YJAG executive calls on media chiefs

News, Banjul The Gambia- The executive members of the Young Journalists Association of The Gambia (YJAG), on Monday 18 January 2010, started their tour of media institutions, to discuss with media chiefs the welfare of the young reporters in their various media domains.

The executive first met with the proprietor/managing editor of Today Newspaper, Abdul Hamid Adiamoh, at his office along the Kairaba Avenue before meeting with the proprietor/managing director of the Daily News, Madi Ceesay, at Churchills Town. Speaking at both functions, Assan Sallah, president of YJAG, said the reason for the courtesy calls is to discuss with the heads of media institutions in the country about the welfare of the young journalists in all aspects of their profession.

Sallah used the platform to call on the media chiefs to provide in-house trainings for the young reporters, increase their salaries and organise them in a better way, so as to enable them deliver as expected. He said the tour of media institutions is not a familiarisation tour, rather as stated , to create a platform for discussion with the media chiefs about the welfare of their young reporters. He also informed the media chiefs that YJAG has plans to come up with a series of training programmes for its members as part of its 2010 Action Plan and called on the media heads to support them realise their objectives.

Speaking earlier, Mamadou Edrissa Njie, YJAGs 2nd vice president, gave a historical background of the association. He said YJAG was established on September 16th, 2007 with the objectives to promote unity among all young journalists in the country, provide training in the form of capacity building, and address the welfare of young journalists, among others.

The organisation, he added, is also tasked with the responsibility to facilitate the recruitment of young journalists in the media profession and build capacities among its members. He then revealed that YJAG at present has a membership of over 150, including the press clubs in the senior secondary schools across the country. In response, Abdul Hamid Adiamoh, the managing editor of Today Newspaper, thanked YJAG for taking the initiative and encouraged them to make their association a study group.

According to Adiamoh, his newspaper attaches great importance to the welfare of his reporters and promised that he would also increase the payment of his freelance reporters. He called on the young journalists to work hard and improve on their writing skills.

Madi Ceesay, the proprietor of the Daily News, also described the topic of discussion as important, adding that the young journalists are the life blood of any newspaper. Ceesay also outlined some of the constraints faced by the media heads in printing their newspapers but promised that he would soon increase the salary of his staff in order to meet their demands. The tour continues today at Foroyaa and the Daily Observer newspapers .
Author: by Omar Wally Daily Observer