Twenty journalists in Hudur completed three-days of training on debate moderation during the election and beyond.

Hudur, Bakool, the Somali Media Women Association (SOMWA) has yesterday concluded a comprehensive training session on debate moderation and conducting public forums. The training aimed to provide participants with the necessary skills, knowledge, and techniques to effectively moderate debates and manage public forums, emphasising fairness, clarity, accountability, and control.

objectives

1. To build the media’s capacity to fulfil the roles expected of them during elections, as well as to limit hate speech in the media.
2. To enhance the skills of the attending journalists to run constructive discussions about the importance of the participation of all eligible Somalis, men, and women, in the elections as a way to exercise their democratic rights.
3. To enhance the skills of the attending journalists to strengthen advocacy for achieving a minimum of 30 percent women’s quota, more women candidates, women voters, and women electoral staff.

Twenty journalists from state media, independent media, and freelancers attended the training, the majority of whom had never moderated large audience debates.

The training covered the following topics:

• Introduction to political debates.
• Role of the moderator and his or her team members in debate preparation.
• Reviewing case studies.
• Compiling a list for preparation, during, and after the debate.
• Management of the debates: preventing hate speech and misinformation.

Additionally, to comprehend the process of moderating a debate, we screened a sample of debates from international media organisations, and afterwards participants held mock debates with video recording and mock social media content.

Participants responded positively to the training, particularly the interactive sessions and the practical role-playing exercises. Attendees appreciated the real-world examples and the opportunity to practice their skills in a supportive environment.

Many participants reported feeling more confident in their ability to moderate debates and conduct public forums. They also highlighted the importance of neutrality and expressed their commitment to fostering respectful and inclusive discussions.