Young journalists trained on media laws

Members of the Young Journalists Association of The Gambia (YJAG) were over the weekend trained on Media Laws in The Gambia, at a daylong retreat  held at Joint Officers Mess in Kotu.

Addressing the opening ceremony, the President of YJAG Assan Sallah, spoke on the  importance of  the training.

According to him, the training was aimed at building the capacities of its members to enable them better execute their duties in conformity with the laws of the land.

The programme, he said, is in line with the principles of the association.

In his opening remarks, Justice Emmanuel Agim Chief, the Justice of The Gambia maintained that journalists should be acquainted with the laws of the country. He implored young journalists to read and understand the constitution, especially where it relates to the media.

For her part, Mrs. Amie Bojang-Sisoho, the board chairperson of YJAG hailed the initiative. She encouraged them to do their work professionally, without fear or favour.

For Dr. Henry Carrol, a senior legal practitioner, understanding the laws of the country is the responsibility of all and sundry, to ensure that there is adequate knowledge on how one operates.

"It's everybody’s duty to play pivotal role in the promotion and development of The Gambia," he added.

Other speakers included Mr. Madi Ceesay, the Managing Editor of the Daily News. He commended YJAG for complementing the efforts of their parent body, the GPU in building the capacities of journalists.

He observed the need for news articles to be  scrutinised, adding that a news item should be balanced and accurate.

He said by doing this, they ensure that their stories are good while they avoid conflicts with the law. He noted that familiarising oneself with the laws of the land is a good move towards the right direction, while calling on members of YJAG to continue on their endeavours and collaboration with the GPU. He also urged them to make good use of the knowledge gained from the training.

At the closing session, a prominent senior Lawyer cum a board member of YJAG, Edu Gomez pledged to donate ten thousand Dalasi to the association.

Mr. Gomez's intervention came following statements made by the pioneer President of YJAG, Nfamara Jawneh that the association is indeed financially crippled.

Earlier, Jawneh applauded Lawyer Gomez for being an active member for YJAG since last year.