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 exacerbating tensions and conflicts.
This was stated yesterday at a Webinar titled: Conflict Sensitive Reporting and Election: Best Practices and Ethical Considerations.
It was organised by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in collaboration with the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme.
Deputy Chairman of the Joint Action Front and National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), 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 with a view to properly informing the electorate.
He 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 (INEC), security agencies, civil society groups and the media must forge a healthy synergy to ensure successful conduct and reportage of polls.
Chude stressed that to report elections effectively, journalists must fully understand the mindset of political gladiators and their political affiliations, have knowledge of security guidelines regarding timing, as well as the movement of people and sensitive electoral materials to successfully navigate the terrain.
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.