By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Resident Representative of the Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS) Harouna Moussa has urged Sierra Leonean Journalists to provide credible and accurate information about the electioneering processes of the country, reminding them of their crucial role in Society.
“We have barely a month to the general election, and as we approach this critical juncture where citizens are called to exercise their franchise, it becomes imperative for us to ensure that the information reaching our citizens is accurate and meets the professional and ethical standards,” he said.
He was speaking at a two-day engagement with senior journalists in the Western Area on Thursday 25th May 2023 jointly held by the Electoral Commission Sierra Leone (ECSL) and ECOWAS in Freetown.
Acknowledging the crucial role of the media, Mr. Moussa said the media serves as a primary source of information for citizens during elections and that it provides voters with essential information about candidates, political parties, their manifestos, and programmes, as well as electoral procedures.
He emphasized that access to accurate and timely information is crucial for citizens to make informed choices and thus actively participate in the democratic process of electing leadership
“Sierra Leone has diverse ethnic, cultural, and linguistic communities, and the media is expected to play a crucial role in bridging these divides by ensuring equitable representation and fair coverage of all political actors and activities, devoid of misinformation, disinformation, hate speeches, incendiary statement, incitement to violence and deepening of cleavages,” he said.
Speaking at the event, the Vice President of SLAJ Sahr James Bangah noted SLAJ’s commitment to partnering with the ECSL to ensure a free fair, and credible election.
He acknowledged the crucial role of the media in a critical period like elections. “We believe journalists serve as watchdogs to keep the public informed, and put government officials in check,report election campaigns without prejudice, provide information about a candidate and parties, fact-check statements made by politicians, and investigate and expose any election fraud or violations.
He called on the ECSL to ensure information that is of public interest is available. He also noted the safety and security of journalists during their work as journalists.
Enrico Sborgi, Programme Manager, Governance and Civil Society delegation of the European Union (EU) emphasized the critical role of the media in ensuring a peaceful and democratic society.
He expressed hope that the participants will use their platforms to deescalate political tensions amongst citizens and supporters and instead “promote peace by choosing to remain neutral, nonpartisan, refuting prejudice, refraining from promoting hate speech, especially in these periods leading to elections in which there exists the most potential for heighten tensions through the misuse of the media space” .
Mr. Sborgi assured of the EU’s commitment through the GIZ-EPSAO to strengthen the capacities of the Elections Management Bodies, and other relevant stakeholders as they strive to deliver in their role as an unbiased umpire.
In his keynote address, the Chief Electoral Commissioner of ECSL, Mohamed K. Konneh expressed delight that they have released the most demanded voter register centre by centre. He acknowledged that they were pressured to release the data but they waited for the right time. He noted that Media and Communications are very paramount in his work. That is why he said they had to meet ECOWAS and GIZ to support their interface with the media.
The election Chief noted that the commission’s website has been upgraded and regularly updated.
He noted the information disorder posed by social media through misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information. “It is worrisome the extent to which social media is being used despite the good intention of creating a global village where within a second, you can communicate with your loved ones and bring information to the public. It has created a situation, especially for Election Management Bodies in the World,” he said.
He therefore urged media practitioners to be mindful of the information they put out.
Facilitating the training, Reverend Father Suma Ph.D also noted that the role of the media is very crucial in democratic elections.
He highlighted the critical role of the print and electronic media in SL in terms of ensuring a democratic space, saying that the radio is still more democratic because of its reach, access, and participation.
Taking participants through the Independent Media Code of Practice on election coverage, he said the media has the responsibility to give equal coverage on the manifesto launch of all political parties.
In an effort to create sanity in reporting the election results, Zainab Moseray- ECSL Commissioner West encouraged journalists to desist from publishing repeat broadcasts of provisional results.
One of the facilitators at the training was IMC Chairman Dr. Victor Massaquoi
Copyright © 2023 Politico (26/05/23)
