IPC TRAINING: EXPERTS INSIST ON VERIFICATION OF FACTS
REPORTER: CHIZOBA OPARA
Journalists have been charged to engage more in investigative journalism to curb the menace of information disorder ravaging the society.
A Media Consultant, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, made the call during a two day training organized by International Press Center Lagos for selected journalists in the south east, south south zones held in Port Harcourt River State.
According to Mr. Ojo, journalism should move beyond influx of unverified reports to the level where public office holders are held accountable as the constitution stipulates.
He urged journalists to make use of the Freedom Of Information Act provided by the law, where necessary, to obtain information needed for effective reportage and solution driven journalism practice in Nigeria.
Also, the Director International Press Center Lagos Nigeria, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, highlighted some of the data analysis and facts checking tools that could be used to ensure accuracy of reports that meet the information needs of the society and the international best practices.
He insisted media practitioners must verify and deepen their coverage, especially now information disorder had continued to increase due to uncontrolled use of modern gadgets in information dissemination.
For her part, a woman activist and lecturer in the department of Broadcasting, University of Port Harcourt River State, Dr. Titilayo Remelikun Osuagwu, stressed the need for effective gender inclusion system in Nigeria, where women would be heard and protected from every form of violation in the society.
She decried the height of biases and discrimination against the female gender, especially in the political and leadership positions.
Dr. Osuagwu called for a rethink by the male counterpart to address the situation.
She advised women to be more supportive of their gender and urged female journalists to be intentional in the advocacy right from the grassroots for proper reorientation of the rural women.
Some of the participants, Mr. Pascal Ibe from Imo State and Miss Chinaza Odugwu from Anambra State, commended the organisers and the resource persons for thought driven training and promised to implement the new ideas got from the training.
The training, which was sponsored by the European Union, had forty participants in attendance drawn from the south east south south zones.
EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
