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Experts from the media and civil society have tasked journalists to be careful in their coverage of the forthcoming elections in Edo and Ondo states to prevent tensions and conflicts.
The experts gave the advice on Wednesday, at a Webinar titled: Conflict Sensitive Reporting and Election: Best Practices and Ethical Considerations in Edo State organised by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa in collaboration with the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Programme.
The Deputy Chairman of the Joint Action Front and National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Achike Chude, in his presentation titled “Ethical Considerations and Best Practices for Journalists During Elections Reporting,” noted that journalists were responsible for reporting electoral matters to properly inform the electorate.
Chude said elections determine the standard of living, security of life and property, and the responsibility and accountability of political office holders, and as such journalists must be focused while reporting elections, whether at national or sub-national levels.
“Issues of elections are critical to the development of any country. As such, the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies, civil society groups and the media must forge a healthy synergy to ensure the successful conduct and reportage of polls.
“Unfortunately, in Nigeria, some security agencies and the electoral body sometimes collude with unscrupulous politicians to undermine the electoral process. To that extent, journalists are usually caught up in the middle of electoral violence, but they (reporters) must ensure their safety first and be very knowledgeable about the laws that govern elections at any point in time,” Chude said.
In her presentation on Conflict Sensitive Reporting and Elections with a Focus on Governorship and Presidential Elections, Executive-in-Charge of Media Mentors, Journalism Centre, Joke Kujenya; identified the core principles of Conflict conflict-sensitive reporting as accuracy, balance, avoiding stereotypes, minimising harm and remaining consistent.
Kujenya noted that conflict-sensitive reporting involves careful coverage of events, particularly elections, to prevent exacerbating tensions and conflicts, as well as ensure that journalism upholds ethical standards while contributing to peace and stability.
She charged reporters to be objective in their reports of the polls, as Edo remains one of the sensitive states in the South-South and the entire country.
CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, who was represented by CAPPA’s Senior Programme Manager Abayomi Sarumi, explained that the idea for the webinar was to equip journalists with vital knowledge that could help them professionally cover elections, especially the forthcoming ones in Edo and Ondo states.
He said, “We believe as an organisation that the media plays a key role in the direction that elections take. This webinar is done under the European Union Sustainable Development For Democratic Governance in Nigeria.
“We’ve had a series of engagements with journalists across the country from representative states in the six geopolitical zones.”
