WIMISOM organized a three-day Training for Journalists on Reporting on Puntland Local Government Elections in Galkaio today. The training was held for twenty-five journalists from different media houses in Galkaio. The training was held from 15 to 17 of December 2022.
The training is intended to enhance journalists’ understanding of the Puntland electoral system, election laws, election reporting procedures, the role of the media in election coverage, and the safety of journalists during elections. The training also intended to improve journalist capacity in providing effective coverage to female candidates in line with increasing political participation of women.
In his opening remarks on the first day of the training, WIMISOM Head of Programs Yahye Mohamed Mohamud stated the objective of the training and the role of journalists in covering the planned local government elections in Puntland. He emphasized the potential of the workshop in improving the capacity of journalists.
Mudug region Representative of Puntland Ministry of Information Burhan Mohamed Abdi encouraged journalists to put in effort to familiarize themselves with the legal framework and reporting guidelines of elections so they take their important role effectively and professionally.
The Director General of the Puntland Ministry of Interior, Federal affairs and Democratization Abdullahi Said Aw-Yusuf who gave remarks at the opening of the training has encouraged the journalists to apply the knowledge and skills they gain to their work in reporting elections and to be considerate of the sensitive nature of elections.
During the sessions of the training, participants engaged in group discussions to facilitate brain storming and learning with feedback and contribution from the trainers. The sessions of the training also facilitated experience sharing among themselves with the backdrop of previous elections and the challenges that come with covering and reporting on popular elections. The training will contribute to improving the journalists’ understanding of the role of media during local government elections including fact-checking, information gathering, and responsible reporting in the different stages of elections. This will result in enhancing journalists’ skills in exercising responsibility during reporting in the sensitive election cycle and avoiding inflammatory reporting.
The journalists appreciated the effort of WIMISOM and the support of UNSOM, in creating such a learning opportunity for them, and they have pledged to put into use what they learned from the training and to conduct their work professionally with regard to existing guidelines and with knowledge of election legal framework and consideration of the local context and reality.
The training was implemented with support from the United Nations Support Office in Somalia – UNSOM.
