lost my full time job when the paper I worked for was downsizing. Shortly after that, I read an article on IJNET about a CNN reporter who was in the same situation. That piece was a great comfort to me. It was an assurance that I was not the only one going through a tough time and gave me strength to move on. After four years of what seemed like endless applications, which brought back the same negative result, I was finally accepted for the Reuters’ Financial and Economic reporting course in Johannesburg, South Africa from March 21-25, 2011. Motivated by what we learnt from Reuters, I conceived a story idea that gave birth to an international story that was discussed in the European Parliament and lead to action against a mining giant that operates in my country, Zambia. Eight months later, I was accepted to the ‘Making numbers count’ training workshop that took placed in November 21-23, 2011. The workshop was organised by the USAID and the Population Reference Bureau. I got valuable lessons from this training and I still work with many of the participants. In February 2012, I got yet another opportunity from Ijnet – PolicyMic Journalism Boot camp and six weeks later, I was actively writing for the fastest growing online publication. In March 2012, I applied for the Nieman-Berkman fellowship in Journalism Innovation after IJNET repeatedly sent it to my mailbox. I applied on the last day, just to say I tried. The result? I was one of the short listed finalists. I was not awarded the fellowship but the whole process of attending the Skype interview with the organisers at Harvard and penning what I wanted to contribute to journalism, made me realise that I have potential to make a mark in the media. It also boosted my confidence because I know that hundreds pf people applied for that fellowship and many excellent journalists did not make the finalists list. On August 29, 2012, I landed in Tel Aviv, Israel to attend yet another seminar I saw on IJNET. This is the Media in Conflict Seminar (MICS). I was three days early and by the time the five-day Seminar started on September 2; I got a chance to see the major tourist attractions that Israel has to offer and to feel the energy of the Holy land. The MICS 2012 featured accomplished experts (scholars, journalists, photojournalists, government officials, etc) on the Israel-Palestine conflict. I must say my life changed and the experienced renewed my faith in Journalist. Oh, there is so much to tell that i almost forgot to mention that my colleagues and I formed what we are calling the Zambian Bloggers Network. Blogging is relatively new in Zambia and I don't think I would have subscribed to the idea if i hadn't read about it on IJNET. This platform has been like my Journalism Bible and I shall forever treasure it. What I love about IJNET is that it presents information that is trustworthy and I will continue visiting the site several times a day as I have done for the past five years. VIVA IJNET!!!