Journalists from broadcast, print and online media on Thursday 15th of August were trained in Lagos on Sensitive and Conflict Reporting. The training, facilitated by MEDRIVE, a media hub focused on training for African journalists, included practical and highly interactive sessions to ensure that knowledge is truly passed and retained

 

MEDRIVE, which was founded one year ago, has trained over 120 journalists from five states in Nigeria and mentored 40. The trainings have included Story Crafting, Impact Journalism, Using Social Media for New Age Journalism, Elections Reporting, Grants Writing, and the latest centered on Conflict Reporting, targeting journalists reporting crime and conflict.

 

At MEDRIVE, we believe that the media has an all important role to play in governance and development. The media is the Fourth estate of the Realm and holds a duty to hold government accountable in behalf of the people. We empower journalists with the accurate knowledge and skills needed to make impactful reports.

 

 

 

Wemimo Adewuni, Multimedia journalist and Presenter with 99.3 Nigeria Info FM, is the Founder of MEDRIVE. She opened the training by taking the participants through the activities of MEDRIVE over the past one year. Wemimo’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. Wemimo 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 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, etc. Niran Odufayo has covered crime for FRCN for over 15 years.

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 scene.

 

The 88 applications received from 12 states namely Rivers, Oyo, Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, Ogun, Enugu, Edo, Osun, Kogi, Ekiti, Kwara, Bayelsa, and Imo, for the Sensitive and Conflict Reporting reflects the dire need of journalists to be trained on this important subject and other development issues.

MEDRIVE’s motto is Do More, Be More.

With funding, we look forward to taking these trainings to States in the south and north to afford journalists in these zones improve on their reporting and increase their capacity to Do More and Be More