By Kemo Cham
The role the media played in the fight against the Ebola virus disease can`t go unnoticed, Kelvin Lewis, President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) said Friday.
He told the opening of the 44th SLAJ AGM the association was determined to pursue its role as contributor to national development as it demonstration in the course of fighting the deadly epidemic that has claimed thousands of lives since May last year.
Kenema city in the east of the country hosted this year`s AGM and the activities were held in the Holy Trinity Parish Hall situated at the entrance of the city. The theme was ‘Media`s Response to Ebola.’
The SLAJ leadership used the occasion as a launching pad for the next phase of its fight against the epidemic.
Various speakers saluted the media for its role in confronting the epidemic from the beginning, through those confusing days of denial on the part of the public and slow reaction on the part of public health authorities.
Beyond writing and talking, the press, through the umbrella journalist body, embarked on a massive nationwide sensitization by sacrificing both newspaper and air spaces for messages directed at the unsuspecting public on how to avoid the virus.
Le5.6billion equivalent was contributed this way, said Mr Lewis.
“This massive contribution cannot go unnoticed. With our intervention we significantly changed the narrative from denial to acceptance that ebola was real and not a witchcraft accident,” he said.
This performance by the media also reflects one highly commendable attribute of this last over one year in the power of collective effort.
Through SLAJ`s leadership, the media was united in the same direction, said Lewis.
“For once the media spoke with one voice. Our intervention was devoid of all party politics or religious affiliations and even all commercial interests. Together we stood as one family to give our best to our country. I thank God that I was able to witness this in my life time, because we all know how divided and controversial the media can be.”
The 2015 AGM brought together over 200 delegates from across the country.
In line with the theme, the head of the National Ebola Response Center (NERC), Alfred Palo COnteh, was billed to make the key note speech. He was however represented by the center`s National Coordinator, Steven Gaoja.
While it is true that Ebola has destroyed our nation, it is also clear that it has taught us one lesson, that is, if we stand together we can always be guaranteed of defeating our common enemy, Gaoja said, while stressing the role of psychosocial support in the fight against the epidemic.
The government was represented through the Ministry of Information and Communication, whose deputy minister, Theo Nicul, had the difficult task of addressing journalists at a time relations between the media and government was at its lowest.
One major manifestation of this is the obvious absence of an official representation of the Independent Media Commission (IMC) at the occasion. The only reminder of the existence of the media regulatory body at the gathering was the individual commissioners who went as delegates.
SLAJ withdrew its cooperation with the Commission after the controversial appointment of its commissioners without consulting the journalist body.
“We are not ignorant of the fact that the relationship [between SLAJ and IMC] is strange,” said Mr Nicul, adding that nonetheless the two were complementary institutions that shouldn’t work in isolation.
He compared government-media relations to marriage life, saying it gets difficult sometimes but that at the end “love prevails.”
Mr Nicul believes there is love relationship between his government and the media.
Amidst the praises showered on the media for its performance over the years and in particular in the fight against the EVD, there were a few words of caution for the small section which tends to deviate from the ethics of the profession.
In his welcome address as host of the 2015 AGM, Kenema City Mayor Joseph S. Kaifala sought to remind media practitioners of their crucial role as protectors of the larger interest of the public. He touched on the tendency for journalists to get influenced by financial inducement, among others.
“Journalism is only rewarding when you serve your conscience,” he said.
The two days AGM witnessed the launch of the maiden edition of the state of the media report by the Media Reform Coordinating Group.
An academic paper was presented and debated upon, around the theme of the AGM.
© Politico 09/06/15
