THE Journalists’ Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET) in collaboration with Internews is carrying out the first ever Editors’ Forum on biodiversity conservation and wildlife reporting.
The Consultative Meeting with Tanzania Editors Forum starts in Morogoro today under a project dubbed ‘Donor Internews Earth Journalism Network’s East Africa Wildlife and Conservation Journalism’.
JET Executive Director Mr John Chikomo said that the project seeks to improve media coverage of environment and conservation issues in East Africa states of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
He said the forum also seeks to equip editors with the requisite knowledge to deal with stories filed by their journalists.
Objectives of the Editors meeting are to build the capacity of East African editors, producers, and media leaders to understand the importance of biodiversity and support coverage of topics related to it by building their skills, knowledge, and networks.
It also seeks to improve the quality of media reporting on the coverage of corridor/ connectivity and biodiversity conservation issues.
The expected outcomes of the consultative meeting with editors are that Tanzanian journalists attain the capacity and knowledge of biodiversity conservation issues to effectively investigate report and analyse.
Another is that Tanzanian newsrooms use acquired investigative, reporting, and analytical skills to generate reliable, regular and transparent flow of information from citizens to decision makers and other stakeholders on the coverage of wildlife and landscapes.
“JET wants to see that networks are created linking Tanzanian editors’ groups at the district level to counterparts at the national, levels working on wildlife and landscapes and that there is an increase in quality and quantity of stories on wildlife and other landscapes,” he said.
JET is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), actively involved in the media coverage and community engagement on issues of environment and sustainable development, with the aim of raising public awareness on environmental conservation and related challenges.
It is an organization of professional communicators with members in mainstream media houses in Mainland and Unguja and Pemba. Members are situated from all media outlets, such as radio, print, television, blogs, and other electronic media channels. JET’s means of engagement is mainly through conventional and social media.
