At the launch, Saikou Jammeh, Editor-in-Chief of Malagen, spoke of his platform’s resolve to continue embarking on innovative channels in all aspects in terms of business model, so as to explore public support system for investigative journalism.
Jammeh reminded that ‘Malagen’ is a parlance derived from Jola language meaning 'the truth'.
"In terms of our capacity we will expand knowledge and skills and with the support of US Embassy and Freedom House, we are launching a fellowship where we will train young people from different media houses so that the knowledge and skills of investigative journalism can go beyond Malagen. We are also working on extending our partnership beyond bounders." he said.
Elysee Sindayigaya, representing Freedom House, expressed his institution’s resolve to support the launch of his organization as an investigative journalism platform that would present the rebirth of serious investigative journalism in The Gambia.
"At the time when press freedom and independent journalists are under threat in many parts of the world, we believe ‘Malagen’ to focus on indepth reporting and uncovering stories that matter is crucial for transparency, accountability and good governance in the Gambia," he said.
Jammeh spoke highly of the investigative organisation’s commitment in nurturing independent journalism and telling stories that matter to the people of the Gambia, something he believes, is an important step towards the goal for Gambian journalists to tell Gambian stories.
He said that at Malagen, they expect reporters and journalists to report on issues that go unnoticed in the country.
Susan Solomon, Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy, reminded that free and independent media is essential for any democratic society to thrive.
She said their embassy believes that a free press is essential in The Gambia as journalism is still recovering from years of oppression.
"Journalists in The Gambia should be commended for their resilience and valued efforts to rebuild the media."
Ms. Solomon said her embassy would continue equiping journalists with the necessary tools to ensure accuracy, for responsible journalism especially in this ever-changing media landscape.
