"Pioneering and still a leader"—a slogan that consistently proves itself. Senegal's leading online media outlet, Seneweb, has been awarded Journalism Trust Initiative certification by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

This distinction is an international standard created to highlight and promote trustworthy journalism. The official ceremony for this certificate took place this Thursday, August 21, at the media outlet's offices. The event brought together all of the company's employees, the communications director, Habibou Dia, the president of the Council for the Observatory of Ethics and Professional Conduct in the Media (CORED), Mamadou Thior, and representatives of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and those from the firm that conducted the audit that preceded the award.

Representing the Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs today, Habibou Dia offered a few words about Seneweb. He expressed the esteem he had for the media outlet long before his appointment to the Ministry of Communication. "When it came to creating dashboards to collaborate with the most responsible media outlets in terms of information dissemination, Seneweb came first. And this is linked to trust, seriousness, the treatment of information, and transparency," he said. Habibou Dia did not fail to congratulate Seneweb for this certification, which, according to him, represents two "essential" pillars: credible and responsible journalism.

Seneweb thus becomes the 5th media outlet in Senegal and the 22nd in sub-Saharan Africa to obtain this certification. "This is not only a formal recognition but also reflects a clear vision in favor of transparency, ethics but also the credibility of information (...) I would like to congratulate the CEO but also the staff of Seneweb, because this success is above all the fruit of collective work," said El Hadji Macoumba Ndour, representative of the audit firm IRISQ, who expressed his strong conviction that Seneweb will maintain the same requirements, or even more, in the future.

Present at the event, Mamadou Thior, president of Cored, welcomed this distinction. He took advantage of the platform to call on the media to take greater responsibility in reporting information in a world undergoing constant profound change. "We must ensure that this positive image can continue. Because, it must be recognized, Seneweb is, in the online press, a model to be given to others," he declared.

The ceremony continued with speeches from managers of various departments within the media outlet. Among them was Thiebeu Ndiaye, Deputy Editor-in-Chief. While pleased with this honor, he urged his colleagues to get back on track to achieve other goals: "This certification we are celebrating today is the culmination of several years of tireless commitment to the exclusive service of information, with objectivity and neutrality as our credo. It is also the fruit of the hard work of several generations of workers who have held high, tenaciously and tirelessly, the torch of Seneweb. It is you, dear colleagues, who have made Seneweb what it has become, that is, a label of excellence in the treatment of facts," he said.

The closing remarks were given by the founding fathers of this press organization: Daouda Mbaye and Abdou Salam Fall. For the former, it is essential for the media and its staff to remain vigilant and reinvent themselves daily: "We manage the present but we prepare for the future." For the latter, Seneweb is receiving more than a label today: "Today, this JTI (Journalism Trust Initiative) certification represents much more than recognition: it is a strategic shield against the major challenges facing our sector." Salam Fall believes that in the face of the rise of disinformation, "this ISO certification positions us as a verified trusted media." Furthermore, he adds, "it attests to our rigorous verification processes, our editorial transparency, and our ethical commitment. It is a guarantee of credibility in an increasingly polluted information environment."

The ceremony ended with the official presentation of the certificate by representatives of Reporters Without Borders and a family photo to immortalize the moment.