As away of advocating for the representation of SRHR issues of the minority groups in media coverage, UGANET engaged journalists to train them on how to write stories concerning different groups of people to bring out their voices without stigmatising any of them.
This engagement focussed on ensuring that journalists have all they need to enable them properly and accurately report on matters concerning SRHR and issues about reporting about HIV for the benefit of the people living with the virus.
It also targeted training journalists to know better about reporting on different groups of people such as people living with disabilities, so that they dont send out messages that are sensational that end up hurting those groups instead of passing information.
Previously, some journalists just used to report without evidence, facts and without knowing what exactly they are talking about which would cause a lot of chaos in the lives of these people such as sex workers and their children and it would be hurting the families of these people.
Journalists need to know that the stories they write should be for the benefit of the whole community therefore they should be careful about the way they report stories of the minority groups and the language they use while referring to these people.
Speaking to journalists during the training, Advocacy and strategic Litigation officer in UGANET Jovia Mirembe, encouraged journalists to refer women going through suffering in silence to refer to UGANET to be helped seek justice knowing that all people in different groups have Human Rights.
She highlighted that some journalists tend to report their stories based on cultural beliefs which in most cases is unfair to some groups. For example some stories that make men superior than women according to culture leave women unfavoured violating their rights.
One of the journalists Josephine Ndagano shared her experience in reporting on SRHR on different groups and commended UGANET for changing her life especially basing on the language she is now using when reporting such stories.
