The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has presented two researchers from Bournemouth University with the SLAJ President’s Award (2025) for 'Contributions to Journalism in Sierra Leone'.
The award is in recognition of several projects that Professors Chindhu Sreedharan and Einar Thorsen have carried out in the country during a five-year partnership spanning journalism policy, training and reforming the relationship between the media and the security agencies.
Their work began with documenting how COVID-19 affected journalism in Sierra Leone. Later projects included helping to bring about safer and fairer working conditions for journalists and helping to draft SLAJ’s policy to achieve gender equality in the media sector.
The SLAJ was founded in 1971 to promote freedom of expression and of the press; to seek the welfare and protection of its members, and for training opportunities in journalism.
In their citation for the award, the SLAJ said they recognised the leadership of BU Professors and their contributions to advancing press freedom and journalists’ capacity to serve the public in Sierra Leone.
SLAJ outgoing president Ahmad Nasralla, said “With BU’s help, we delivered SLAJ’s first publication since 1971, developed disaster-reporting frameworks, and advanced key policies, including our Gender Equality Policy and the Journalists’ Welfare Fund. Professors Chindu Sreedharan and Einar Thorsen were instrumental throughout, often giving their time well beyond formal commitments. This award to Bournemouth University recognises the University’s steadfast commitment and a partnership that has strengthened our media and, by extension, our democracy.”
Incoming SLAJ president Alhaji Manika Kamara added, “Bournemouth University has been a consistent, hands-on partner to SLAJ. With the new leadership team, we aim to build on that work—expanding training, supporting newsroom safety and gender equity, and advancing policies that help journalists do their jobs ethically and well.”
Professor Thorsen said, “It has been a rewarding experience to partner with SLAJ, which has moved quickly to implement our recommendations. We were pleased to help draft the 2021 media–security MoU, which has improved journalists’ safety. We’re also encouraged to see the Media Gender Policy—the first of its kind in Sierra Leone—now being put into practice.”
