UN, partners support journalists training on ethical reporting in the context of elections

 The Campaign for Free Expression, with support from the United Nations in Eswatini, the High Commission of Canada, British High Commission and the Coordinating Assembly of NGOs (CANGO) is hosting a two-day training on the coverage of national elections.

The training, facilitated by Dr. Maxwell Mthembu, a journalism lecturer at the University of Eswatini, has been supported as part of the year-long campaign to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, led globally by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

It was attended by over 30 journalists mainly from online and digital media. The workshop centred on ethical standards during elections coverage, starting from the build up to, during, and after the 2023 elections, and in the elections that will follow in the future.

After the two-day workshop, the Campaign for Free Expression will host the second edition of the annual Freedom of Expression Summit, which was held for the first time in 2022. The Summit aims to encourage issues of freedom of expression in media and promote a culture of free, fair and responsible journalism in Eswatini.

One of the participants of the training, Nomsa Mbuli, an online blogger and columnist for the Times of Eswatini, had this to say after the first day of the training. “There is a lot that we have learned, especially the issue of ethics when reporting. If you are writing for the public, there are ethics to follow. One issue that stood out for me was the protection of sources. It is important to protect your sources because you are not only protecting them but you are also protecting the journalism profession.”

Thabo Moloi from the Swaziland Democratic News says he learnt a lot about credibility as a media house. “As SDN we have learned about the need to develop a website and exploring ways for monetizing our online business,” he said.

Timothy Simelane, a veteran journalist who has worked for the Times of Eswatini and Mail and Guardian in South Africa encouraged online media to network more to learn from each other as well as from other stakeholders. “There is a need for you to come together as online media so that you can develop programmes for improving yourselves,” he said.

During the training, Musa Ndlangamandla represented the Campaign for Freedom of Expression. the UN was represented by Laila Nazarali, Senior Human Rights Adviser and Sibusiso Mngadi, Communications Coordinator, both in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office.