Journalists for Human Rights launches campaign to keep Sierra Leone's elections free and fair.

Canada's leading media development organization kicks off an online drive to fund training for journalists on the elections beat in Sierra Leone.

TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), Canada's leading media development organization, is launching the Sierra Leone Election Drive to raise awareness of the upcoming presidential elections in Sierra Leone and to raise funds to continue JHR's journalist training programs in the country.

On November 17th, 2012 Sierra Leone will hold the third democratic election since the end of its devastating civil war in 2002.

Given the vital role media plays in setting the tone of an election, JHR's presence could mean the difference between a peaceful election or a return to violence.

JHR has been working in Sierra Leone since 2007, training local journalists on how to report on politics and elections accurately and fairly.

A reporter with Awoko newspaper, Betty Milton was promoted to Head of the Elections Unit after receiving JHR training. "We don't want to go back to where we came from," she said, "We need JHR here to help train journalists on how to cover the elections."

For the first time in Sierra Leone's recent history, the 2012 election will have no direct intervention from the UN peacekeeping mission. Without international oversight the election process is unpredictable and violence and political instability are likely.

JHR has a strong track record in Sierra Leone. During the 2008 election, JHR's staff was praised by Ibrahim Seibureh, Editor in Chief of national daily the Concord Times, with keeping the tone of election coverage balanced and fair, as well as by international elections observers and other actors.

The result was a bloodless transfer of power for the first time in Sierra Leone's post-war history.

To view JHR's film about the need to keep elections coverage balanced in Sierra Leone, or to find out more information about the campaign, please visithttp://www.jhr.ca/en/sled.php

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Journalists for Human Rights launches campaign to keep Sierra Leone's elections free and fair.