Journalists in the country have been tasked to practice Peace Journalism as a style of reportage that promotes peace and reduces conflict related issues to the barest minimum.
The President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Mr Chris Isiguzo gave the charge in Kano at a capacity training workshop for Journalists organized by the Centre for Democracy and Development-CDD in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission and NUJ on conflict sensitive reporting and countering fake news ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Mr Chris Isiguzo who reiterated the importance of peace reportage , stressed that journalists must ensure their stories douses tension and not aggravate issues.
“peace is a basic requirement in a democracy and no democracy
can develop in the absence of peace. we all know that it is inevitable to completely eliminate crises and conflicts from our society,but deliberate efforts must be made toward conflict resolution and peace building”,he explained.
He charged journalists to have thorough
understanding of issues around elections , that will help them convey information to citizens in the simplest terms way, aimed at deepening democratic dividends.
The NUJ President charged journalists in the country to also work towards the advancement of the right of freedom of expression, access to information, press freedom, media independence, conflict transformation and peace building among others.
“the media plays a major role in keeping the citizenry abreast of
current events and raising awareness of various issues in any
society which has the potential of shaping public opinions”,he added
Earlier in his opening remarks, INEC Head of Department Voters’ Education, Publicity and Inclusivity in Kano, Mallam Adam Ahmad Maulud, charged the media on free, fair and credible elections coverage.
Mallam Adam Ahmed noted that journalists must have the requisite knowledge of the country’s constitution and laws and must also rise above ethnic and religious profiling.
Also speaking, the Program Officer Centre for Democracy and Development Mr. Idayat Hassan said the aim of the training was to enhance the capacity of journalists on objective reportage , especially while covering the coming elections.
Radio Nigeria reports that the capacity training workshop had twenty nine journalist in attendance, civil society organization representatives and INEC officials from the North West Zone of the country.
Cover/Teddy Daniel