By Nelson Manneh
Mr. Pap Saine, a veteran journalist and country representative of Global Journalist Association, reporter for RFS and a co-publisher of the Point Newspaper, said the Government of the Gambia promised to do away with the draconian laws hindering the freedom of journalists in the Gambia.
Mr. Saine made these and other statements in a press briefing that took place on Saturday, 7th October 2017, at his residence in Latrikunda Sabaji, after attending a seminar in France were RFS journalists converged to discuss issues regarding their reporting.
Mr. Saine said during the seminar, they discussed issues affecting journalist and journalism in the various countries, who were represented at the gathering; that the Gambia was among forty-seven African countries represented.
According to him, he acknowledged the good move taken by the New Government in making information accessible to the journalists and the public at large. “I told them that in the Gambia now, the press is better than during Jammeh’s regime. Now information is easily accessible and journalist are not maltreated like before,” he said.
The veteran journalist said notwithstanding, he told the gathering that the Government of the Gambia does not give any subvention to media houses in the Gambia which makes their work very difficult.
Mr. Saine said he also made mention of some of the challenges the Gambia media faces especially with funds.
“I told them that in the Gambia, the departments who give adverts to the newspapers always pay late and this affects the welfare of the media and the journalist at large,” he said.
The RFS reporter in conclusion, said as an organization, RFS looks at the welfare of journalists around the world; that the participants urge the involvement of other organizations such as AU, UN, to make the job easy for them.
