Around the Commonwealth: The 'angel on the shoulder' of journalism

“We like to feel that people will look to the CJA as an association that has got its finger on the pulse,” says Rita Payne, chair of the Commonwealth Journalists Association in the United Kingdom.

Ms Payne, a former Asia Editor for BBC World TV news, is in the middle of organising a busy programme of lectures on topics as diverse as media freedom and the fallout from the Indian elections.

A debate on Jacob Zuma’s ascendancy to the presidency of South Africa last Thursday for instance drew a impressive line-up of journalists and policy thinkers, including South African-born BBC journalist Audrey Brown, Africa Research Institute director Mark Ashurst, , Nigerian television producer Onyekachi Wambu and John Battersby of the International Marketing Council of South Africa.

Each iterated their own take on developments, taking on subjects such as the policy challenges of job creation, health, education and crime as well as fear and suspicion of the future.

All of these news events, Mr Battersby noted, occur amid the backdrop of a media which is “more outspoken than ever”.

The aim was to give attending journalists a “deeper understanding of the issues behind the news stories,” says Ms Payne. “The election happened, but everybody wants to know what happens next.”

“There is an appetite for that,” she explains. “In the media and TV, discussions are quite short, you know three minutes, and I think people who are interested in the subject would like to know what are the factors, who are the personalities, what are the reasons.

“Everybody went away feeling that they had the inside track on what is likely to happen.”

With branches in 26 of the Commonwealth’s 53 countries as far as Canada and Sri Lanka, the CJA is an organisation with global reach – organising lectures or training programmes for journalists wherever it operates. Much of its work is to campaign for unfettered press freedom.

Bryan Cantley, executive director of the CJA, runs the association’s international headquarters from a base in Toronto, Canada. He says he receives emails daily from journalists concerned about their ability to report freely.

“They are looking to get their message out there, telling us about the problems and concerns that they and their fellow journalists are encountering [or] desperately running or fleeing from the authorities.”

“We get a lot of emails looking for comfort –we can provide them with an angel on their shoulder, in some way.”

With the help of funding from the Commonwealth Foundation - which helps civil society organisations promote democracy, development and cultural understanding - Mr Cantley is currently organising training workshops on helping journalists connect with audiences in Uganda and on police and court reporting in India.

While the CJA headquarters in Toronto receives funding from the Commonwealth Foundation, country branches tend to rely on membership subscriptions. Even in the UK, one of the wealthiest of Commonwealth countries, Ms Payne’s branch is run on a wafer thin budget.

“Our main problem is lack of funds,” says Ms Payne. “It is easy to get - especially in London - really good speakers and audiences. But because of the cost, a basic room is £500, it is so difficult [to put a lecture on] – that is the big frustration.”

“I’m looking for sponsorship, looking for grants, whatever we can get because we feel there is a lot of potential, a lot of interest among people who want to come to these events.”