MEDRIVE, a media hub focused on training for African journalists, has trained a pool of journalists drawn from Broadcast, Print and Multimedia on Sensitive and Conflict Reporting.
The one day training which held in Lagos had over 80 journalists, who report come and conflict, as beneficiaries with training modules on diverse anhles of conflict sensitive reporting.
While facilitating the training session, Wemimo Adewuni, Founder MEDRIVE and Presenter with Nigeria Info, took the participants through the activities of MEDRIVE over the past one year since its establishment.
Adewuni’s session on Conflict Reporting highlighted the Need for Risk assessment before going into a conflict zone, researching about the conflict, objectivity, and need to aim for resolution, not to escalate conflicts. She emphasized on the important role the journalist plays in escalating or containing the effects of conflicts.
Adewuni practically showed how to research a conflict, look beyond the surface, dig deep into multilayer data to produce a factual, balanced, analytical and comprehensible story.
Human Rights and Constitutional lawyer, Barr Evans Ufeli also taught the participants on the importance of challenging stereotypes in reporting by understanding the law.
He emphasized on the constitutional role bestowed on journalists and enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. Going through Sections 2, 4 and 33, Barr Evans Ufeli challenged participants to understand the law to better appreciate human rights and report human rights abuses
Niran Odufayo, a crime reporter with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, in his session, shared strategies of reporting crime and conflict. He played some of his reports, which were gathered under intense situations including murders, clash between cultists in Lagos, protests.
Adekunle Ajibulu, First Aid Trainer and Instructor in the Training Cadre of the Red Cross taught participants of the Conflict and Sensitive Reporting Life Saving and Resuscitation Skills needed during emergencies while reporting conflict.
Participants were paired up to practice what they had learnt about clearing airwaves, giving mouth to mouth and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation while calling for help. Adekunle Ajibulu explained the difference between scars and burns, and how to manage fractures while waiting for medics to arrive the
The 88 applications were drawn from 12 states namely Rivers, Oyo, Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, Ogun, Enugu, Edo, Osun, Kogi, Ekiti, Kwara, Bayelsa, and Imo
