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AFP partners with Québec's Laval University to enrich training of future journalists
Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Québec’s Laval University today signed a partnership agreement under which AFP pledged to host trainee journalists at bureaux within its international network and contribute to the University’s journalism courses.
This partnership cements a relationship between AFP and the University’s Department of Information and Communication (part of its College of Letters and Human Sciences) that began several years ago. Several Laval graduates who attended traineeships at AFP are back at the Agency pursuing their journalism careers.
“I am delighted with this cooperation between Laval University and AFP. It is a major event in the Agency’s efforts in the teaching area – which will be a key orientation for AFP in the coming years”, said AFP Chairman Emmanuel Hoog.
Under the agreement, students of Laval University’s graduate programme in international journalism will attend traineeships at bureaux within AFP’s international network. Working within the Agency’s editorial structure, they will learn and apply the many essential skills of the agency journalist. Students are trained to produce dispatches and edit text and photos, as well as skills related to multimedia, video, infographics, etc.
Denis Brière, rector of Laval University, says he is very pleased about the partnership as it will give graduate journalism students real work experience at one of the world’s best known news agencies. “This partnership shows our commitment to offering our students the best possible training and providing them with the appropriate tools for the future.”
The students will learn the basics of rigorous agency writing at workshops led by AFP journalists. There will also be conferences on various aspects of the journalism profession and specifically that of the news agency journalist designed for graduates who have a degree in international journalism and for those studying for a masters’ degree.
The agreement also provides for AFP to send one journalist a year to spend a semester (four months) at Laval University to pursue further studies in the area of his or her choice. Laval, one of the largest universities in Canada, offers a wide range of disciplines with more than 400 programmes of study.
AFP is a valued partner for providing training in journalism. Under its agreements with four professionally recognised schools -- IPJ (Institut Pratique du Journalisme), CFJ (Centre de Formation des Journalistes), Celsa and École de Journalisme de Sciences Po – it takes on apprentice journalists within its editorial structure. Last year, the Agency launched a special editorial product designed for schools and universities.
About AFP:
AFP is a global news agency delivering fast, accurate, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from conflicts to politics, sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and technology. With 2,260 journalists spread across almost every country, AFP covers the world 24 hours a day in six languages. AFP delivers the news in video, text, photos, multimedia and graphics to a wide range of customers including newspapers and magazines, radio and TV channels, web sites and portals, mobile operators, corporate clients as well as public institutions.
About Laval University:
Located in the World Heritage City of Québec, Laval University was the first French language university in North America. It is one of the top Canadian research universities, ranking seventh among the country’s 94 higher education establishments. Its research budget last year was more than 300 million dollars. Laval University’s 1,400 professors and researchers share their knowledge with some 48,000 students including 10,000 at graduate and postgraduate level.
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