By: Leila B. Gbati
100 Liberian journalists have been certified in investigative journalism, reporting crimes against journalists, legal know-how, and personal safety training.
The journalists were certificated after the completion of a two-year training cycle under the project of strengthening independent media and freedom of information in Liberia by the Volunteers for Sustainable Development in Africa (VOSIEDA) in partnership with the Press Union of Liberia and the University of Liberia Department of Communication and Media Studies with support from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF).
VOSIEDA is a nonprofit organization created in Liberia in 2001 in response to increasing development challenges in West Africa. It works to promote prosperity by reducing extreme poverty, boosting economic opportunity, and sustaining natural resources and the environment.
In a special statement at the training workshop on investigative journalism and reporting crimes against journalists and beneficiaries certification ceremony held at the University of Liberia, Fendall Campus, Lousiana, Montserrado County, Sadatu K. Fahnbulleh, Program Manager of VOSIEDA, said that the project started in 2021 with the training of journalists in personal safety security, legal know-how, and legal provision to equip and prepare journalists for the discharge of their duties.
Sadatu told journalists that they hope that the two years have impacted them as beneficiaries from Montserrado and Margibi Counties.
According to her, VOSIEDA has been working with 100 journalists from Montserrado and Margibi Counties to ensure they have the general knowledge they need when it comes to their safety and security when carrying out their reportorial duty, which is paramount in anything they do.
“You all have heard and said there is no story worth dying for; we heard it in the presentation today, so we say thank you for availing yourselves of the opportunity to participate in the training cycle. I listened to some of the recommendations; they are going to be taken back and worked on as they should be,” she said.
Speaking further, Sadatu thanked UNDEF for supporting journalists, emphasizing that even though the funding is coming through VOSIEDA, the first and foremost reason for funding the project is to ensure journalists are aware of their safety and know what to do when it comes to accessing information.
She cautioned journalists that they do this work every day, so if they are vulnerable and exposed, it doesn’t look well for the sustainability of the work that they do.
“We listen to one of the facilitator and he talked about the cultured of impunity so, as it stands there is a ongoing grant with the PUL which is there to defend the media or journalists but we notice that journalists are not utilizing that fund and it is there to defend you in court if there is a lawsuit against you or have legal action anyone you will be supported and represented by a lawyer in court secondly, in term of reporting crimes against journalists we are saying under this project, we are in the 21th century why should we still be reporting manually, we have developed crimes reporting app that is in google play which can be downloaded for you to report whatever abuse of violence or harassment against you across the country, you can stay where you are and report abuse against you for the PUL to be able to fast check your case, journalists are yet to use that app in google play store, it is call PUL crimes Reporting or Liberian journalists reporting crime you will see it,” she noted.
She mentioned that journalists are not using the app, and they are allowing people to violate the rights of journalists and go scot-free, which act will still be melted against another journalist because nobody has ever taken action.
She said that if journalists want their situation to go global and call other people’s attention to what is happening to them in Liberia, they will have to use the app because any funding organization or advocacy group can stay in any part of the world and log on to the app and know exactly what is happening to journalists in Liberia, and they could call the journalist directly or the PUL to ask and see how they can help in the situation.
“We are approaching election day; what are we doing? Do we want to call somebody on the phone every or stay where we are and just report that case and all journalists on that app are going to have access to your complaint? So, I am urging us to kindly do the right thing,” she said.
In a brief remark, Mr. Frank Sainworla, Instructor of the University of Liberia Department of Communication, told journalists that knowledge gain is knowledge sharing, so as professional colleagues they always need to share experiences because the more they share experiences and discuss these kinds of issues, the better.
Mr. Sainworla used the ceremony to thank journalists for participating in the cycle.
He emphasized that journalism is practical, and with all that they shared and learned from the training, the next thing is to go and do the job, which is important.
For his part, Mr. Euriahs Togar, Chairman of the UL Department of Communication, in a brief remark thanked participants for their patience and interest and VOSIEDA for the project, adding that as the department involved with training and education, they are very happy to be a part of the project.
Mr. Togar said the project has come a long way since 2021, and they have been interacting with journalists, adding that “when we started in 2021, there were things you didn’t know and you know today, and things that you knew before we started have been refreshed and energized, and so a word that I want to leave with all of you is to put to use the knowledge that you have acquired over the time because what good is the knowledge if you have no intention of utilizing it, so please, as you leave, do the next story and let your training and knowledge be Move from the ordinary to the extraordinary, and you can distinguish yourselves from your colleagues”.
He also stressed that personal integrity is important, and they know that there are many factors responsible that can explain the kind of behavior that they see in the media. As such, journalists should not use them as an excuse for underperforming because the public deepens its scrutiny on them, especially during the time of an election.
However, he encouraged journalists to go out there and do the best they can, and together they could have built a stronger, independent, and free media.
Meanwhile, journalists thanked VOSIEDA and partners for affording them the opportunity to participate in the cycle because, according to them, they are being attacked on a daily basis when performing their professional duties; therefore, the knowledge they acquired will help them and be used when carrying out their functions.
