The Gambia Press Union on Monday began the first of three training workshops to be conducted in February for 75 journalists on ethical reporting, code of conduct and the role of the Media Council of The Gambia (MCG).
The activities are being held with an overall objective of seeing an observable decrease in unethical reporting within the Gambian mediasphere.
The first set of 25 participants drawn from newspapers, online platforms, radio and television are being trained from 10-11 February, 2025; a second set of 25 journalists from the various media platforms will be trained from 12-13 February; while a third set of 25 journalists from community and rural radio stations will be trained from 24-25 February.
The training activities form part of a two-year project meant to “Strengthen Public Access to Information and Media Professionalism in The Gambia” funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF).
The objectives of the training includes educating journalists and media houses about the role of the MCG as an independent regulator; promote ethical reporting practices and professionalism among journalists and media houses in alignment with ethical journalism standards; and to ensure journalists are well-informed of the application of the Cherno Jallow Charter of Ethics for Journalists (the industrywide code of conduct for journalists).
“This training is both timely and essential, as it will provide journalists with a practical framework for upholding ethical journalism standards,” GPU Vice President, Sheriff Saidykhan, said.
“The Cherno Jallow Charter of Ethics remains a fundamental guideline for journalists, reinforcing key principles such as accountability, fairness, accuracy, public interest, and impartiality,” he said.
Mustapha Mbye, a representative of the Editor’s Forum on the Governing Council of the MCG, said that “journalists must seek the truth, provide context, and act independently to avoid conflict of interest.”
“Ethical journalism is the foundation of credible reporting, and journalists must uphold truth,be responsibe, and transparent in their work,” Mbye said in his keynote address. “The GPU has developed a Code of Ethics that aligns with international journalism standards. It is crucial for journalists to familiarize themselves with these guidelines and apply them in their reporting,” he said.
The Executive Secretary of the MCG, Bai Emil Touray, encouraged journalists to critically analyze issues affecting the public and strive for quality reporting. “Media professionals must learn from each other and continually improve the standard of journalism in The Gambia,” said Touray, who is also a trainer.
About the MCG
The Media Council is an initiative pioneered by the Gambia Press Union (GPU) with the support of the UNDEF with the objective of promoting and upholding the highest professional standards for journalism in The Gambia.
It was established in December 2018 as an independent self-regulatory mechanism for addressing public complaints against the conduct of journalists. Its mandate includes regulating editorial content across all media platforms – print, radio, television and online – by monitoring compliance with and implementing the industrywide code of conduct that establishes ethical standards for journalism in The Gambia.
The Council is governed by an 11-member Governing Council comprising representatives from the government, media, civil society, private sector, women rights activists and differently able groups. The Governing Council has a dual role of exercising oversight over the secretariat and serving as an Appeal Panel while the Ethics Panel presides over public complaints with respect to media publications.
