Ambassador Williams reviews equipment purchased through the media grant ( Niamey U.S.Embassy photo)
Over one hundred journalists attended the opening session ( Niamey U.S.Embassy photo)
On Feb. 3, Ambassador Williams opened the first session in a series of workshops on building technical and professional capacity for Nigerien media. The ceremony, held at the media cooperative la Maison de la Presse and attended by the Minister of Communication as well as over one hundred editors, cameramen, and journalists, was also an opportunity to donate new equipment emblazoned with the U.S. seal to nearly every media outlet in the country. Funding for the equipment and workshops came from a State Department grant initiated through the U.S. Embassy.
As the "fourth pillar" of democracy, a free and active press is an essential to bringing citizens back into the decision making process, reinforcing the notion of leadership that is responsive to the electorate, and promoting a more prosperous and stable environment. After many long years of repression, the Nigerien press has finally won the freedoms to carry out its heavy mission, codified in law and underscored by President Issoufou's signing of the Declaration of Table Mountain (the first African head of state to do so). This grant aims to support the media with the tools and training necessary to provide the public with the accurate, timely, and inspired reporting worthy of Niger's rank of 29 in the 2011 Reporters without Borders Press Freedom Index.