Garowe, Puntland – 15 May 2025; The Media Association of Puntland (MAP), in collaboration with Free Press Unlimited, concluded a two-day Media Dialogue Forum in Garowe under the #Danwadaag program.
The forum brought together journalists to candidly examine the emotional and ethical challenges of reporting on crises, disasters, and conflict, while also celebrating the evolving role of the media in disaster risk management and public accountability.
In a media landscape where journalists often report from conflict zones and humanitarian emergencies with minimal institutional support, the forum offered a space to unpack the psychological toll of trauma-inducing assignments.
The lack of journalist awareness around carrying unresolved trauma was made starkly evident during the discussions, with many participants sharing deeply personal experiences of reporting on destruction, displacement, and loss without adequate mental health support.
Opening the forum, Mohamed Dahir Warsame, Chairperson of MAP, highlighted the objectives of the dialogue, stating that the aim was not only to sharpen journalistic capacity in crisis coverage by addressing the challenges we face but also to foster a healthier, more supportive media culture that centers journalist well-being.
“In Puntland, journalists have long operated under enormous stress, often with little recognition of the emotional weight they carry. This forum is a step toward acknowledging their burdens and equipping them with the tools they need—not just to survive their profession, but to thrive in it,” said Mr. Warsame.
A special session was led by mental health expert Roda Ahmed, who offered practical strategies for self-care, stress management, and trauma awareness in frontline journalism. Roda emphasized the importance of emotional resilience in the newsroom, noting that healing and high-quality journalism go hand in hand.
“Journalists are witnesses to some of society’s hardest truths. If we expect them to keep telling these stories, we must also give them the space and tools to heal,” Roda remarked.
Throughout the forum, participants reflected on how far Puntland’s media landscape has come—particularly since the launch of the Danwadaag program in 2022. Journalists acknowledged that prior to the program, the public viewed media coverage of disasters as reactive and surface-level, often limited to reporting events after they happened. However, capacity-building efforts under Danwadaag have empowered journalists to pursue more in-depth, anticipatory, and community-centered reporting, which in turn has strengthened public trust and engagement.
This renewed trust was visible in the powerful messages carried by participants to the MAP Executive Committee. Many echoed the growing public demand for spaces where citizens can directly engage with their local representatives on pressing issues, especially those related to disaster preparedness and risk reduction. Under the Danwadaag initiative, MAP established town townhalls in Garowe and Gardho, providing exactly such a platform. These forums have been credited with catalyzing dialogue, transparency, and tangible improvements in local disaster response planning.
Further enriching the discussions, participants also reviewed the Puntland Media Position Paper—a working advocacy document being developed to capture key issues, challenges, and policy priorities for Puntland’s media sector. Insights from the Media Dialogue Forum will directly inform the paper’s next iteration, ensuring it reflects both the lived experiences and the aspirations of journalists working in crisis-affected contexts.
As the forum concluded, MAP’s executive committee praised Puntland journalists for their courage and resilience in pursuing truth despite growing risks. They reaffirmed MAP’s commitment to ensuring a safer, more supportive environment where journalists can work without fear or intimidation.
MAP emphasized that truth-telling should never endanger personal safety and called for an immediate end to threats and harassment against the media. The strong sense of unity at the forum reflected the determination of Puntland’s journalists to inform the public ethically while advancing a profession rooted in responsibility and public trust.
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