Nathan Charles on assignment in Liberia
JHR Journalist leads national TV news team
At 7 pm on April 1st, Liberia National TV broadcast the evening news live for the first time in 22 years. Overseeing that broadcast was Nathan P. Charles, a JHR-trained award-winning journalist. As Acting TV News Coordinator, Nathan works with producers, reporters and camera people, to cover national news and put the nightly half-hour program on air.
A radio reporter by training, in 2009 Nathan started working with a JHR mentor at the ELBC radio station in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia. As a member of JHR’s local trainer team, he developed skills to mentor newsroom colleagues to improve their reports. Though he loves radio, Nathan admits television news “has been my dream” and he credits JHR training with giving him the skills for his new job.
“JHR has helped me to give a voice to the voiceless,” Nathan explains. “It has helped me in this position to be more aware of how to operate and work as a team. Through JHR, I am aware of how accountable I am to my society. It has shaped me [as a journalist].” Television news is still relatively new in Liberia, and the team is learning as they go. Supported by JHR, Nathan ensures the nightly news includes human rights and governance issues.