Impact Story: How We Helped in Sierra Leone's Peaceful Elections
In support of the 2018 electoral cycle in Sierra Leone, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) implemented a program tagged Conflict Prevention and Mitigation Project (CPM Project), it was designed to contribute to a peaceful and secure environment during the 2018 electoral cycle process through preventive and mitigating measures.
Media Reform and Coordinating Group (MRCG) contributed to this noble project by setting up frameworks to ensure public security, civil protection, human rights promotion, and peaceful response capacities, and also provide capacity building on early warning response.
Our Intervention
Prior to the elections we embarked on a strategic training engagement and trained five hundred journalists, including editors and station managers, on the following key electoral issues:
• Covering and Reporting Elections,
• Conflict sensitive reporting
• Legal frameworks on Elections
• Guidelines on Elections Reporting in Sierra Leone (IMC Code of Practice)
• Safety and Protection of Journalists
• Dealing with Hate Speech, Fake News and Social Media
• Managing Information and Expectations in Elections
• Commitment to professional media coverage and conflict sensitive reporting on the electoral process.
We covered Bo town, Kenema town, Makeni town and Freetown.
Right after this, we proceeded to set up and operationalize a Media Situation Room (MSR) from where we could aggregate a clear report on the performance of the media during elections.
During the elections, the Media Situation Room received, processed and analyzed data and information from its monitors on the work of the media, and provided real time information on the performance of the media. These reports were processed and evaluated the Situation Room for any required action.
Media Reform and Coordinating Group (MRCG) contributed to this noble project by setting up frameworks to ensure public security, civil protection, human rights promotion, and peaceful response capacities, and also provide capacity building on early warning response.
Our Intervention
Prior to the elections we embarked on a strategic training engagement and trained five hundred journalists, including editors and station managers, on the following key electoral issues:• Covering and Reporting Elections,
• Conflict sensitive reporting
• Legal frameworks on Elections
• Guidelines on Elections Reporting in Sierra Leone (IMC Code of Practice)
• Safety and Protection of Journalists
• Dealing with Hate Speech, Fake News and Social Media
• Managing Information and Expectations in Elections
• Commitment to professional media coverage and conflict sensitive reporting on the electoral process.
We covered Bo town, Kenema town, Makeni town and Freetown.
Right after this, we proceeded to set up and operationalize a Media Situation Room (MSR) from where we could aggregate a clear report on the performance of the media during elections.
During the elections, the Media Situation Room received, processed and analyzed data and information from its monitors on the work of the media, and provided real time information on the performance of the media. These reports were processed and evaluated the Situation Room for any required action.
The Impact
For the first time in Sierra Leone's media landscape, there are now data on media performance in the electoral processes. There are facts and figures on thematic areas like General coverage and reportage on elections, specific electoral issues published on broadcast, such as the work of EMBs, NEC, PPRC, Security Forces, Judiciary, and also issues bordering on voter education, violence/intimidation, electoral offences, announcement of results, etc.
We can now also boast of data on conflict sensitive reporting (Hate speeches/messages, Inflammatory speech, Inciting violence, Promoting conflict, etc). On Election Day, the Media Situation Room put out two different press statements about its monitoring of the media. The data provided evidence and basis of interaction with media institutions where Committee members brought to the attention of some media institutions issues dealing with contravention of ethical practices.
In the end, our committment to a peaceful electoral process was established, and our contributions have developed a framework that can and will be used for future elections in Sierra Leone and the rest of Africa.
We can now also boast of data on conflict sensitive reporting (Hate speeches/messages, Inflammatory speech, Inciting violence, Promoting conflict, etc). On Election Day, the Media Situation Room put out two different press statements about its monitoring of the media. The data provided evidence and basis of interaction with media institutions where Committee members brought to the attention of some media institutions issues dealing with contravention of ethical practices.
In the end, our committment to a peaceful electoral process was established, and our contributions have developed a framework that can and will be used for future elections in Sierra Leone and the rest of Africa.