Dozens of sports journalists have started a two –day seminar organised to fine-tune the sports press on the ever-changing demands of their profession. SJAG president, Musa Sise said the event is aimed at introducing fresh members to sports journalism as well as horn the skills of already practicing ones. ”Even Gambian sports is fast developing and it is important that the sports press is brought up to speed with the new trends. The idea is to interactively engage the sports press to self critique and aim high in terms of standard, ethics and style of reporting for print and electronic media as well as encourage specialisation,” Sise said. The GPU president, Muhammed S Bah, whose apex journalist body funded the training, said the GPU recognises sports journalism as the biggest and therefore very important segment of the union and urged participants to make good use of the knowledge gained in the training.
The guest speaker at the opening ceremony, Lamin Sanneh, a seasoned sports administrator and currently Permanent Secretary Office of the Presidents urged the sports press to uphold the very best of principles and help promote Gambian sports. ”The media has a crucial role in all aspects of sports, for without it, few will be inspired or interested in it,” he said,” Mr Sanneh took the sports press through layers of sports administration and management at local and international levels.
On the opening day, participants learned techniques of writing a sports story and shared their experiences in session chaired by Lamin Cham of The Standard. This morning, they will be taught on the methods of sports broadcasting on radio and TV to be chaired by Essa Jallow of GRTS while Referees Association head John Frank Mendy will discuss the trends in football refereeing as it relates to the media. There will also be a session on ethics in sports journalism to be chaired by Ya Amie Touray, a lawyer.
