By: Paul Kamara
paulkamara772@gmail.com
Ahead of this year's General Elections, Paramount Chief of Kakua Chiefdom PC Prince Lappia BOIMA IV has on Friday 6 January 2023 engaged media stakeholders in Bo on the role of the media in creating a peaceful and non-violent elections.
He recognized the significant role played by the media in terms of information dissemination, but however noted that the media also play a crucial role in influencing the behavior of citizens either positively or negatively due to the type of messages they send out to the public.
Bringing into context the media and the Rwanda genocide, PC Boima catalogued the crucial role played by the media in the 1994 Rwanda genocide as local media fuelled the killing of many innocent citizens.
This he noted should serve as an example to learn from.
PC Boima therefore called on media practitioners to carry out their job professionally, serve as gatekeepers of peace and portray the good image of the country which he noted will lure investors and tourists to visit the country rather than scaring them off due to the many negative stories they will hear about the country. He also encouraged media personnel to discourage politicians from using their platforms to send out hate speeches.
On his part, Regional Chairman of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) South, Abubakarr Mustapha thanked the honorable paramount chief for the timely engagement and also used the opportunity to call on his colleagues to be fully professional, and at all times inform the public in a non-biased objective and neutral manner.
Comments
Post a Comment