AS EXPERTS LAMENT QUACKERY IN THE PROFESSION, COMMEND PARTNERS
By Vincess Okushi
The Nigerian media is saddled with huge responsibility as the reporting rate for conflict is hinged on several factors.
The intensity of reporting these conflicts could severely impact government regulations, public interest, and social, political, or economic ramifications.
However, in a decade, the depth of covering conflicts has fluctuated due to ownership, unprofessionalism and ethnic, and economic reasons, as experts believe these factors have negative consequences as the country’s insecurity grows.
This brought about a two-day media training on Conflict Sensitive Reporting organized by Global Rights to equip Journalists with the terminology and ethical standards for reporting conflicts in the country.
It is hoped that Journalists who apply the principles of accuracy, impartiality, and fairness, are likely to minimize the harm conflicts may have on the citizens by avoiding sensationalism, but rather, reverse is the case as most people who are into the practice were not trained by their organizations to fit in for the purpose.
Speaking after delivering his lectures, the Executive Director International Centre for Investigative Journalism, ICIR, Dayo Aiyetan said the safety and dignity of those involved in a conflict environment should be the primary focus of any journalist on the field and urges all to have a proper background of the terrain to report effectively.
Part of the problem of reporting security is that the journalists don’t understand what the issues are. We have said before, that the way some journalists, particularly in electronic media, report conflict, actually contributes to worsening the conflict situation, exacerbating the situation. So, journalists need to know what the role of the media is in reporting conflict. What we need to do is do our work ethically. And it is in reporting conflict ethically that we help reduce conflict.
On his part, the Global Rights Program Manager Edosa Oviawe, said they have observed that there is more to breaking the news, stressing that the lapses in skills of journalists especially, in reporting conflict situations necessitated the training to build a well-informed society to reduce hazards in the profession.
We thought to, as we have done over the years, to continue to build the capacity of journalists to understand the ethics governing reporting conflict situations, particularly as they affect the victims, as they affect the people that you are targeting to receive the news, and then affecting all the key stakeholders or actors involved in the conflict process.
The Chief Operating Officer, of Premium Times Newspaper, Mojeed Musikilu urged journalists to always appeal to their conscience while reporting disasters, and reechoed the need for journalists to be familiar with the agencies responsible for cushioning the effect of conflict for a balanced reportage.
We need to think about what affected communities. So, of course, you know that when you are reporting a crisis, you need data. Data shows your trademarks.
You need to be familiar with security agencies.
You must authenticate the information that you get from them
