Journalists Dying. Help Needed Now
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Journalists Dying. Help Needed Now. This is a Compassionate Campaign by Africa Press International (API)
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Eight (8) Journalists have died covering the Ebola crisis since its outbreak. Many more are extremely afraid to go out to report on the effects of Ebola.
The reason is simple:
Local Journalists in the three main countries affected: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea lack protective equipments and gadgets to help minimize the risk. Their fear is very justified because eight Journalists have died already from Ebola related incidences. This is exactly the risks the press is facing.
Their lives are at great risk and therefore they cannot venture into the field to report on the level and impact of the crisis without proper protection. Many of these journalists are poorly paid and barely have necessary working journalism tools? As a result the crisis so far is being massively under-reported. Because of this, the understanding of what is actually happening on the ground is limited, there is less sensitization of the masses in relation to proper safety procedures etc. This is actually affecting the process of seeking elaborate solutions.
The fact is that local Journalists are in a far better position to report heart touching human stories of misery, survival, bravery and sacrifice…and record all what is happening for posterity. They are already on the ground. It is their countries. They know the stories of survival and bravery, the stories of orphans left by parents; the feeling, the emotions, the sufferings, the pain felt by little children without parents; the pinch of completely collapsed economies; the real smell of death; and lives of hopelessness. No one else is in a better position to tell a better story than the people living the nightmare?
But these Journalists have a problem. They lack protective equipments. Therefore their lives are practically at great risk.
The lack of protection is having a deflating effect on the morale of journalists:
Speaking to the World Post Newspaper, Sierra Leonean Journalist Lewis, declared that: “We don’t have any of those protective measures like the foreign media. We are just making sure that we follow the rules--no touching, wash your hands with chlorine, don’t get too close to people,”
In Liberia, female Journalist Azango asked: “Where will journalists get hazard kits when even health workers don’t have enough and the government doesn’t want us to report?”. She added, “We are on our own. I wear a long-sleeve coat, put on rain boots, and have a hand sanitizer in my bag when I go reporting. That’s all.”
Hearing their stories has caused some of us to shed tears. As fellow Journalists we owe them our support. That is why Africa Press International (API) is asking for your compassionate donations to help raise €148,000 ($185,000) to literary help save their lives by providing protective equipments, communications gadgets and training guides to Journalists in the three main countries affected (Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea).
Journalists are humans too. Save the life of a Journalist today.
The funds will be spent by:
1) Buying and supplying protective Eguipments e.g face masks, disinfectant sprays, bio-hazard kits: plastic overalls, sterilized gloves, boots, chlorine, Eye protection gadgets etc.
2) We intend to also provide communication gadgets and training & security manuals in printed booklet format. The Committee to protect Journalists-CPJ created a Journalist Security Guide but it is online on their website. Internet reach is very low in those countries so Africa Press International wants to prepare a booklet to distribute to hundreds, if not thousands of media personal.
Please kindly donate today. Pass this word around.
NOTE: Donors will be acknowledged on the websites of Africa Press International (API) and African Celebrities Magazine (ACM).
Important Quotations
Basic equipments can cut stress of “scary assignment” David McKenzie (CNN)
“Reporting about Ebola can be a very emotional and scary reporting trip” David McKenzie (CNN)
References: Reporting on Ebola
1) Journalist dies of Ebola in Sierra Leone http://www.tvcnews.tv/?q=article/journalist-dies-ebola-sierra-leone
2) Reporters struggle to stay safe covering Ebola by Judith Matloff
http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/dangers_of_reporters_covering.php?page=all
3) American photographer Pete Muller for The Washington Post. http://youtu.be/C5rHLXyFckA
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Eight (8) Journalists have died covering the Ebola crisis since its outbreak. Many more are extremely afraid to go out to report on the effects of Ebola.
The reason is simple:
Local Journalists in the three main countries affected: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea lack protective equipments and gadgets to help minimize the risk. Their fear is very justified because eight Journalists have died already from Ebola related incidences. This is exactly the risks the press is facing.
Their lives are at great risk and therefore they cannot venture into the field to report on the level and impact of the crisis without proper protection. Many of these journalists are poorly paid and barely have necessary working journalism tools? As a result the crisis so far is being massively under-reported. Because of this, the understanding of what is actually happening on the ground is limited, there is less sensitization of the masses in relation to proper safety procedures etc. This is actually affecting the process of seeking elaborate solutions.
The fact is that local Journalists are in a far better position to report heart touching human stories of misery, survival, bravery and sacrifice…and record all what is happening for posterity. They are already on the ground. It is their countries. They know the stories of survival and bravery, the stories of orphans left by parents; the feeling, the emotions, the sufferings, the pain felt by little children without parents; the pinch of completely collapsed economies; the real smell of death; and lives of hopelessness. No one else is in a better position to tell a better story than the people living the nightmare?
But these Journalists have a problem. They lack protective equipments. Therefore their lives are practically at great risk.
The lack of protection is having a deflating effect on the morale of journalists:
Speaking to the World Post Newspaper, Sierra Leonean Journalist Lewis, declared that: “We don’t have any of those protective measures like the foreign media. We are just making sure that we follow the rules--no touching, wash your hands with chlorine, don’t get too close to people,”
In Liberia, female Journalist Azango asked: “Where will journalists get hazard kits when even health workers don’t have enough and the government doesn’t want us to report?”. She added, “We are on our own. I wear a long-sleeve coat, put on rain boots, and have a hand sanitizer in my bag when I go reporting. That’s all.”
Hearing their stories has caused some of us to shed tears. As fellow Journalists we owe them our support. That is why Africa Press International (API) is asking for your compassionate donations to help raise €148,000 ($185,000) to literary help save their lives by providing protective equipments, communications gadgets and training guides to Journalists in the three main countries affected (Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea).
Journalists are humans too. Save the life of a Journalist today.
The funds will be spent by:
1) Buying and supplying protective Eguipments e.g face masks, disinfectant sprays, bio-hazard kits: plastic overalls, sterilized gloves, boots, chlorine, Eye protection gadgets etc.
2) We intend to also provide communication gadgets and training & security manuals in printed booklet format. The Committee to protect Journalists-CPJ created a Journalist Security Guide but it is online on their website. Internet reach is very low in those countries so Africa Press International wants to prepare a booklet to distribute to hundreds, if not thousands of media personal.
Please kindly donate today. Pass this word around.
NOTE: Donors will be acknowledged on the websites of Africa Press International (API) and African Celebrities Magazine (ACM).Important Quotations
Basic equipments can cut stress of “scary assignment” David McKenzie (CNN)
“Reporting about Ebola can be a very emotional and scary reporting trip” David McKenzie (CNN)
References: Reporting on Ebola
1) Journalist dies of Ebola in Sierra Leone http://www.tvcnews.tv/?q=article/journalist-dies-ebola-sierra-leone
2) Reporters struggle to stay safe covering Ebola by Judith Matloff
http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/dangers_of_reporters_covering.php?page=all
3) American photographer Pete Muller for The Washington Post. http://youtu.be/C5rHLXyFckA
Organizer
Larry Bate Takang
Organizer
