The 2024 World Press Freedom Day is running under the theme, “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the Environmental Crisis”.
The NECJ reiterates the important role of the media in raising public awareness and influencing policy on environmental issues.
This implies creating a conducive environment for the media to effectively play its pivotal role of raising public awareness, risk communication, holding authorities to account and the promotion of good environmental practices.
As the NECJ, we firmly believe in the ability of the media to raise awareness and influence policy on environmental protection hence our continued efforts to create synergies between local communities and the mainstream media.
This is critical in ensuring information flow between local communities and duty bearers as well influencing policy that ensures sustainable use of the environment.
As local communities from various areas of Zimbabwe continue to grapple with a number of environmental issues, the NECJ appreciates the role of the media to act as the voice of the voiceless. In this respect, the media is an important catalyst for raising awareness, information dissemination and risk awareness as well as ensuring environmental justice.
The NECJ reiterates that integration of information communication technologies and environmental awareness campaigns is key especially in this digital era hence our ongoing campaigns to train and recruit citizen journalists in various communities as a way of ensuring information flow on environmental issues.
The role of community radio stations to disseminate information and influence policy cannot be overemphasized. The NECJ believes in creating synergies between local communities and community radio stations as a way of amplifying the voices of communities.
The NECJ appreciates efforts by the Government of Zimbabwe and Development Partners in tackling the environmental crisis and we reaffirm the critical role that the media can play in this regard.
As a network of community based organizations pushing for environmental and climate justice, the NECJ restates that press freedom is critical to allow the media to amplify issues related to the environment as well as pushing for sustainable use of the environment.
It is thus critical that the legal as well as political environment allows for journalists to operate in a conducive environment that allows for free flow of information as the nation strives to tackle the environmental crisis.
Post published in: Featured