The
Minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure, Demba Ali Jawo, has
advised journalists to be security-conscious during election coverage.
He
made this remark whilst presiding over the closing ceremony of a three-day
training course for journalists on elections coverage and security in the
electoral process, held at the TANGO conference Hall by Article 19 in
partnership with Gambia Press Union (GPU).
The
participants were drawn from both the print and electronic media.
Minister
Jawo said the security of journalists during coverage is important, especially
during elections, when they are dealing with people who are in a competition
and with different interests.
The
training course was, therefore, not only important, but also timely as the
country is about to go the polls again for one of the most competitive
elections in the history of The Gambia.
He
said all the 53 constituencies are being contested, and there are about 239
candidates participating in the election across the country, with some
constituencies having as many as nine candidates.
It
is, therefore, quite a challenge for journalists to ensure candidates are
covered fairly and with objectivity, as candidates with competitive interests
might always find issues with reports, hence reporters should be mindful of
their own security.
“In the new Gambia, let me assure you that in
the new government our intention is to become as media-friendly as we possibly
could.
“Our
intention is to create an environment conducive for all journalists to perform
their profession without any intimidation or discrimination, because as far as
we are concerned we see journalist as partners in national development.”
He
added: “I can assure you that we are going to give you the right atmosphere to
operate.”
However,
he noted, the unfortunate incident where a journalist was “roughly handled by
political party supporters is very regrettable”, but it is also a wakeup alert
for everyone else to see that things cannot be taken for granted, and anything
can happen as journalists.
Minister
Jawo said security for journalists is of paramount importance, as it is a
well-known fact that sometimes as journalists they tend to step on toes, and
there is no guarantee that those toes they step on as people may not have an
objective of settling scores with them.
He
also commended Article 19 for the training initiative and support, saying he is
not surprised that Article 19, a body advocating for press freedom and human
rights, is part of such an initiative.
Jeanne
Irene from Article 19, in her remarks, said the three-day training course on
elections coverage and security in the electoral process was funded by The
Netherlands and the National Endowment for Democracy.
“The
training is part of a holistic programme that Article 19 has been doing since
2007,” she said, adding that Article 19 is dedicated to the freedom of
expression and access to information.
She
added that Article 19 has been in partnership with the GPU since the most
difficult days for the media in The Gambia.
As
part of their activities, Article 19 has been involved in capacity building for
journalists, as well as looking after their welfare, she said, adding that the
organisation also releases statements about freedom of expression and access to
information, among others.
She
added that the training course will provide tips for media houses and
journalists to be able to identify security threats.
In
his remarks, Hamadou Tidiane Sy, lead facilitator for the training course and a
journalist, said he was strict and hard on journalists during the training
course, because he wanted them to be more professional and responsible in all
that they do, especially as regards the journalism profession.
He
always wants the best out of journalists, especially because “we are doing a
job that is very much criticised not only in The Gambia, but also in the
sub-region and the world.”
He
tried as much as possible to conduct the training with the best of methods, by
also trying to know the problems and challenges of journalists both in the
field of reporting and in their media houses.
He
is proud of journalists who bring respect and honour to the profession due to
their job performance and sound integrity.
“When
I consider you as my fellow colleague journalist, I want you to respect this
job to the level I give it. Giving it respect is what makes others to respect
our profession.
“I
am very passionate about this job, extremely passionate about this job, and
very jealous about this job. People have been presidents, fine - they are happy
to achieve their goals - but I am proud to be a journalist, and wherever people
are talking about journalism, I want this job to be defended.”
“If
we as journalists don’t believe in our profession, no one else will ever
believe in our profession.”
