Tom Vernon is a reporter with Global TV in Regina. In the winter of 2013, he reported from Sierra Leone and served as an expert trainer with Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) in Sierra Leone as part of the Shaw Africa Project.
Mr. Fred, Mr. Pineau, Mr. Korven. Mrs. Wardley, Mr. B, Mr. Hailes, I think I get it. I think I’ve discovered the secret behind why you all chose to be teachers. I had the aha! moment today.
The catalyst for this trip to Freetown, Sierra Leone is a partnership between Global News and Journalists for Human Rights. Global is sending eight journalists to west African nations (I’m number 5) to work with young journalists on how to properly report human rights stories. Since being founded nearly a decade ago, JHR has developed a remarkable program that is very simple to follow and has yielded some very strong results.
My placement is at a radio station attached to Fourah Bay College called Cotton Tree News. Most of its staff has either graduated from or is currently studying mass communications at the college. The station is also a long time partner with JHR, and the longer serving members speak glowingly of past trainers. Right from the get-go I was welcomed into the newsroom from both the leadership and students, and right from the get-go the questions and thirst for discussion followed.
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What JHR teaches these journalists is called PANEL, which stands for Participation, Accountability, Non-discriminating, Empowerment and Linkage to Human Rights, the five key factors to reporting a human rights story.
After going through those five points and how they should be applied, the discussion began. We spoke in depth about what each section means, and we spoke about the proper voices to speak to. The rights-holders, the duty-bearers and capacity supporters. We spoke of different scenarios and topics, and probably the most interesting one was how to report stories about Charles Taylor.
Taylor was the Liberian dictator recently found guilty of war crimes at the Hague for his involvement in the Sierra Leone civil war. In exchange for blood diamonds he funded rebel forces, prolonging the conflict. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison for these crimes.
The discussion went through the proper way to report the court proceedings, how to report the evidence that was presented as well as how the defence countered, each side getting a fair and unbiased portrayal. We spoke about how to report the verdict and sentencing.
What has hit a nerve with many people here is that Taylor is appealing his conviction, and the question came up, do we report about this appeal as if we would a trial. A judge has already found him guilty, is it not alright to push against his appeal. That brought us back to non-discrimination, and the fact that even though he was found guilty, his appeal should be reported factually. Yes, he was convicted of heinous acts, but you must give the defence team an opportunity to respond until his appeals are exhausted.
This is where the aha! moment came. Surrounded by five young journalists, having a healthy discussion and being asked question after question. They all told me that they want to be human rights reporters, they want to make a difference in their communities. They want to push back against corruption and abuses, and with big smiles they all thanked me for the discussion. They all had that moment at some point in the discussion where they took the lead and pointed out which area in PANEL a certain aspect fits.
Mr. and Mrs. Empson, Mrs. and Mr. Shukin, Miss Hart, Mr. L and Mr. Stoltz, I think I get it.
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