PHOTO: L-R Malcom Joseph, CEMESP boss, Media Foundation logo
Improving press freedom and safety of journalists is a project underway to benefit thirty journalists in Monrovia, the Center for Media Studies and Pacebuilding (CEMESP) disclosed in Monrovia at the weekend.
The workshop will be conducted Saturday August 22nd at the ideal venue of I-Campus that makes for social distancing and COVID 19 prevention protocols.
Media Foundation for West Africa is partnering with its Liberia national partner CEMESP on the project, an August 20, 2020 press release from CEMESP says.
The Executive Director of CEMESP Malcolm Joseph says “we are grateful to the Embassy of Netherlands in Ghana for seeing the need to support the training at this challenging time.”
Senior journalists based on gender inclusivity are key consideration in the selection of participants for the one day capacity building training of trainers. It is therefore expected that those trained will replicate the training content in the various media outlets, newspapers, radio television and online platforms.
This project makes the assumption that where journalists know the safety issues in covering and reporting stories they will be self-guarded from running to troubling situations at this time of COVID 19 and the unfolding electioneering process.
Already, local trainers have been identified to present topics that include: Basics of Safety in Journalism: Risks Awareness and Physical Safety, Working with the Security Agencies, Digital and cyber safety and Identifying safety mechanisms available to journalists.
CEMESP training workshops are always subjected to pre and post test evaluation that probes participants’ expectation and appraisals of content and delivery of resource materials and persons.
This is not the first time Media Foundation for West Africa has partnered in conducting safety training for journalists in Liberia. The past general and presidential election an extensive capacity and rapport building engagements between journalists and the Police leadership was held in Monrovia.