Members from Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL) yesterday met with a renowned female Journalist Marci Ien from Canada who worked for a private television called the Canada Television (CTV)
The main thrust of the meeting was to map out strategies by which Marci. Ien would help build the capacity of female Journalists in the country.
In her statement at the Stop Press Restaurant at George Street in Freetown, Marci Ien said that she was happy to meet with female Journalists in the country as she came to evaluate the one year performance of Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) in the country.
She added that, she was impressed with the formation of WIMSAL as the organization aims at enhancing the standard of female media practitioners.
Highlighting some of the constraints and challenges of the organization, Manja Balima Samba, WIMSAL Eastern Region Chairperson said that female Journalists in the country, especially those in the provinces, are faced with enormous challenges in their homes and places of work.
Explaining some of the activities the organization intends to undertake, WIMSAL president Mariama Sesay said that building the capacity of female Journalists is the first priority. This would be followed by the launching of the organization in November, an event which is aimed at rebranding the image of the organization.
After listening to the successes, challenges and constraints faced by the organization, Marci Ien assured the organization of her support and her intention to link WIMSAL with other female organizations in Canada. Marci Ien is the host of Canada AM-Early Edition and News Anchor. She started her journalism career at CHCH-TV in 1991 where she prepared reports for the late newscast as well as general assignment reporting.
Her news serial “Journey to Freedom”, a look at the Underground Railroad, earned Ien a Canadian Radio and Television News Directors’ Award in 1995. That same year, she began reporting at Queens Park, covering daily political news for CHCH-TV’s regional newscast as well as its British Columbia-based evening show, Canada Tonight. In 1997, Ien made her national debut as part of CTV’s news team in Atlantic Canada. During her time there she covered stories in all four provinces including the crash of a Swiss Air jetliner off Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia in 1998. A mother herself, Ien is involved in several child-based agencies and organizations including The Children’s Miracle Network – a North American network of children’s hospitals founded by Marie Osmond and John Schneider – and hosts various events in Canada and the U.S. Ien sits on the Board of Healthy Generations – the foundation of the Canadian Pediatric Society and on the Advisory Board for the Centennial College Journalism Program. Additionally, she works with World Vision for whom she traveled to Sri Lanka to report on the situation following the 2004 Tsunami. Ien also regularly speak to kids about the importance of staying in school. She is the 2008 recipient of the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) Award in the media category.
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