SLRU holds Symposium on Media Poverty & the Future of Reporters

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson 

In its efforts to better position its membership nationwide, the Sierra Leone Reporters Union has on Wednesday, 18th May, 2022 held a day’s symposium with support from the Media Reform Coordinating Group-Sierra Leone.

Hosted at the Harry Yansaneh Hall in Freetown, Reporters from across the country converged and chatted on the theme: “Media Poverty and the Future of Reporters in Sierra Leone.”

Key among the deliberations at the symposium includes: general assessment on the status of Reporters in Sierra Leone, experience sharing on the challenges faced by reporters nationwide in their course of work, possible ways to improved the welfare of Reporters and the pressing things to do inorder to shape Reporters future for the better.

Reporters also assessed the job-market in the media industry nationwide and further deliberated on the following questions: is there poverty actually in the media in Sierra Leone or not? Are all Reporters being paid according to the minimum salary wage? And what can be done to make the SLRU and its operations more visible and viable?

Issues around making key amendments in the Union’s 2004 constitution at its upcoming elective congress were also discussed and the gathering’s open dialogue further encouraged proffered and enormous solutions from the reporters who also made eminent recommendations to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and professionalism among Reporters for sustainable reporting in Sierra Leone.

President of SLRU Amadu Lamrana Bah chaired the symposium while both the Vice President and General Secretary of the Union Ishmaiel Sallieu Kororma and Mohamed Jaward Nyellay were co-moderators.

Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, the incumbent President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalist commended SLRU for organizing such a dialogue for its membership, made strong pledges to make the union and all other affiliate bodies of SLAJ more functional and viable in the next two years.

Augustine James, Project Officer at MRCG-SL and Christian Conteh, the Guild of Newspaper Editors Sierra Leone representative were among other dignitaries that graced the historic symposium.