BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA
Journalists have been implored to be impartial when reporting on land conflicts.
They should always reach out to independent and credible sources for clarification to avoid one sided coverage.
"Multiple sources must always be part of your stories in conflict reporting", insisted Dotto Bulendu, a journalism lecturer.
He said during a Webinar on land conflicts that the media has not always been on the right track in reporting such disputes.
This, he added, has been compounded by ignorance of some journalists on the existing land laws and policies.
"A reporter pursuing land crises should first ask himself or herself as to what the law (on the contested land) says", he told the Webinar.
Dr. Bulendu said the government has successfully won in such conflicts because the other side does not have correct data.
"It is simply because the media which is supposed to speak on behalf of those presumed to be denied of their rights did not have the correct information", he said.
The St. Augustine University journalism don further implored reporters to do enough research during their coverages on conflicts.
"You have to reach out to independent sources, researchers, lawyers, NGOs and the private sector among others", he pointed out.
The Webinar was organized by the Arusha-based Civic and Legal Aid Organization (Cilao) which has lately focused its advocacy on land.
Dr. Bulendu regretted that the government has always sided with the investors in land disputes pitting the latter and wananchi.
However, he noted that the communities have lost cases because journalists and others siding with them are ignorant of laws.
Boniface Mwabukusi, an advocate, urged the media to stick to solution-based journalism when reporting on land and other disputes.
He said the media should always make "independent" coverage of land conflicts with the goal to seek solutions instead of fueling them.
The lawyer noted, however, that government sources also fell under the multiple sources matrix of any editorial assignment.
"It would be improper to leave the government (authorities). You can't avoid the authorities as another credible source", he said.
A seasoned Arusha journalist, Grace Macha, echoed and rooted for capacity building workshops to journalists, saying some of them were not conversant with land legislations.
She said it was unfortunate that in some cases journalists on the beat have been branded as inciters of such conflicts.
In numerous areas prone to land conflicts, journalists able to reach those areas are branded as "inciters used by some interests", she said.
Ms Macha added; "There is another challenge on the part of our media people. Many of them are not employed and lack the means to reach the conflict zones".
This was more pronounced in the northern regions, notably Arusha,where there are countless land conflicts pitting various parties; communities, conservation bodies and investors alike.
She added that the local journalists should undergo tailor-made training on the relevant conservation and land laws and policies.
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