By Mabinty M. Kamara
As part of its 50th anniversary activities, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has in partnership with academics from Bournemouth University in the UK launched a survey to assess the impact of COVID and other public health emergencies on journalists in Sierra Leone.
The study, launched on Monday 22nd February at a virtual symposium according to it designers aims to understand the state of disaster-preparedness among media personnel and communicators, as well as capacity-building needs across the nation.
In his statement at the symposium, the President of SLAJ, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, said, that the country’s news industry has been seriously impacted by COVID-19 and that the survey will allow for better understanding in order to come back stronger.
“When crises hit, getting the correct information to the public can be the difference between life and death. A well-prepared journalism sector will be critical to any future response and I call on all news media personnel to take part in this important survey,” he said.
Bournemouth University has a track record of working with a multitude of stakeholders and partners in Sierra Leone, including national and local government, towards strengthening the country’s disaster management system and has worked directly with them during major disasters such as the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
Speaking at the symposium on the need for capacity building of locals for disaster preparedness, Lee Miles of Bournemouth University said disaster is always local as the local people are the first to experience and the last to forget it.
He added that Crisis communication was critical in dealing with disaster management, citing a case of the 2014 Ebola pandemic in the country.
Dr. Chris Baker-Beall, the lead academic for the project at Bournemouth University said the survey is part of a larger effort to strengthen disaster resilience among journalist’s and communicators in Sierra Leone.
“It helps us understand the capacity-building needs of the news media in light of COVID-19 and other disasters, and offer focused training to journalists and news media outlets. This is crucial, given the nation's vulnerability to natural disasters and public health crises.”
Principal Academic at Bournemouth University, Dr. Jamie Matthews, said that they were delighted to partner with SLAJ on the project to build disaster resilience in Sierra Leone.
She added that the survey covers the Western Area and all provinces of the country asking journalists about their news work, resilience training and the impacts of Covid-19.
During the virtual engagement, both print and electronic media journalists shared their experiences of how the latest disaster; COVID affected their job with some having to be laid off by their employers. At the end of the symposium, the senior journalists present pledged their commitment to effective participate in the survey.
The project is a £1.5 billion fund by the UK's Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) that supports cutting-edge research to address urgent needs and challenges faced by developing countries.
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