Tripoli, 13 November:
False reports emerged this morning of an attack on staff from the Internews NGO in Sebha.
The Press Solidarity news outlet reported that an Internews manager was in a critical condition in hospital after he and his team were fired upon by unknown assailants on Tuesday morning. The team were said to have been conducting a journalism training project at the time.
“I am in Sebha, we are conducting a training project, but none of us have been shot at”, said Ian MacWilliam, Internews’s project director in Libya. “Everyone is alive and well”.
Since arriving in Libya this summer, Internews has begun a series of training courses for aspiring Libyan journalists in various towns and cities across the country.
The Libya Herald was pleased to send one of its own junior reporters, Mohammed Elsharif, on a training course in Tripoli from 14-18 October. Mohammed described the course as “great opportunity” and “good experience”.
Responding to news of the false report Mohammed said: “I’m shocked by this. Internews always stressed the importance of checking your sources where possible before publishing a story.” [/restrict]
