With less than three weeks to the 2019 general election in , media practitioners have been urged to guard against publishing news stories that could fuel violence in the country. The advice was given at a 3-day sensitisation workshop on sensitive conflict organised by the United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP), in Jos Plateau state.
The UNDP at the workshop which had the theme , “Capacity Building Workshop on Conflict Sensitive Reportage for Media Groups,” said, it is expected that this training will help participants to understand and imbibe the principles of fairness, diversity and objectivity in reporting the electoral process,” UNDP Nigeria Acting Resident Representative, Betty Wabunoha, said, the 2019 general election is an important time in the history of Nigeria, as election makes fundamental contribution to democratic governance.
She stressed that , “credible and inclusive elections are based on several democratic principles, which are also affirmed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. To this end, she buttressed that journalists are critical stakeholders in the delivery of the democratic mandate. According to her, “In any electoral process, the Fourth Estate of the realm plays crucial role in enabling citizens to make informed choices as well as fostering peace .
Wabunoha pledged UNDP’s readiness to partner stakeholders including government, civil society organisations as well as the private sector , the media and academic institutions. Represented by governance and security personnel of the organisation, Mathew Alao, the UNDP boss said that it is critical to have an open and diverse media that can provide balanced and impartial coverage and equitable access for competing candidates and parties.
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Plateau state governor, Simon Lalong urged journalists to be more conscious and careful when undertaking their assignments before, during and after the elections, adding that national interest should be uppermost in their mind. The governor who was represented by the Director General Research and Documentation, Prof. John Wade, described the workshop as timely, saying that it would provide building opportunities and balance reporting among journalists. Lalong who called for attitudinal reawakening among the political class and media practitioners towards peaceful electioneering activities, said that the measure would help perfect the nation’s democracy.
And, there is an urgent need for politicians to conduct themselves in line with certain values that will make them become better leaders in the overall interest of the country. “Covering an election requires greater analytical depth and skills to report on it without engendering violence or overlooking peace building opportunities,” he said. According to him, as professionals, media practitioners owe the public the responsibility of self censoring reportage to avoid vitriolic sentiment. “This is even most critical as during elections, tension are often high among contending political parties, hence the public can only make well informed decisions, based on the accuracy and quality of the stories disseminated by the media. “In this critical period of electioneering, as media organisations and journalists, you must continuously strive to redefine a new value system.
“This based on God’s desire for us to love one another, serve one another, and be honest to one another; else, we will be shadows in our quest for objective reportage, sanity and greatness,” he said. According to him, it is indeed, a known fact that electoral violence or conflict usually triggers greater challenges for journalists, particularly when opposing sides seek to control the media.
The workshop was attended by media representatives from Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau states, and the FCT, Abuja. sensitive reportage for media organisations and journalists is not only apt but timely considering the fact that we are in the season and threshold of electioneering campaigns
