VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHCO #0067 0351713
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 041713Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1308
INFO RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1565

UNCLAS COTONOU 000067 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/W, PD/IIP, ECA/A/L/W 
PARIS FOR ARS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC SCUL KPAO BN
SUBJECT:  BENIN OUTREACH PROGRAM: WORKSHOP ON ETHICS AND 
TRANSPARENCY IN JOURNALISM 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  On January 29, PAS Cotonou hosted a well-attended 
training workshop for twenty Beninese reporters sharpen their 
professional skills by exchanging ideas and sharing experiences with 
senior counterparts in the profession.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  DATE OF ACTIVITY: January 29, 2009; second quarter, FY 10. 
 
¶3.  PROGRAM JUSTIFICATION/OBJECTIVES: Post held this event to meet 
the MSP goal of improving Press freedom in Benin by organizing 
training seminars for local reporters.  Most Beninese journalists 
are young university graduates without formal journalism training. 
Based on requests made by directors and owners of media outlets, 
this event promoted journalism as a tool to enhance freedom of 
speech and to strengthen democracy. 
 
¶4.  DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY:  This seminar was first in a series of 
training programs by the Public Affairs Section to promote the 
professional development of local journalists. 
 
¶5.  Ambassador Knight launched the training session led by Georges 
Amlon, a senior Beninese journalist, assisted by Patrice Louis, a 
senior French journalist based in Cotonou.  In her opening remarks, 
PAO Watson noted that democracy is strengthened through a free and 
professional media, and the U.S. Mission will do all it can to 
support media development in Benin.  Ambassador Knight emphasized 
the role played by the Public Affairs Section in achieving this 
goal.  Ambassador Knight emphasized the role of journalists for the 
promotion of development and strengthening of democracy, and is 
particularly important during leading up to the February 2011 
Presidential and legislative elections in Benin. 
 
¶6.  MPP UMBRELLA THEMES AND AUDIENCE REACHED: 
 
-- Building Democratic Institutions 
-- Supporting a Responsible and Independent Media 
 
The workshop attracted 20 journalists from 20 print and broadcast 
media outlets.  The workshop received good coverage, including 
several newspaper articles and TV and radio news segments on public 
station ORTB TV, private Golfe TV and Golfe FM radio, with 
translation in major Beninese local languages. Broadcast coverage 
reached an estimated 2.5 million viewers/listeners. 
 
¶7.  RESULT/IMPACT: Excellent. The participants were particularly 
satisfied with the content of the program and the quality of the 
presentation. and thanked the U.S. Embassy for taking this 
initiative which they hope will be repeated. 
 
¶8.  NON-USG SOURCES OF IN-COUNTRY FUNDING/IN KIND SUPPORT: None. 
 
¶9.  QUALITY OF USG SUPPORT: Excellent.  The participation of 
Ambassador Knight enhanced the success of this event.  Kudos to PAS 
for recruiting such highly experienced journalists to run this 
workshop.  At the end of the seminar, each participant received 
copies of Nouveaux Horizons books 'Pratique du Journalisme' and 'Une 
Presse Libre'. 
 
Knight