Mr Swaebou Conateh, editor and publisher of the Gambia News and Report Magazine recently stated that court reporters serve as a point of contact between society and the courts.  According to him people rely on them to know what happens in the courts.

He added that courts are provided by governments but access to courts is a fundamental right of the people which must be guaranteed. "The press should have access to court proceedings without hindrance and the reporter has a constitutional right to report issues from the court proceedings," he said.

Conateh made these remarks while presenting a paper on the "Role of the court reporter, issues of the law and what to avoid" at the recently concluded three-day training programme for court reporters in the country, held at the Gambia Press Union (GPU) offices in Bakau.

For his part, Sam Sarr, editor of the Foroya newspaper presented a paper on the objectives of court reporting and what is expected of a court reporter.
The two presentations where followed by extensive and interactive discussions.