Carleton University Faculty of Public Affairs launches Professional Institute

Carleton University

Carleton University Faculty of Public Affairs launches Professional Institute. Carleton University’s Faculty of Public Affairs is launching a new Professional Institute with two workshops – one to to provide journalists with new skills in data journalism and another to provide non-profit organizations with new skills in strategic communication practices.

These intensive two-day workshops will be held in June. The first will focus on providing journalists with expertise in working with electronic records, and the second will arm non-profit organizations with effective communication strategies to achieve political and social change.

“There is a wide range of expertise in Carleton’s Faculty of Public Affairs and we want to leverage it to benefit the community,’’ said Dean André Plourde. “We hope to expand this pilot project in the coming months to include several other workshops.’’

The first session on data journalism will explore the tools required to use spreadsheets, mapping and other software to turn raw data into news. It will emphasize the skills reporters need to develop investigative and breaking news stories at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. Taught by CBC producer David McKie and Ottawa Citizen reporter Glen McGregor, the two-day session will take place on June 21 and 22.

Strategic Communication for Non-Profits will be held on June 25 to 26, aimed at small to medium-sized organizations seeking more effective communication practices. Led by Carleton Prof. Gina Grosenick, the workshop will provide participants with an understanding of the importance of integrated communication planning in achieving goals and evaluating results.

Looking ahead to next year’s offerings, the Faculty plans to provide a one-day session on Media Training for Lawyers. It will focus on ethical considerations when dealing with the media and investigate the various roles that lawyers play in different situations, and the rules governing them. Publication bans and social media in the courtroom will also be covered. The workshop will be led by lawyer Anita Mielewczyk and Sherri Beattie, an assistant Crown Attorney (per diem) in eastern Ontario who graduated with Carleton’s Master of Journalism degree.