During a workshop yesterday at the Somone, with journalists specializing in the extractive sector, the Minister of Energy, Oil and Mines warned against the dissemination of false news.
Mbour- “Through your important initiative, which consists in exploring specialization, you prove to us that you are the first to impose journalism of truth, rigor and responsibility, capable of counterweight to rumors, demystify the technical issues and clarify our fellow citizens,” said Minister Birame Soulèye Diop. He chaired yesterday at the Somone (department of Mbour), the information and sharing workshop with the association of journalists for transparency in extractive resources and the preservation of the environment (AJTREPE). Through this initiative, the Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines is engaged in a dynamic of transparency and collaboration with journalists specializing in the extractive sector. This promotion of good governance in the management of natural resources sounds the beginning of a citizen dialogue which places public interest at the heart of the sectoral policy carried by the Department of Energies. “The dissemination of approximate, oriented or sensational information can deeply affect the image of our country, compromise our economic partnerships and fuel unjustified distrust within our populations. In a context where expectations are strong and multiple and complex issues, any form of manipulation or hasty reading of reality can make the bed of what is commonly called the curse of resources. This does not manifest itself only through poorly advised political or economic choices, it can have a distorted public perception as a base, often maintained by stories disconnected from the facts, ”warned Mr. Diop.
This meeting, the first of its kind, brought together around fifty journalists, from all over the country, as well as the various services and directions of the ministry responsible for energy, oil and mines. On behalf of the journalists, the president of the Ajtrepe, Youssouph Bodian, praised the transparency efforts of the government. He underlined the difficulties linked to access to documents and people-resources. “We plead for a facilitation of access to sources that depend on your services, but also on the extractive industries which must more open their doors to journalists and the designation, in the various agencies and departments, of press focal points capable of responding to journalists’ demands in a transparent manner and within reasonable deadlines,” said Bodian.
Diouf diegane (correspondent)
