Bilan Media received last week the press freedom award from One World Media, a British NGO which supports independent media in the countries of the South. Made up of six women under the age of thirty, the Bilan Media editorial team gives priority to social issues in a country that is both very conservative and dangerous for journalists.
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“ Balance sheet » means “ Light » in Somali. Launched two years ago with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), this unique media dares to tackle taboo subjects such as drug addiction, family violence and even exclusion of HIV-positive people.
Through content broadcast on television, radio and on the internet – via partner media – the six journalists succeeded in imposing new themes in the public debate. And this, despite the threats weighing on journalists in their country, the most dangerous in Africa for journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Shortly before the launch of the media, a journalist from the editorial team survived an attack perpetrated by the Shebabs, who could not stand her doing this job.
The One World Media jury rewarded Bilan Media for its work in favor of press freedom in Somalia and its international impact. The editorial team produces content for major European media such as The Guardian and the BBC in the United Kingdom.
Bilan gives women the opportunity to address the topics of their choice. Which makes it a symbol compared to other local media […] But being the only women’s media in Somalia also poses problems: as a team we always have to explain what we do because in Somalia people don’t take women seriously.
Hinda Abdi Mohamoud, editor-in-chief of Bilan Media
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