Journalists must upgrade their qualifications to enhance their reporting – Brian Hatyoka

Notice: Undefined index: catFilterList in /home/zambi/public_html/wp-content/plugins/wp-likes/api.php on line 243

By Derick Sinjela

Brian Hatyoka, a 12-time award winning Journalist, is one of the dedicated journalists and Public Relations (PR) specialists in Zambia.

He believes that journalists must upgrade their academic qualifications so that they have a broader understanding of different subjects they report.
Brian has also counselled counsel journalists to ensure their stories are well researched and multi-sourced as well as written in an objective and professional manner to inform policy changes.

He is currently Lusaka Press Club vice chairperson and has more than 18 years of practicing journalism in Zambia and abroad.

In 2003, Brian graduated with a Diploma in Journalism, Public Relations (PR) and Advertising at Evelyn Hone College in 2003.

In 2016, two decades after obtaining his diploma, Brian again graduated as Best Student in PR Degree in the School of Humanity and Social Sciences at Livingstone International University of Tourism and Business Excellence (LIUTEBM) Zambia.

On Friday, 6th October, 2023, seven years after his graduation with a Degree in PR, Brian graduated with a Master’s Degree in PR at the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), clearly demonstrating consistency in his Journalism and PR career.

This was during NIPA’s 24th graduation ceremony held under the theme “60 years of Promoting an ethical and Competent Public Service through Market-driven Training, Research and Consultancy.”

After the addition of a Masters to his papers, Brian says he is poised to be among PR and Communication specialists who add value to their organisations and the nation through measurable results.

Brian has previously written, edited and published many compelling articles on different subjects.

He is currently working as Head of Communications at the Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA), a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry (MCTI).
Brian has a number of accolades to his name one of which is that from the Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communications (ZIPRC) where he was awarded for the overall contribution to the PR and Communication in Zambia on Friday 31st March, 2023.

Brian, who served then as ZIPRC Publicity Secretary and Editor of ZIPRC’s Zambia PR Pulse Newsletter from 2021 to 2023, was one of the people who pushed for the enactment of the Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communications (ZIPRC) bill into law in 2022.

Brian, who is currently ZIPRC Council member responsible for Publicity, has many other awards including that of being the Top Prize Winner as Best Business and Financial Writer for the 2008/2009 Individual Category of the Print Media for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Zambia.

He is the longest president of the Livingstone Press Club (LPC), having served for about eight years from March 2012 to July 2019 where he represented journalists and championed issues of professionalism among scribes in Zambia and abroad.

Brian is an Alumni of Edward R Murrow’s Journalism Fellowship of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America for 2018.
The Training took place in Universities and media institutions located in Washington DC, Boston, Seattle, Florida, Minneapolis and New York.

He represented Zambia and Africa at the General Assembly of the International Association of Press Clubs (IAPC) held in Brussels, Belgium in May 2018.

This global meeting for journalists exchanged best practices on Journalism experiences and deliberated on the role of media clubs in promoting media freedom and professionalism of the Journalism practice.

 

As a Media Consultant and LPC president then, Brian conducted a Media Training for journalists in Rwanda on Citizens Journalism and Community Media on Thursday 2nd May, 2019 to Friday 3rd, May 2019 during the celebrations of Rwanda Community Radios Day .

Brian was also attached to Pretoria News newspaper in South Africa from Monday 6th September, 2010 to Saturday 18th September, 2010 where he wrote articles which were published in both Pretoria News and Times of Zambia newspaper.
Besides writing daily stories and features, Brian researched on post-Xenophobia scenario in South Africa and focused on the plight of refugees and asylum seekers in that country.

The findings of his research were published in both Times of Zambia news and Pretoria News in South Africa.

In March 2009, Brian was engaged as a Media Consultant by the Danish Union of Journalists (DUJ) from Denmark in a project to research on the impact of the Chinese investment in Zambia.

He worked with Soren Friis, a Journalist from Danish Union of Journalists to conduct the research in Lusaka and Copperbelt Provinces of Zambia.

After the research was conducted, several articles were published in Danish Newspapers and Times of Zambia

Riding on his adorable academic acumen coupled with his more than 18 years of practicing journalism, Brian previously presented guest lectures to Journalism and Mass Communication students at University of Zambia (UNZA) Great East Road and Cavendish University, whose current Chancellor is none other than mmm.

Brian equally served as an Adjunct lecturer of Journalism and PR at Southern University and Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM) in Livingstone.

In terms of journalism practice, Brian started his career with the BusinessWeek Newspaper in Lusaka as a Business Reporter in 2004.

Brian joined the Times of Zambia (ToZ) Newspaper in 2006 as a Business Reporter and rose to different positions namely Senior Business Reporter, Chief Reporter, Bureau Chief (Livingstone) and acted as Features Editor, among others.

On another, Brian is a dedicated elder in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church where he has served as Communications Secretary, Deacon, First Elder and Elder responsible for Communications, among other roles.

As a vocation, time without number, Brian assists edit Adventist Church publications and trains Church Communication leaders in and on Journalism and PR matters.

Married to Racheal for fourteen (14) years with four boys; Luyando, Timothy, Nchimunya and Lucas, Brian as a veteran scribe (journalist) firmly believes in Luke 1:37 which says that “Nothing is Impossible with God”.