Journalists embark on anti-corruption activities [Archives:2007/1099/Local News]
SANAA, 31 Oct ) A number of Yemeni journalists and writers announced Tuesday the formation of an alliance known as Yemeni Journalists Against Corruption (YJAC) in the capital city of Sana'a. The alliance, which includes forty one journalists and writers, aims to contribute in combating corruption, enhance the principles of good governance in an organized way. The press will play a vital role as it is regarded as the fourth estate, the alliance said in a statement.
The YJAC is a non-profitable alliance that includes a journalists, writers, human rights activities, academics and member of the parliaments. It would work towards combating corruption through disclosing corruption cases, receiving complaints, and following up corruption reports released on local and international media. The YJAC added it would also introduce laws that can guarantee the achievement of criteria of good governance.
According to the YJAC, the alliance would use effective means to achieve their goals like observing corruption cases, preparing monthly, seasonal and annual reports on disclosed corruption cases. The reports will also include the complaints the YJAC receives on the government institutions' violations towards applying the law, bribery, and transparency. The reports will be sent to the Anti-Corruption Authority, Central Apparatus for Control and Audit, attorney general, local and international media and foundations, the YJAC said.
The YJAC further noted that it would make several activities to make corruption cases it discloses public. It would also liaise with volunteer lawyers to sue against corruption cases.
The YJAC announcement came after Media Women Forum (MWF), a local NGO, launched on Monday a project to combat corruption. The project targets thirty Yemeni journalists, both males and females.
The MWF said its two-year project will hold a number of courses, workshops, and meetings for the journalists. It will the journalists who will represent different Yemeni newspapers and news websites, both independent and partisan.
The MWF noted that the project aims at finding a specialized journalism to fight corruption and sheds light on its sources. After training, the journalists will work in different Yemeni provinces.
Local and regional experts will conduct the training in order to establishing a media core that is able to spread public knowledge and awareness on the importance of fighting corruption.
The project aims to create a database that can benefit researchers, experts, political parties, civil society organizations in their evaluation of corruption in the country. This can be achieved through designing and creating a website that includes everything related to corruption in Yemen, the MWF said.
A number of activities will be carried out during the implementation of the project, and this will result in creating a mechanism for protecting press concerned with fighting corruption. The project runs from 2008 till the end of 2009.
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