Led by President Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, members of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and its affiliate bodies held an engagement with the New UNDP Resident Representative Frederick Hans Ampiah and his core team at his Fourah Bay Close office in Freetown.
Nasralla briefed the UNDP Resident Representative and his team on SLAJ and the media landscape in Sierra Leone looking beyond just what one sees in the newspapers and hears on radio and television.
He talked about media pluralism (its positives and negatives), media ownership, media poverty and reporters’ welfare, media viability and sustainability, media freedom and responsibility, countering disinformation, misinformation, fake news, and hate speech, and the strides SLAJ and its local and international partners (including the Government of Sierra Leone) are making towards media development. Nasrallah further talked about the establishment of the National Fund for Public Interest Media to promote public interest and accountability journalism, and the SLAJ Media Manifesto (The Media We Want) which he described as the Association’s ‘strategic development plan’ and a ‘guidebook’ for media development interventions in the country.
The SLAJ President emphasized the need for what he calls a ‘strategic partnership’ between SLAJ and the UNDP to promote development journalism in such areas as the Sustainable Development Goals and climate change. “The media should not be seen as a mere outlet for the dissemination of development news but as a key partner in planning and driving that development,” said Nasrallah, and assured the UNDP boss of the full cooperation of SLAJ. In response, the UNDP Resident Representative said he now has a fair understanding of the media landscape in the country beyond reading the newspapers. He expressed his desire to work with SLAJ and the media through supporting capacity building in line with specialized reporting, development Journalism, and promoting media sustainability initiatives.
“Let me reaffirm the UNDP’s commitment during my term here to strengthen the media in Sierra Leone to drive positive change and amplify the voices shaping Sierra Leone’s future. We are proud to partner with SLAJ and others for media development. We will also be involved with the SLAJ Annual Media Awards as part of our contribution to promoting professionalism and excellence in the media,” said Ampiah. Ampiah highlighted four things that he would like SLAJ and the media to prioritize: i) Coordination and partnerships within and outside the media and civic space; interfacing with other non-media organizations and spaces, and exploring partnerships and engaging differently at different levels. ii) Taking hold of the development space by making sure the media is not treated as an afterthought in the national development agenda but as part of the development communications policy. Ensuring the media is involved from the word go. iii)
The need for specialization to promote analytical and in-depth reporting in critical areas like climate change and the environment, health, agriculture, and development initiatives, and iv) Capacity building to maintain professionalism, responsible and ethical reporting. Meanwhile, Ampiah commended SLAJ’s relationship with the other media stakeholders, noting that in some countries, it is difficult to have different media groups all sitting at a table to discuss in a peaceful way matters affecting them. However, he encouraged SLAJ to also coordinate with other sector players, like the private sector, for a vibrant media landscape. -Story by Mabinty Kamara, Vice President of Women in the Media Sierra Leone.
