CEMESP Sees Media As Strength of Democracy

Monrovia , November 20, 2006: The Center for Media Studies & Peace Building (CEMESP) has opened a six-week journalism training course in Monrovia , with calls for the media to remain a bastion for the strengthening of democracy in Liberia .

Speaking at the opening of the workshop in the auditorium of the AME University in Monrovia on Monday, CEMESP Chairman Abdullai Kamara said the media has been in the forefront of restoring peace and building democracy in Liberia , noting that there is no time for which this role must cease. Read detail

CEMESP Launches Media Development Website

MONROVIA, MARCH 16, 2006: A new website to showcase issues relevant to the media and peace building in Liberia, www.liberianmedia.org has been lit up by the Center for Media Studies & Peace Building (CEMESP) with support from the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The site was open on Wednesday, March 15, 2006.Read Detail

CAPACITY BUILDING

Rural Radio practitioners benefit from peace-making training
In March, 40 community radio practitioners from the counties of Bong, Lofa, Nimba and Gbarpolu completed a three-day training workshop organized by the Liberia Media Project (LMP). Speaking at the opening of the workshop, LMP Coordinator Abdullahi Kamara said the media should be fully involved in the reconstruction of Liberia and there is a need for community media to be a part.

The participants were taught basic skills in media reporting and peace-making concepts.
Upon completion of the workshop, the participants were awarded cassette recorders and digital transistor radios. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Zorzor Mayor Zubah Johnson said the workshop helped to expose the community to the “wind of reconstruction blowing across the country.” He said he regretted that the war had left the town bare, adding that the workshop will help to revive residents’ pride.

Contact: Abdullahi Kamara, liberiamediaproject@yahoo.com

Community radio workshop to focus on journalism ethics
In late April and June, Liberian journalists are to benefit from UNHCR-supported workshops in reporting techniques and journalistic ethics.

Contact: Annette Rehrl, REHRL@unhcr.org

UNICEF to conduct workshop for community radio producers in May
In May, UNICEF-Liberia and its partners plan to hold two separate workshops for community radio staff on: Avian Flu and Cholera; and the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting.

Contact: Patrick Slavin, pslavin@unicef.org, or mhill@unicef.org

Newspaper reading workshop to be held in schools in late April
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) is sponsoring a workshop on reading newspapers to be held from 20 to 23 April. While most of the 200 participants will be students, 35 teachers and journalists will also benefit from the training. The workshop will be facilitated by Solomon Ofori of the Media in Education Trust of Ghana.

Contact: Dr. Aralyn Abare McMane, Director, Young Reader Programme,
WAN, amcmane@wan.asso.fr or
Sam Dean, director, Newspapers in Education, publisher2G2@yahoo.com
World Association of Newspapers has conducted a survey of printing facilities in Monrovia. If you are interested in the report contact, amcmane@wan.asso.fr

Dutch donor supporting television and photography development
FREEVOICE, the Dutch media development funding agency, is supporting:
• research on television development in all Ecowas countries through the Media Foundation for West Africa (April 2006- June 2007); and
• an exchange program utilizing Dutch media practitioners. FREEVOICE will soon support a workshop in which a Dutch photographer will help to train Liberian newspaper photographers.

Contact: Brigitte Sins, Program Manager Africa, Brigitte.sins@freevoice.nl, or the editor of Clearinghouse Newsletter

UNMIL training activities update

UNMIL will conduct a series of three-day community radio sustainable training workshops at six locations outside Monrovia in June 2006. It is currently seeking partners to help support the workshops which are aimed at empowering all 40 community radio stations in Liberia.
UNMIL also plans to conduct a “training of trainers” refresher course in late June. Other UNMIL plans slated for the April-June period include the start of a project to create standard curricula for media training workshops and a business skills training workshop for Monrovia-based media.

Contact: James Wolo, email: woloj@un.org

Press Union of Liberia workshop in ethics and human rights
With support from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) will conduct three regional workshops for journalists between May and June 2006. According to PUL Secretary General Alphonsus Zeon, the main focus of the workshops will be ethics and human rights.

Contact: Alphonsus Zeon, email: ayzeon@yahoo.com

LAW AND POLICY REFORM
Consultative meeting on media law reform in late April
The final validation meeting for two draft bills on media reform will take place in Monrovia from 25 to 26 April.
If enacted, the bills would create a freedom of information law and a media regulatory commission.
The meeting will ensure that the draft bills are in line with universal standards of free _expression and help stimulate public debate to foster the passage of the draft bills into law. The consultative meeting is supported by International Media Support and Unesco.
In support of efforts to enact the media reform, the Liberian Media Law and Policy Reform Working Group and UNMIL plan to hold two seminars for members of the Senate and House Committees on Information and Broadcasting in May.

Contact: Malcolm Joseph, malcolmjoseph2000@yahoo.com

MEDIA SUPPORT
Mercy Corps supports two new community radio stations
Mercy Corps has now launched 22 independent community radio stations in Liberia. Launched at the beginning of April, the most recent of the stations are The Voice of Rural Montserrado, which is located in Bensonville, and the University of Liberia Campus radio station.
In addition to providing radio equipment, Mercy Corps is also installing solar panels to power the community radio stations it helped to establish. Mercy Corps will provide the lists of stations it has equipped upon request.

Contact: Paul Seidi, pseidi@yahoo.com

FREEDOM OF _EXPRESSION
Clearinghouse members can receive freedom of _expression information via e-mail alerts
The International Freedom of _Expression eXchange (IFEX), the world network of 72 free _expression groups, would like to send interested Clearinghouse members e-mail messages on the following:
• Action alerts on Liberia from groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and the Media Foundation for West Africa (roughly one alert is distributed per week)
• Action alerts for all of West Africa
• The IFEX Communique, a weekly newsletter highlighting free _expression issues around the globe.

Contact: Nick Fillmore, West Africa Programme Officer, fillmore@ifex.org

Contact: alerts@mfwaonline.org

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP
Partnership for Media and Conflict Prevention in West Mission to Liberia
The Partnership for Media and Conflict Prevention in West Africa plans to undertake a return mission to Liberia tentatively scheduled for 4 to 10 June. The focus of the mission will include:
1. An assessment of Partnership actions from December 2003 to date.
2. Reassessing the media environment and identifying priority activity areas.
3. Dialogue with the international community and national authorities on press freedom and media development issues and funding options.
4. Implementing activities and refining national and international coordination mechanisms.
The partnership was created in 2003 with the objective of facilitating collaborative approaches for supporting local media to preempt and mitigate the effects of conflict in West Africa. The partnership utilizes the diverse expertise and resources available among regional and international media development and freedom of speech actors, thereby offering a unique approach for the provision of assistance.
In this regard, holistic interventions relevant to local needs and reflecting the objectives of international actors can be designed and implemented covering the broad spectrum of media related concerns. This collaborative process serves to enhance the potential impact and creates stronger sustainability options for activities through ensuring long-term perspectives based upon strong local ownership and the division of tasks between long- and short-term actors.