With the support of Media Foundation for West Africa in Ghana, the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) has on 18 May, 2023 organized a National Forum on Media Professionalism and the safety of Journalists in Sierra Leone at Gems Hall, in Freetown.
During the session, Dr. Francis Sowa, the Chief Executive Officer for MRCG highlighted issues and challenges Journalists always faced while they were in their line of duty.
According to him, one of the founding members for a whole Press freedom in Ghana which is Media Foundation that had been looking on the safety of Journalists in Ghana had extended their partnership to Sierra Leone to implement the same.
Mr. Sowa intimated that the forum gave them the opportunity to present their report they had been filing on the safety of Journalists from the previous years.
“By filing such report you need to seek the attention and views of the public and put some recommendations that will help to protect the safety of Journalists in Sierra Leone”, he said.
He mentioned that the previous report shows that there were several issues around the report of intimidation, harassment and detention of Journalists adding that the arbitrary arrest of Journalists has drastically reduced after the repealed of the criminal libelous law.
Dr. Sowa added that from the open forum discussion he learnt that, there are still issues of intimidation harassment and detention of Journalist.
He advised Journalist that there is no story worth dying for as journalists should always protect themselves when they are in line of duty.
At the ending of the training journalists were asked to bring recommendations on how to improve the safety of Journalist in Sierra Leone.
Dr. Tonya Musa is one of the facilitators who spoke of the safety of Journalists and Yeama Thompson speaks on Media and Professionalism in Sierra Leone.
