By Cathy Maulidi in Capetown, South Africa:
Pan-African Parliament (PAP) President Chief Fortune Charumbira has described the media as key in promoting parliamentary openness.
Delivering his keynote address during a PAP capacity building workshop for media in the southern African region, Charumbira said media practitioners play a central role in the flow of information from parliaments to citizens.
“You have a role to educate people when they do not understand some issues. Always stick to factual reporting; do not mislead the people who rely on you for facts,” Charumbira said.
Charumbira’s keynote address also centred on 20 years of PAP’s existence after its establishment in 2004.
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He said it was important for PAP to engage 20 parliamentary journalists from southern Africa in order to discuss the role of the media in shaping PAP’s next two decades.
“The media has not done very well in reporting issues of PAP. We are here to ensure that you are well informed about PAP and its mandate. PAP is your forum; use it to advance the interests of citizens across the continent.
“What we are seeking with the media is a permanent, continuous and sustainable engagement. We need to work together. There are many good stories; tell the continent what we are doing. I’m not saying you shouldn’t report on the bad things; let any truth come out,” Charumbira said.
A parliamentary expert and coordinator of the African Parliamentary Press Network Gilbert Borketey Boyefio hailed PAP for organising the media training workshop.
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‘Capacity building for parliamentary journalists is critical. It is just unfortunate that many of the media houses in the region do not have enough resources for capacity building. There are two critical fields; court and Parliament. These two can get you in trouble and even in prison if you are not well trained. So, training is crucial,” Borketey Boyefio said.
Mabatho Lithebe, editor for News Radio in Lesotho, said the workshop enabled her to understand the role and functions of PAP.
Journalists from South Africa, Malawi, eSwatini, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zambia took part in the activity.
