By Sainabou Sambou and NyimaSillah
Gambian journalists drawn from the print and electronic media have been advised against being used to spread hate speech.
This advised was given during a three days capacity building training sponsored by the Gambia Press Union in collaboration with Beakanyang and United Nations Development Project.
The training held at the Baobab Holiday Inn, Senegambia aimed at advocating and preventing hate speech and do away with it in daily reporting.
Muhammed S Bah, vice-president of the Union, urged journalists against being used by politicians to castigate others while he described hate speech as “very dangerous to our democratic state.”.
“I am urging you not to allow your media house to be political agents to spread hate speech because politicians will want to use the media platforms to reach out to the audience. And journalists are to actually ensure they inform the public the right things that will maintain peace and stability in the country,” he told participants.
The executive Director of Beakanyang Nfamara Jawanneh also said: “if people use media platforms to castigate others because they belong to a different ethnic group then that media house is promoting hate speech.”
Young people are very important stakeholders in the fight against hate speech in The Gambia, while noting that “the training is very important because there are increasing concerns with regards to hate speech in the country, and as the elections is nearby, the media has to reintegrate hate speech itself.”
“We shouldn’t take things for granted or to say Gambians can’t do this. Sometime when you tune to some of our media houses (electronic) you can quickly notice from what they are saying that this is hate speech, media shouldn’t do that. I therefore wish to assure you our commitments in ending hate speech not in the media but across the country as a whole,” he said.
