Local Journalists yesterday completed a-three-day training on Human Rights and conflict reporting that was held at Hotel La Palisse Nyandungu. The workshop which started on June 7th-9, 2012 addressed several challenges journalist face while covering stories about Human Rights and Conflict. Speaking after the workshop, William Oloo Janak, Regional Coordinator of Press Freedom Advocacy at the East African Journalist Association (EAJA) said they are keen to build the capacity of journalists to report effectively on Human Rights and conflict situation. “Many countries in Eastern Africa have had conflicts and journalists have not known how to approach them very well. For the last three days we have been understanding conflict, human rights, and indentifying situations and how journalists can write stories on the above issues sensitively,” said Oloo. “The most important thing is how journalists can write stories that indentify and further the cause of Human Rights and conflict sensitively so that we don’t have more conflict in countries that are recovering from conflict”.Besides being a facilitator of the training and a Media Consultant, Oloo is the Chairman of the Kenya Correspondents Association. The East African Journalist Association is made up of Journalists Unions from ten countries and Rwanda Journalist Association is also a member. According to Gonzaga Muganwa, a journalist with Rwanda Dispatch and also a participant of the workshop, reporting on Human Rights and conflict tends to be controversial in some ways. “It’s important that we have the needed skills, knowledge and sensitivity to understand if there is a conflict, what is the opposing side what are the contestation. Having such skills we got from the workshop will help us inform Rwandans and even shape public debate in a way that will help to solve conflicts,” Muganwa said “It could have been just three days but the interaction with experts in the long term will produce good work. I have learnt to avoid being sentimental and that it’s important to always be impartial when reporting on conflict,” Muganwa disclosed. The workshop was organized by Rwandan Journalist Association and the East African Journalist Association with support from
