Five senior judicial reporters from both print and electronic media Friday made a surprise visit to the Chief Justice of the Gambia, Emmanuel Akomaye Agim at his office at the High Court complex in Banjul.
The purpose of the visit was to brief the Chief Justice about their constraints and formation of judicial reporters association. The delegation unveiled their aims and objectives to Agim for recognition as a body of court reporters.
Speaking at the gathering a senior judicial reporter at the Gambia Radio and Television Service, GRTS, Ebrima Jatta highlighted the lack of capacity building opportunities as one of the numerous challenges judicial reporter are facing. He added that they have not had an opportunity to sharpen their skills and expand their knowledge compare to their other colleagues in the various specialised domains in the media. Jatta emphasized that the association’s work is in the legitimate interest of the public as everyone cannot go to court to witness He reiterated the association’s   interest its attaches to the affairs of the judiciary such as court proceedings.
The judicial correspondent for The Point newspaper, Sainey MK Manerah stated that the association has a crucial role to play in the judiciary and the public. He pointed out that their surprise visit to Chief Justice is a significant springboard in building a meaningful relationship with the judiciary.
“As we try to fulfill our primary and constitutional role by informing, educating and entertaining the public as journalists, numerous challenges still lie ahead of us”, said Marenah. He said that they report objectively and constructively, appealing to the Chief Justice to help judicial reporters in the form of capacity building.
For his part, the visited Chief Justice underscored the importance of the role of the media in society, assuring the reporters of the judiciary relentless support to any meaningful development.
“I have heard your comments as well as your constraints, and I am with the conviction that they will be put into consideration and see how to tackle those problems,” said the Chief Justice. He presented to the reporters five copies of the book, ‘The Gambia Legal System,’ which he authored.
Other members of the delegation included, Sidiq Asemota of Daily Observer, Abubacarr Saidykhan of Foroyaa newspaper and Baba Sillah of The Daily News.