Over 15 journalists in Yei River County of Central Equatoria State have undergone training in investigative journalism and human rights reporting.
The three-day training was organised by Mission for Sustainable Advancement (MSA) with support from the United States Embassy in Juba. It was concluded on Friday.
Speaking to the media in Yei town on Friday, MSA Project Coordinator Sheba Martin Murangi said the project targets over 70 journalists across the Equatoria region.
“It started in Yambio town of Western Equatoria and will finish in Torit after Yei, and the purpose of the training is to guide the journalists to work within their ethics,” she said.
‘’The American embassy has funded the training; we are the implementing partner. The project targets over 70 journalists across the Equatoria region. It is all about capacity building for the journalists on investigative reporting. I found that our journalists need a lot of capacity building because we get into problems just because we are not working within our ethics,” he added.
Sheba further urged the journalists to practice the knowledge they had gained during the three-day training workshop and appealed to the county commissioner to cooperate with the journalists working in the area.
Hawa Adam, a representative of the journalist at the training workshop, said: ‘’we have to be very careful when we are reporting, documenting more especially when we go to the freedom square. How we conduct ourselves is very important, and I know that as we go outside, we can put the knowledge we have received into practice’’.
For his part, Yei River County Commissioner Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa urged the journalist not to fear the authorities and work within their ethics.
‘’Please do not fear security organs, because you will be their interesting point when you fear. Because security is to investigate suspicion, and if they suspect your information, they will analyse it because they can only detain you,” he said.
Yei River County is one of the areas affected by the conflict in the Equatoria region, where human rights abuses are reportedly committed against civilians by armed elements and organised forces.