MEDIA URGED TO ENSURE CREDIBILITY OF 2019 ELECTIONS
The Media are urged to step up their agenda setting role to ensure integrity and credibility of the 2019 General Election.
The Director, International Press Centre, IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundale made the call at a Workshop on, ‘’Best Practice and Professional Reporting of Electoral Process’’, held in Enugu.
Forty Journalists from the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones of the country participated in the workshop.
The Workshop put together by the IPC, under component Four B, support to the Media by the European Union, was aimed at training Journalists to adhere strictly to the principles to fairness, balance and objectivity in reporting electoral process.
In an address of welcome, the Director, International Press Centre, Mr Arogundade represented by the Programmes Manager, Mrs Stella Nwofia said election in Nigerian was sensitive and urged participants to adopt the global trend of using the Media as a tool for political communication.
“Not only must they take lead in ensuring that citizens are fully mobilized but also ensure that the entire process is open to public”.
Presenting a paper entitled “According Ethics and Professionalism Deserved Priority in Reporting Elections in Nigeria”, the Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Professor Chinyere Okunna, identified sycophancy and pressure as some of the challenges facing Journalists in political coverage.
In another presentation, captioned “Paying Attention to Democratic Accountability” an Assistant Director Programmes, Radio Nigeria Lagos Operations, Mr Funke Treasure Durodola, urged Media Professionals to hold politicians accountable by keeping tab on their campaign promises.
“Election reporting does not stop with coverage of election; journalists must engage politicians on their campaign promises during and after elections”.
The Executive Director OJA Development Consult, Mr Jide Ojo who took participants on “Reckoning with Accountability and Transparency Issues in Election Reporting”, emphasised the need for media personnel to integrate socio-economic and human development wide index into their political reporting.
Two of the Participants, Mr Uchenna Inya of New Telegraph, Ebonyi State and Mr Samuel Williams of Planet FN, Uyo described the workshop as educative.
CHINWE ATU