A broadcast media in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, Agidigbo FM, has launched its Solutions Journalism desk with a newsroom training by Solutions Journalism Network Africa Manager, Ruona J Meyer.
17 reporters were trained by Meyer via zoom on the basics of solutions journalism reporting and how to find solutions stories.
Speaking at the launch, Head of Station, Agidigbo FM, Adebayo Yousouph Grey described it as an opportunity to further redefine the practice of journalism on radio, especially in setting new standards for radio reporting.
“Training is important to us here at Agidigbo FM and even more so as it helps to increase the capacity of our reporters. We know that participating in trainings of this nature will help to improve the quality of news at our station, particularly for our investigative desk. We look forward to more of this and are excited to implement all that has been learnt,” Adebayo said.
The 17 journalists who participated in the training are to produce at least one SoJo reports over the next three months while Agidigbo FM’s investigative desk which also serves as its primary solutions desk will produce in-depth solutions journalism stories, covering climate and gender.
Participants in their remarks expressed delight at the training, explaining that it had redefined their perspectives on how to practice journalism. Munachi Egbulonu described it as refreshing.
Adeola Ibrahim said, “I am excited to see another angle to how I can improve on the reporting I already do and to also know that you don’t have to tell sad stories all the time”.
“This training is coming at a time I was messed up one of my assignments and the new tools I have learnt will be implemented because I am now confident that I can tell better stories,” Olamide Badmus stated.
The Solutions Desk for Agidigbo FM was made possible through the Solutions Journalism Network Africa Fellowship, awarded to Zainab Sanni, the station’s Deputy Director of Programmes and Current Affairs.
The project is being coordinated by Zaniab Sanni, an investigative journalist currently serving as Deputy Director of News and Current Affairs recently named a Fellows of the Solutions Journalism Africa Fellowship.
The dedicated desk will focus on gender and environmental-based reporting to be aired in English and a Nigerian language, Yoruba spoken in the southwest part of the country.
Sanni expects the project to create a culture of solutions journalism among broadcast reporters and introduce the approach to the grassroots audience in Southwest region
