Sallu Kamuskay, writer, fixer, public relations strategist and CEO of Salone Messenger has received a certificate from the BBC Media Action through partnership with the United Nations Development Program after successfully completing a two month intensive in-person followed by online training fellowship programme for journalists, bloggers and social media influencers in tackling mis/disinformation and hate speech organized.

Sallu Kamuskay was among the four outstanding fellows of the program out of the 60 participants.

The training was led by Lazar Covs, an investigative journalist and trainer from the BBC Media Action Serbia and Marie Helly, a former BBC journalist.

The ceremony was hosted at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the 8th of November 2024.

Sallu Kamuskay said he is “humbled and honored” to receive “this certificate from the BBC Media Action Sierra Leone”.

He noted the power of the information people like him in the media space share. “We live in a world where information is power, and anything we say or put out on the internet has the potential to change the course of history,” he said.

Sallu Kamuskay’s Salone Messenger is Sierra Leone’s most-trusted platform for news and stories of change-makers in Sierra Leone.

Started his career in storytelling in 2014 during the height of the Ebola epidemic, Sallu Kamuskay has written and published hundreds of stories on social issues, change-makers, and people that inspire.

As a blogger, writer, storyteller, fixer and public relations strategist, Sallu Kamuskay opined that it is their “responsibility to ensure our stories are true before we click publish or post.”

Speaking during the handing over of certificates to the participants, Adbein Smith, Project Manager, BBC Media Action, said the training was akin to the Bible and Quran as the training was to “guide their (the participants) work”.

He said, “We will certify them because we believe they are gatekeepers. With the skills they have gained, they will be able to create quality content and communicate professionally.”

The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, expressed his pride and congratulations as he addressed the recent graduates of the fellowship program.

Speaking on behalf of SLAJ, UNDP, and other partners, Nasralla highlighted the significance of the occasion, calling it “a milestone that represents not just your dedication to your professions.”

He acknowledged the pressing challenges journalists face today, including misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and hate speech, which he noted have the potential to “deprive, confuse, and cause unrest” in the country.

Nasralla expressed confidence that, through this fellowship, the participants have taken a substantial step toward upholding professional ethics and combatting these issues in their work.