Somalia
Somalia has been in a state of instability and civil conflict since 1991, with numerous internationally backed attempts having failed to bring peace to the country. Threats against media workers and institutions make violence one of the main obstacles to press freedom in Somalia to day.Archive
- How much will my goats fetch today?
- Somali reporters trained on reporting in crises
- Dadaab, Kenya: Humanitarian Communications and Information Needs Assessment Among Refugees in the Camps”
- Lives of refugees in Dadaab worsened by lack of information
- Refugees in Dadaab in dire need of information
- Reporting from the worst famine in decades
- Broadcasting vital humanitarian information to drought-stricken Somalia
- Radio ERGO gives a voice to the people of Somalia
- Violence threatens press freedom
- Somalia Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly of SOJON, 2004
- Report of the SOJON (now NUSOJ) General Assembly with Theme of "Somali Journalists meeting for Unified Profession", 2004
- Assessment of Media development and Free expression monitoring activities in Somalia, 2004
Somali reporters trained on reporting in crises
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In a region fraught with conflict and natural disasters, the information needs of refugees and internally displaced people in Somalia are immense
Setting out to improve the skills of local Somali journalists, local radio service Radio Ergo and UNICEF Somalia recently conducted a five-day multimedia workshop for 27 journalists in Hargeisa on how to report in crisis situations
"Correct information is essential to accurate reporting", Ahmed Ali Mohamed, one of Radio ERGO's trainers, told the Somali journalists at the workshop.
"Somali Journalists have a lot of missing knowledge," Mr. Mohamed said to UNICEF. "For example, they report on food distribution and press conferences but often don't go to the field and assess first-hand what the population is experiencing or needs."
Watch a video here from the training workshop produced by UNICEF.
Radio Ergo is on the air daily, broadcasting valuable information on protection, human rights, conflict prevention, health issues, livestock and farming, and other key issues. Through its presence in areas of Somalia with limited or no humanitarian access, the radio also plays an increasingly crucial part in the communication between the international aid agencies and the Somali people.
Together with Internews and Kenyan Radio Star FM, Radio Ergo recently carried out an assessment of information access and needs in the world biggest refugee camp Dadaab housing over 400,000 refugees on the Kenyan/Somali border. The result of the assessment showed that 70 per cent of the refugees surveyed did not know where to go for basic information on how to register themselves upon arrival and where to find medical assistance.
Radio Ergo is currently planning to assist Radio Star FM to set up a unit for radio drama production in Dadaab aimed at reaching refugees within the camp on key issues. The radio service recently launched their new website on http://www.radioergo.org/ (in Somali) producing news and updates on the dire situation in the Horn of Africa.
Radio Ergo is supported by International Media Support through its daughter company IMS Productions ApS with a branch office in Kenya.
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