CJID trains Nigerian journalists on conflict, human rights reporting in Lake Chad region
Story from Vivian DANIEL, Abuja.
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), in collaboration with the Open Society Foundations (OSF), recently organized a three-day training program for 21 Nigerian journalists in Abuja. The training aimed to equip journalists and researchers with the necessary skills for reporting on conflict, security, and human rights issues.
During the opening remarks, Akintunde Babatunde, the Program Director at CJID, congratulated the selected participants and discussed the organization’s extensive experience in conducting training programs. Fiona Asuke, the Security and Rights Program Officer (Africa) at the Open Society Foundations, emphasized the critical role of data journalism in conflict reporting and its ability to provide valuable insights.
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Felicia Dairo, the project manager for CJID, highlighted the ongoing project’s objective of promoting conflict, insecurity, and human rights-related reportage in the Lake Chad area. Dairo shared concerning statistics, such as 10.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and over 2.3 million people, including children, displaced from their homes in the region.
Throughout the training, the participants engaged in enlightening sessions facilitated by experts in various fields. Topics covered included understanding conflict, the roles of journalists in conflict reporting, contextualizing conflict, and finding hidden conflict stories. The training also delved into subjects like data analysis, multimedia verification, and social media strategies for journalism.
The training concluded with participants presenting their story ideas and receiving certificates. Idris Mohammed, a freelancer and lecturer at Usman Danfodio University, expressed his appreciation for the valuable knowledge gained during the training. Usman Abba Zanna, a multimedia journalist with ‘HumAngle,’ also thanked CJID for the exceptional learning experience.
The training was attended by journalists from renowned organizations, including Trust TV, Premium Times, HumAngle, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Neptune Prime, Kaftan TV, and WikkiTimes, as well as four researchers.