Liberia: Community Radio Journalists Receive First-ever Recognition
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Loading... - Ashanti Quaye
- 17 Feb 2023
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It was a great surprise for Jenneh Kemokai to receive her first award this year since becoming a community radio journalist in 2008 in Grand Cape Mount County.
Jenneh, among four other men, received her award from Internews in Environmental Reporting after going through a rigorous vetting process upon submitting her entry in that area. “This is the first for me to receive from Internews since I started practicing, and I am just so grateful to Internews for allowing me to submit my entry for this award. I am interested in Environmental Reporting, and this award makes me motivated to do more,” said Jenneh in a remark.
Rural journalists rarely receive awards as done to Monrovia-based journalists during the Press Union of Liberia’s award ceremony that comes once a year to recognize high performing journalists. In fact, a lot of them find it difficult to become members of the umbrella organization due to their status.
To become a member of the PUL to participate in the award competition, one must have practiced for not less than three years with a recognized media institution, and possess a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication.
Though a lot of rural journalists practicing with community radios have undergone training conducted by many international organizations including Internews and can practically perform on the radio like any trained journalist in Monrovia where most nationally recognized radio stations and newspapers are based, community radio journalists, because of the procedures associated with becoming a member of the PUL and their locations, have found it difficult to get recognition for their performances over the years.
With the intervention of Internews and its partners, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), community radio journalists cannot wait to express their gratitude for spotlighting their work to gain recognition among their colleagues too.
“I appreciate Internews for the recognition today in Ganta. This is the first time for me to have such an award with a cash prize and a new phone. I am happy for this and I hope this will continue to see other community radio journalists receiving awards in their respective areas of reporting,” Joseph Titus Yekeryan of Radio Gbarnga in Bong County expressed.
Besides the certificates of appreciation awarded to the five community radio journalists for reporting in the areas of Gender, Human Rights, Agriculture, Health and Environment, each awardee got a cash prize of an unspecified amount and a CAMON 18 smartphone.
The award ceremony was a part of activities marking World Radio Day celebrated on February 13, 2023 in Ganta, Nimba County.
The celebration was organized by the Association of Liberian Community Radios (ALICOR) a media organization for rural journalists across,
ALICOR’s President, Lawrence Tokpah, commended Internews and its partners for the honor bestowed upon the rural journalists and the plan they have to help alleviate sufferings community radios are encountering in the propagation of information in Liberia. Read More…
