Crisis Reporting: Safety and Security of Media Professionals under review in Buea

By Bakah Derick 

33 Media Professionals from the North West, South West, Littoral and West Regions of Cameroon are in  Buea to reflect on tools and ways of enhancing the safety and digital security of journalists in Crisis Reporting. 

Judith Kiconco Associate Human Rights Officer at the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa speaking at kickoff. 

According to the United Nations Human Rights Central Africa Regional office organisers of the two days’ come together, the  workshop is inspired by the over five years old armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions. 

“In particular Journalists and media professionals by nature of their work in crisis reporting and information gathering are disproportionately exposed to risk of threats, physical and online attacks, kidnap, torture and arbitrary detention by factions to the crisis. This is coupled with other forms of obstruction of journalistic tasks such as censorship and confiscation of work tools such as telephones, recording devices and computers of media professionals.” The workshop concept note states 

#ZumaSilicone 

Speaking at the opening, a majority of the participants have admitted that security online and offline remains a challenge. Their expectations range from learning techniques of staying safe online and offline, mastering protection tools during crisis reporting amongst others. 

Judith Kiconco Associate Human Rights Officer at the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa has encouraged the participants to master essential human rights laws that facilitate access and dissemination of information. 

#EndCovid237 #CmrFreeCovid19 

For two days, the media professionals will discuss amongst other things online presence and safety of journalists, mitigating risk in online journalism, ethics, deontology and citizenship and offline reporting: risk mitigating measures in field reporting during crisis.