The United Nations Communications Group (UNCG) has called on the Liberian media to elevate human values through their reportage, regardless of the social status in the society.
The call was made at the start of a two-day training organized by the UN Communications Group, held at a local hotel in Monrovia Wednesday, September 20, 2023.
The training, which has over 30 participants from several media entities, runs from September 20-21, 2023 and is being held under the theme, “Media empowerment for sustainable development: navigating the SDGs.”
Addressing the gathering, the UN Associate Development Coordination Officer for Communications and Advocacy in the UN Resident Coordinator Office, Gradiah W. Bou Hussein, said the use of “disadvantaged”, “zogos” and other unpleasant words to describe “at-risk” youths in Liberia has a negative meaning and perception about those citizens.
According to her, the UN remains firm to leaving no one behind and respecting everyone in the society, and as such, it is worth mentioning that Liberian journalists desist from misterming those “at-risk” youths in their news stories.
“There should no program created or put in place to stop people from calling their fellow citizens disadvantaged youths and zogos, only because they are seen differently in the communities or the larger society, but these names are not good and that’s where the journalists should be doing their jobs through their various platforms,” Madam Hussein said.
The UN Associate Development Coordination Officer for Communications and Advocacy admonished the media practitioners to consider this as one of their responsibilities across the country, to create a free and smooth space for every Liberian.
At the same time, Madam Hussein disclosed that the UN is working on a program with the government, to be launched for the rehabilitation of “at-risk” youths in the country.
She made it emphatic that the United Nations body does not have a specific program designed to be exclusively executed in any of its member countries without the national government.
According to her, the body’s programs align with the national government’s agenda, inasmuch they support and protect human rights and dignity and focus on sustainable development, peace, and stability.
Madam Hussein noted that the pending program is a joint initiative with the Liberian government, the United Nations, and development partners.
However, our reporter said day one of the two-day event addressed information and elections: misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information, and hate speech in the digital era.
Other issues included freedom and responsibility of the media, objective and election reporting, among others.
