By: Ibrahim Benjamin Brima Kanu
brimakhan@gmail.com
Sierra Leone Association of Journalist in partnership with Intedr-Religious Council, IRN, IMC and Irish-Aid has ended one day training for female journalist across the North-Eastern region on safety and security reporting during the forthcoming June 24, 2023 multi-tier election in Sierra Leone.
The training was held on Saturday 10th June, 2023 at Where Else guests house in the Makeni-Kabala highway and was attended by many female journalists from various merdia institutions across the region.
Giving the background of the training, Sahr James Banga, the vice president of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalist outlined some of the many problems that journalists especially female journalists normally encounter in election reporting which made the association deemed it fit to provide training of this nature for female journalists across the country with the aim of expanding the democratic space through media capacity, enhancement in promoting peaceful election, women's participation, public interests and conflict mitigation in the June 24th, 2023 elections.
Mr. Banga went further to encourage all trainees to pay their otmost attention for there is many to learn durintg the course of the training which will capacitate them not only for the forthcoming election but for their entire media career.
During the course of the training, Madam Betty Alimamy Sesay, a long serving media practioner who also doubles as key trainer of this training admonished the participants to be more hardworking and professional in their job for that is the base of personal safety and security.
She advised the participants to be able to earn and maintain respect and integrety because they are role models and therefore, they must be careful in what they do and say in public for it has the tendency to endanger their safety and security and must always bear in mind that as journalists their mandate is to report the story and must not be the story.
Delivering the legal aspects for the safety and security of journalist, Barrister Paul Kamara pointed out some of the new IMC Acts which clearly spelt out the media principles which bound the safety and security of journalists.
He further admonished the participants to be knowledgeable of the acts as many female journalists are being harassed on daily bases but because they are not aware of these acts they have no knowledge of pursuung these matters to the court but rather suffer in silence.
Recomendations from participants on their safety through the intervention of SLAJ, IMC, government and other institutions climaxed this all important and timely training.
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