SLAJ’s statement on IMC round table conference
Statement delivered at a round table discussion between a cross-section of Newspaper Editors and Station Managers of Radio/TV Stations and the Development Partners on their mandate in Sierra Leone and their role in the coming elections, on Friday 1st July 2011, at the YWCA Old Hall-Brookfield.
Mr. Chairman, Madam Chairperson of the Independent Media Commission (IMC), H.E the ERSG of UNIPSIL and Country Representatives of all UN Organisations in Sierra Leone, the Delegate of the European Union, the Country Directors, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and the World Bank. Editors, Station Managers and Media Executives of our Radios and Television Stations; Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I would like to say good morning.
I bring you warm greetings from the Sierra Leone Association of Journalist (SLAJ) and from my humble self. I am very delighted to be here with you this morning, as this event will go a long way in re-defining the media landscape of Sierra Leone, particularly in the run-up to 2012.
I must start by commending the Chairperson, Commissioners and Staff of the Independent Media Commission for this initiative in organising such a forum. This is a laudable venture, a proactive stance for effective media understanding of donor’s mandate and media regulation, as we are preparing for national and local elections in 2012.
This forum, I am sure will not be the last but the first of many more in creating a serious platform for face to face interaction between Donor Partners and Media Executives.
The significance of this epoch making event cannot be over-emphasised. The role of the media is very important in democracy and in the development of any nation. A credible, objective and independent media will go a long way to ensure our country’s development.
Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen. It is no shame to state that we lack the financial and technological support to practice modern journalism and to make us truly independent, which to a large extent might undermine the professionalism of some media institutions.
As the old adage goes ‘No man is an island and no one stands alone’, it is obvious that we need more support from our donor partners; in the form of capacity building and equipments. In this regard, I believe this forum will address the issues of duplication, fragmentation and uncoordinated supports.
Mr. Chairman, We are seriously concerned about the rampant, uncoordinated and sometimes unnecessary training programmes being organised in the name of journalists and journalism in the country. As the prime media union in the country, we would like to urge All Development Partners to cooperate with us and with the IMC to ensure relevant, structured and well-coordinated media trainings and support that will not only sharpen the skills and knowledge of media practitioners but will also brighten the media landscape in the country.
As we look forward to a shared understanding of what are in the minds of our donor partners, and how supportive they would be to the electoral processes; let me call on my fellow Editors and Station Managers to give this forum the seriousness it deserves.
Mr Chairman, I must also use this opportunity to entreat all of us senior media practitioners, the gatekeepers of our institutions, to practise in a more decent and professional manner. We must be careful, for the media not to be the catalyst for another civil unrest in our country as we march towards 2012 elections.
We must be mindful that we can only practice effective journalism in a peaceful and stable nation.
Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the president, National Executive and general membership of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, I wish all of us a successful deliberation.
By Ismael Koroma, National Secretary General, Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ)
Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
© 2011, https:. All rights reserved.
