iWatch Africa trains Ghanaian newsrooms on online abuse and harassment

iWatch Africa, a non-profit media and policy organisation dedicated to promoting transparency and accountability, organised a training session to help media organisations deal with online abuse and harassment.

Online harassment of journalists in Africa has become a growing concern in recent years. Journalists who cover contentious social and political issues are increasingly being targeted for abuse on social media and other online platforms, including violent death threats and rape.

Women journalists and rights activists face an additional burden, in that, they are also attacked purely on the basis of their gender.

Speaking to Asaase News, Philip Banini, team lead for the initiative, explained that the project’s goal is to empower newsrooms to educate their employees, journalists, about information and disinformation in the media space.

“This project in particular, we are organising it to empower newsrooms to sensitise their workers, journalists, in terms of information and disinformation in the media space.”

“We’ve monitored the media landscape and realised that during elections in particular, there are a lot of information on the internet that are not accurate. Sometimes it leads people to make certain decisions that do not go well for their country,” he said.

Banini emphasised that because journalists serve as intermediaries between society and politicians it is critical that they are empowered to provide effective information to the public.

Also on her part, Doreen Raheena Sulleyman, urged journalists, particularly female journalists to report instances of abuse in the workplace to the appropriate authorities.

“You should report to your newsroom manager, your editor, or even the general manager. Every institution has its own designated channels for reporting issues, so it’s important to follow the correct procedure.”

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