On August 20, 2021, the third mentorship programme of the Journalism and Development Seminars (JADESeminars) Initiative, was held at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, (CSN) Resource Centre, in Abuja. It was the second in the series to be sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, (FES), Nigeria.
The target of the training were journalists of five (5) years and below in the profession resident in Abuja, with some joining online from other parts of the country.
The theme of the session – Threats & Opportunities of Online Journalism – was chosen to, in addition to surveying the threats and opportunities, also look at, if any, how journalism ethics is impacted by online practices. This is in recognition of the challenges of constant threats by the government to promulgate media regulatory laws to according to it, curtail excesses of online media.
If allowed to come to fruition, the government-envisaged law has the capability of adversely impacting the nation’s fledgling democratic process, hindering free speech and freedom of expression, while limiting access of Nigerians to technological innovations in communication such as the internet and social media.
JADESeminars, working with organisations that share in its commitment to journalism as an instrument of development, use this edition of its mentorship session to examine how journalists in legacy and online media, and as well as bloggers, have the capability of contributing to the resolution of the conflicts in the country. This is especially so, as the country approaches the next cycle of election under the existing climate of insecurity.
At the heart of the topic – Threats and Opportunities of Online Media is the issue of technological innovations for communication, the benefits it offers journalists, the pitfalls and how to navigate such pitfalls. Nigeria’s journalists of the communication revolution age, undoubtedly have a big role to play in using their platforms to help build back Nigeria on the path of development.
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In the age of ICT, which has revolutionised the media, influencing how journalists gather and disseminate news, for the particularly ICT-savvy young journalists who deploy a multimedia approach to news gathering and reporting, understanding the threats inherent and opportunities there for the taking, all of course within the ambit of the ethics of the profession becomes most useful as they seek to report events in real-time.
Resource persons for the session were foremost journalists from the print and electronic media. They included Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher, Premium Times, Mrs Moji Makanjuola, former NAWOJ President and Founder International Society of Media in Public Health, and Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, accomplished journalist, journalism trainer and mentor, who is also the executive director of Media Career Development Network.
The opening session had in attendance Mr. Buki Ponle, managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria, who was the Chairperson, Resident Representative of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (Foundation), Nigeria, Dr. Daniel Mann, Mr. Emmanuel Ogbeche, Chairman, FCT NUJ Chapel and Editor, Abuja Inquirer and Hajia Raheemat Momodu, President, International Visitor Programme and Secretary, JADESeminars BoT, among others.
For full report of the training session CLICK to read.