“I acquired new skills in conflict-sensitive journalism and writing humanitarian news stories. I learned what it meant to be a truly professional journalist, to be in the midst of the people, and report events objectively,” said Safa Obeid, an announcer at Shabwa Radio Station. Twenty journalists were trained in the workshop on conflict-sensitive journalism which was implemented by SEMC in cooperation with Friedrich Ibert Foundation.
At the end of the workshop, Shabwa governor, Mohammed Saleh ibn Adyu, urged participating journalists to adhere to professional ethics as they deal with sources of information and to seek the truth. He called on journalists to remedy the negative impact of conflicts and to spread tolerance, fight hatred and violence, and avoid excitement and fake news.
SEMC coordinator, Raghda Abdulhakeem, explained that the workshop aimed at building the capacity of journalists in conflict-sensitive journalism, and enhance their skills of professional unbiased reporting. She added that participants were trained to convey the voices of vulnerable groups objectively, their ultimate goal being alleviation of suffering.
On his part, program director at Friedrich Ibert Founndation, M. Qayyah, that the foundation seeks to enhance the role of the media in peace-building and to improve journalists’ performance in this respect.
“The workshop was meant to train journalists on conflict-sensitive journalism, and to enable them to convey people’s suffering to the concerned authorities and to contribute to peace-building,” Qayyah added.
Participants were impressed with the skills they acquired during the three-day workshop.
Balquis Channel correspondent, Saleh Al-Muharraq, said, “The workshop was overdue, as we in Shabwa are in dire need of training on conflict-sensitive journalism in particular. The training material was valuable. We acquired new information and skills.”
On her part, Hiyam Al-Qarmushi, a journalist, said, “The workshop was very helpful. We acquired new skills such as writing humanitarian news stories and focusing on community issues. We would like to thank the organizers for this badly needed workshop.”
SEMC is a non-profit civil society organization advocating a successful and transparent Yemeni economy. It seeks to raise awareness of economic issues, promote transparency, good governance, citizen participation in decision-making, and free and professional media, as well as economic empowerment of youth and women.
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