Journalists receive safety tips

Associations of journalists in Rwanda, Eastern African and the European Union, have advised journalists to always take precautionary measures whenever covering stories in conflict areas.At a training workshop for journalists drawn from various media houses in Kigali on Tuesday, David Bevan, one of the trainers from Cadre Consult from the United Kingdom, said media safety techniques are important to increase the journalist safety awareness in conflict areas.According to Bevan, since 1992, around 1,000 journalists have been killed in the line of duty. “The numbers are increasing on a monthly basis, especially in conflict areas like Syria, while others have been abducted, hence necessitating the awareness campaign for journalists in Eastern Africa,” he explained.Participants were briefed on how to prepare for a journey to conflict areas: it was noted that most journalists, while going to conflict areas for duty, hardly prepare for the journey and they don’t carry the necessary equipment to the field.Sadidou Marong, from International Federation for Journalists, said the training was meant to ensure that no journalist was killed while on duty. “We don’t want to see journalists on the list of the dead any more, that is why we are training journalists to be aware of the dangers all the time,” he continued. Bevan, however, advised media organisations to increase their staff’s awareness on safety in the field, especially when deploying to conflict zones. The safety trainings should be included in the yearly budget and to include insurance and to supply protective equipment for journalists to safely carry out their tasks.

National

Journalists receive safety tips