Africa-Press – South-Sudan. By Bida Elly David
Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO) in collaboration with the light for the World yesterday started a three-day workshop aimed at training editors on disability reporting skills under the theme: amplifying voices of persons with disabilities for influencing decision making.
The major aim of the training was to enable editors to develop skills regarding the proper use of language and terminologies towards reporting cases concerning persons with disability. The training was attended by a number of editors and representatives from different media houses.
Speaking during the opening of the event yesterday, Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director for the (CEPO)said that the use of good and clear language in reporting issues concerning persons with disability should critically be considered by editors and reporters to avoid stigma.
Yakani pointed out that the use of words such as disabled, suffering from, mad person, victims, handicapped, idiot, crazy and many others were words to be removed while reporting on issues concerning persons with disability to avoid stigma discrimination among them.
He underscored that editors being people concerned with editing news should cross-examine the language used by reporters in their stories should to mitigate thoughts of stigma discrimination among persons with disability.
‘’I need to make it clear that the use of good and clear language in reporting issues concerning persons with disability should critically be considered by editors and reporters to avoid stigma. Use of words such as disabled, suffering from, mad person, victims, handicapped, idiot, crazy and many others are words to be removed while reporting on issues concerning persons with disability to avoid stigma discrimination among them. Editors being people concerned with editing news should cross-examine the language used by reporters in their stories should to mitigate thoughts of stigma discrimination among persons with disability’’Yakani said
Yakani added that persons with disability were part and partial of the society who demand respect and integrity when talking about them. Furthermore, Yakani said that disability was a concern of society but not for individuals.
He underscored that additional indoor media training by every media house through funding was a concern to mitigate the problems caused by passive language use in reporting. However, he said that the use of language was a power of truth and the neck of the brain towards reporting issues of people with disabilities.
‘’Disability is a concern of the society but not an individual’s concern. Indoor media training by every media house through funding was a concern to mitigate the problems caused by passive language use in reporting. Use of language is a power of truth and the neck of the brain towards reporting issues of people with disabilities. He said
In his part, Yakani Stephen, a project officer for Light for the world said that calling persons with a disability using bad names was not a fair initiative since they were part and partial of the society.
Stephen said that the initiative taken to train editors on the use of language towards people of disability would reduce the rate of discrimination and stigma among them.
‘’The organizers should next time make a pictorial demonstration on the use of passive language such that it is understood. The initiative taken to train editors on the use of language towards people of disability would reduce the rate of discrimination and stigma among persons with disability. I urge the organizers to next time make a pictorial demonstration on the use of passive language such that it was understood.
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