Support Authentic Journalism for a Better Democracy

The School of Authentic Journalism Makes the World a Better Place for Humanity

By Buya Jammeh
Class of 2011, School of Authentic Journalism

April 20, 2011

The importance of journalism in modern democracy cannot be overstated, simply because democracy cannot be efficient in the absence of divergent views on political and socio-economic developments, and the issues affecting the lives of ordinary citizens in any given country.

Buya Jammeh

My name is Buya Jammeh and I am an executive member of the Gambia Press Union. I currently live and work in Dakar, Senegal with Radio Alternative Voice for Gambians, an online radio station.

Its main objective is to provide the Gambian people with an alternative means of accessing information that is impartial and independent. Access to such information will enable citizens to make informed choices regarding the political, economic, social and cultural developments in their country.

Now that I am going to attend the School of Authentic Journalism, I find it quite intriguing, and I know that it will be very important to the work that I do. As a young journalist from a society where the people don’t enjoy media freedom, I believe that this school will undoubtedly enhance my skills on video production, investigative reporting and movement strategies throughout the course of my work.

These issues will help me a great deal, too, to effectively carryout my duty as a journalist from a country where journalists are faced with constant harassment, censorship, extra-judicial killings, and imprisonment with out due process of the law.

It will enable me to trigger political debate and influence people to take and affect democratic changes.

The Fund for Authentic Journalism is supporting scholarships for more than 40 students to attend the School of Authentic Journalism in Mexico, for a ten-day intensive training program in online reporting, investigative journalism, and viral video production.

Therefore, I would like to urge you to donate to the School of Authentic Journalism with money, or any other materials that you may have, such as laptops, digital cameras, recorders, or video cameras that you no longer use. (If you have any of this equipment that you can donate, please write to Narco News publisher Al Giordano at narconews@gmail.com as soon as possible.) This will enable us to sustain the training of future scholarship recipients to have the opportunity to attend the school. Please support a journalism that will create a better democratic governance and make the world a better place for humanity.

Please make a donation today, online, at this link:

http://www.authenticjournalism.org

Or you can make a check out to:

The Fund for Authentic Journalism
PO Box 1446
Easthampton, MA 01027 USA

Thank you,

Buya Jammeh

Lea Ud. el Artículo en Español

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