Women trained on Citizen Journalism
At least 40 Gender Champions were trained on Citizen Journalism which is one of the tools that is proving useful in information gathering and dissemination during the national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The facilitator highlighted that citizen journalism is an important aspect in information dissemination hence the need for members of the community to be equipped with skills and information on how to be effective in citizen journalism.
It was cited that citizen journalism acts as a response to the shortcomings in the mainstream media and helps in verifying the credibility of news being reported.
Proximity of the Citizen Journalist ensures the reportage of credible, accurate and impartial news. He went on to say that citizen journalism is advantageous as it focuses on small but real challenges in the community which ordinarily will not be covered by mainstream media which gives members of the community an opportunity to be heard.
Lack of accreditation of a Citizen Journalist can make it more burdensome to adequately gather, produce and disseminate information to members of the public. The impact of the consumption of news is limited especially if the reporter does not have a big following on social media platforms. Thirdly the reported news could be subject to bias and be one sided especially if the reporter is protecting themselves.
One of the participants asked that they be equipped with security tips in citizen journalism as they expressed concern in that some people get harassed and even beaten for taking pictures to use in reporting without a media card. it was advised that in such cases the reporter can declare their intentions to take pictures to the officials and authorities and get permission to do so.
One of the participants also expressed concern as they said it is now risky to share information as Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020 criminalises spreading of fake news.
Participants were encouraged to be active in citizen journalism during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic as it gives ordinary citizens an opportunity to share information on the state of preparedness to COVID-19 in their communities. It also gives them an opportunity to share the socio-economic effects of coronavirus on the vulnerable in the communities such as the elderly, children and child headed homes so that they can get social assistance.