Africa-Press – Seychelles. 15 Seychellois journalists satisfied with lessons learned
The three-day journalistic training on sensitive coverage of tensions, conflicts and crises ended this Friday, June 16 at the Escale Resort & Spa. 15 journalists representing the Seychellois media expressed their satisfaction after this program offered by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)
Journalistic ethics, identification of audiences and their needs, safety of media personnel and use of artificial intelligence were on the menu of this training given by journalist and media expert Jean-Luc Mootoosamy, and Rassin Vannier, journalist and president of the Association of Media Practitioners Seychelles (AMPS). Proposed by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) as part of its “Governance, Peace and Stability” (GPS) project, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), this training aimed to provide journalists with tools to be more effective in times of tension, conflict and possibly crisis.
The main trainer, Mr. Mootoosamy, insisted on the right choice of words, the application of basic journalistic rules in sensitive situations. He said he was happy that his Seychellois colleagues were able to put the lessons given into practice and encouraged media managers and editors to also adopt these practices as well as the content of a journalistic coverage charter which is being prepared. “Even if not all the content of this charter can be applied for editorial reasons, it is important that journalists try to apply it in their productions to maintain their level of professionalism,” said Mr. Mootoosamy.
He added that he was touched by the interest of the participants and their curiosity. “We had journalists from several age groups who spoke to each other candidly. This is very encouraging for sharing experience and for the future,” said Mr. Mootoosamy.
Mr. Vannier, for his part, said that the AMPS will continue to seek training opportunities for the media and called on media professionals to participate in the calls for applications to be part of the next training courses planned, in particular within the framework of the GPS project.
The journalists present were surprised to receive a written message from the President of the Republic, Wavel Ramkalawan, at the time of the presentation of the certificates of completion of training. Mr. Ramkalawan, on an official mission, thanked the IOC for making this training possible as well as the trainers for what was accomplished in three days.
The basics of journalism, the safety of journalists, the dangers and opportunities of artificial intelligence “are subjects that correspond to the needs of our country”, wrote the President of the Republic.
“I want you to make the best use of these teachings for the benefit of Seychellois. As patriots, let you be professional journalists,” concluded President Wavel Ramkalawan.
Juliette Dine added that this type of training is very rare at the moment and she really liked these refresher sessions.
Alyssa Uzice, another journalist, also pointed out that she would take part in other trainings of this kind and she strongly hopes that newsrooms allow their journalists to achieve this.
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