Workshop On Election Coverage And Reporting Ends In Awka

The need for Journalists to be conscientious in their reportage especially in this age of social media and increasing rates of fake
news was re-emphasized at a one day workshop for broadcast journalists in South East Nigeria on election coverage and reporting.

Speakers at the event, organised by the Anambra Broadcasting Service and sponsored by the Ford Foundation were concerned that accuracy and professionalism are being sacrificed on the altar of competition and drive to go to press ahead of others, and called for stronger fact checking and gate keeping process to sustain the credibility of the mainstream media.

With less than one hundred days to the February 16th Presidential and National Assembly polls, it became pertinent that Journalists especially of the broadcast media who are believed to have a stronger reach to the populace, gather to reassess themselves on the emerging issues in election coverage and reporting as well as ways to address other factors affecting journalism practice.

Declaring the workshop open, Mr C Don Adinuba, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment reminded Broadcast journalists of the foundational principles of the profession including truth, objectivity, balance, fairness and being mindful of the public interest in their reports. According to him, journalists should move away from the era of adhering to the concept of ‘publish and be damned’.

Welcoming the participants earlier, the Managing Director and CEO of Anambra Broadcasting Service, Nze Uche Nworah said the objective of the workshop is to gather practicing journalists and reporters in South East Nigeria together to share experiences, and have facilitators share knowledge and best practices in election coverage and reporting with the participants. He thanked the Ford Foundation for sponsoring the workshop.

Delivering a lecture on the topic: ” Election Coverage and Reporting: Imperatives of the Social Media,” a Professor of Mass Communication at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Godson Okafor said the spread of fake news, unauthenticated news sources and half truths have become a bedeviling cankerworm on the media and urged journalists to confirm all their sources and fact-check their reports for accuracy before publication.

Emphasizing the need to observing all demands of professional conduct in every reportage, Mr. Jika Attoh who is the Deputy Managing Director of Enugu State Broadcasting Service, ESBS said it is important that Journalists should be balanced and fair in their reportage.

For the Assistant Director of Operations, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, Mr. Joe- Eugene Onuorah who spoke on “The Media As Gate Keepers For Responsible Political Communication” and the Imo State Chairman Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Innocent Igwe, the workshop is paramount to reshaping the news telling model in South East Nigeria as an instrument for mass mobilization.

Mrs Susan Obi, South East Zonal Director of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) reminded the participants of NBC codes and urged them to be guided by it.

Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, the INEC REC for Anambra State spoke on INEC guidelines on announcing of results, and urged the participants to be fair in their reportage as false reports can lead to disruption of the electoral process, and also lead to electoral violence.

Over 50 journalists participated at the workshop drawn from broadcast organisations operating in South East Nigeria.

The participants as part of the workshop outcome created guidelines for election coverage and reporting for journalists which they promised to put in use.