Embassy NewsCentre

Embassy News

Ivoirian Watched Film on Investigative Reporting

Ivoirian journalists said the film entitled: “Cry Freedom” helped them to reconsider and reexamine professional issues dealing with investigative reporting, getting reliable information and judging the bona fides of any information they receive or uncover. 

About 20 political reporters were invited on March 19 by the US Embassy to watch “Cry Freedom,” a classic drama set in apartheid South Africa about investigative reporting. Participants used the opportunity to talk about professional issues and concerns –free speech, those journalistic tools and talents needed to investigate human rights violations, and how the media can most effectively contribute to the rule of law in society.

During the after-discussion, moderated by an Internews Network consultant in Cote d’Ivoire, participants discussed how media organizations can lose their audience when they practice partisan journalism, with most agreeing that partisan reporting doesn’t help the media to do its job well or to educate their audiences.