By Fatmata Jengbe
In a bid to improve the prowess of journalists, especially reporters, to professionally report and enhance public sensitization on Transitional Justice in the country, the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) with support from the African Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) on Friday 12th June, 2020 conducted a one training workshop for media practitioners geared towards changing the narrative on transitional justice reporting in Sierra Leone. The event took place at the MRCG Head office on Brook Street in Freetown.
In his statement, the Chairman of the Media Reform Coordinating Group MRCG, Dr. Francis Sowa, disclosed that with support from the African Transitional Justice Legacy Fund for the next one year they will be engaging the media to change the narrative on Transitional Justice (TJ) issues in Sierra Leone in order to enhance Transitional Justice Reporting in the country.
He said that the major focus of the Project, which started in February 2020, is to utilize the services of media institutions and practitioners to increase public awareness on transitional justice mechanisms, including tracking the implementation of the recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report.
He further disclosed that the Project started with a baseline study of media institutions (including editors and station managers) and some local and national organisations to gauge knowledge of transitional justice issues in Sierra Leone furthering that the findings of the study formed the basis for the conduct of regional trainings for journalists/reporters to popularize transitional justice issues.
He said that the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) was established to strengthen democratic dialogue, consolidate peace and ensure development through a professional, independent and sustainable media based on the right to freedom of expression and of speech. According to him it comprises ten media organisations, policy-making bodies and academic institutions in the country stating that it was established as part of the media development strategy which is the outcome of a study that was conducted in 2014 to map the capacity needs of the media in Sierra Leone.
According to one of the beneficiaries of the training, Fatmata Jengbe, the training was very educative as she was privileged to imbibe significant insights into issues relating to transitional justice reporting.
