Members representing four SOMA member media houses participated a one- day Civil Society Media Workshop organized by the Somali South and Central Non State Actors (SOSCENSA).
The Civil Society Media Workshop has been conducted at the conference hall of SOSCENSA on Thursday, February 22, 2018.
Members from other media organizations, the national media, university academic, SOSCENSA members from regions, SOSCENSA member from cooperatives in Mogadishu and the Somali civil society based in Mogadishu and some other regions have also participated in the one-day meeting
The Civil Society Media Workshop was follow up of recommendations made during previous meeting held on January 17, 2018 focusing on the need for SOSCENSA to engage in establishing a focal point office for cooperating with the media and strengthen advocacy, development and defending the media.
The Civil Society Media Workshop covered the main topics relating with Developing the journalists, Implementing press freedom, participation in the implementation and carrying out the media law and implementing the ethics of the media and the journalists of the privately owned media, while keeping in mind that there is written copy on the ethics of the journalist jointly prepared by SOSCENSA and the private media.
The constraints pointed out during the workshop discussions include: the media needs awareness raising, improvement in their way of presenting the news and programs and the media need training on civic education to promote public nationalist sentiment.
Also, the other challenges mentioned were: to provide the media environment for freedom of expression and improved security situation, the media needs to have nationalist sentiment and on job training and increase of their salaries. It was indicated the misuse of the social media is also a challenge to be addressed.
The representative from the universities has pledged that they are prepared to provide civic education training for the media staff and suggested the need for the civil society organizations to strengthen unity.
It was suggested to establish a platform for information and experience sharing between the veteran journalists and the present young journalists, to use the social media positively, the journalists to be neutral and to provide award for the best journalists in outstanding practical performance improving social issues for the public interest. It was also suggested to raise the awareness of the media owners and Directors to make efforts for improving the quality and conditions of the journalists working for the private media.
In conclusion, SOSCENSA appreciated the participants for attending the workshop and mentioned that platform for further discussions and debate will be coordinated and process of employing a focal point person to cooperate with the media is going on.
It was also mentioned that a draft protocol will be made in designing the model of cooperation for the awareness raising tasks.
The participating media organizations were offered with an opportunity to present issues that may need for SOSCENSA to undertake advocacy and lobbying for presenting those issues to the concerned stakeholders and donors engaged in supporting the Somali media.
The members from the Somali Media Association (SOMA) participating the Civil Society Media Workshop were included Radio Risaala, Radio Mustaqbal, Radio Star FM-Somalia, Radio Himilo, and Radio Haatuf.