The ministry of agriculture has asked journalists in the country to engage agricultural experts when reporting on the agriculture sector.
Director of research in the ministry Dr Wilstone Makhumba said this on Monday in Lilongwe when opening a five day agricultural training workshop for journalists communicating on agriculture and science for impact.
Makhumba said it is good for the media practitioners to engage experts in order to avoid misleading people.
According to Makhumba, journalists are supposed to be aware of terms and languages used when reporting issues to do with agriculture.
He said it is only when journalists have knowledge on what they are reporting that they can help to serve the public at large because the message is easily accessed.
“We know actually that the media takes message to farmers very fast and it reaches actually the farmers within short period of time unlike us who go door by door and demonstrate what is needed to be done or followed by the farmers,” he explained.
Makhumba said it takes a long process for the agriculture authorities to demonstrate new methods to farmers as such the use of journalists’ reports can help to shorten the process and add value to it.
