Journalists plan media-govt dialogue

KIGALI - Members of the media fraternity met in Kigali yesterday to draft proposals they will present at the National Dialogue on Media Development slated for November 25 -26. Discussions were held on the best way to draw the government’s attention to various challenges hampering media development. Ignatius Kabagambe, the Director General in the Ministry of Information, said that the dialogue will seek to address among others, the problem of low professional capacity of media practitioners and the lack of meaningful investments in the Rwanda media industry. “The government wants to make sure that media develops as fast as the country’s economy, and that will be achieved by encouraging professionalism and making it more competitive,” said Kabagambe. “In this dialogue, we will review media policy by putting into consideration concerns and views of the practitioners.” Kabagambe added that there is urgent need to embark on mobilization of investments in the media industry as a way of uplifting the standards of journalists. It was observed in the meeting that several professional journalists quit the media due to poor salaries. Gaspard Safari, the president of the Rwanda Journalist Association (ARJ), said the dialogue could enhance media vibrancy and encourage more people to invest in the sector. Ends