By RITA ENEMURU, who was a participant at the recently held media training workshop in Port Harcourt, relives how the trainers, through their presentations, reignited the fire of responsibility among participants.
IT has become a somewhat unwritten tradition that shortly after elections are held and won or lost in most third world countries like Nigeria, and the beneficiaries of the exercise assume offices, the media space usually goes on a sleep mode rather than staying awake to hold the political office holders accountable for their campaign promises.
So also, the inferno of information disorder or what is commonly referred to as ‘fake news’ has caught up with media practitioners thereby endangering the fabric of the same society the media is expected to preserve, correct, promote and nourish.
To change the narratives and reverse the trend, a two-day workshop, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the International Press Centre (IPC) as lead partner, and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) under Component 4 (Support to media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EUSDGN II) project, was held to train journalists on the application of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and tools for fact-checking information disorder in the public space.
No fewer than 40 journalists, meticulously selected under the eagle eye of IPC’s Project Manager, Mr Sanmi Falobi, from different media outfits such as the Nigerian Tribune, Radio Nigeria, News Echo Online and Stonix News, among others in the South-South and South-East regions, were subjected to rigorous training in the cosy ambience of Golden Tulip suites in Port Harcourt..
Speaking at the sidelines after the second and final day workshop as regards what prompted the training, the Executive Director of the IPC, Lagos, Nigeria, Dr Lanre Arogundade, said that he believed that journalists and the media could do better in holding the government accountable to the people, and that they could also do better in their reportage in the public interest because the profession was ultimately about the people.
“We are looking at democratic governance, election and post-election particularly when it comes to the promises made by politicians.
“We believe that we need to use relevant tools to follow up on those promises and the claims that they are also making about what has been done and what has not been done.
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“That is why we feel we should talk about the Freedom Of Information (FOI) Act and fact-checking. We believe gender issues us very very important and that while we are doing all our reporting, we should not forget the women and that we must advance the course of women and that is why we organised this training for about 40 journalists from the South-South and South-East region,” he disclosed.
He, therefore, charged media practitioners to be catalysts of good governance by making the government do what they are supposed to do; build roads and health centres in communities, and that journalists should have confidence that it is quite possible despite the challenges faced in the profession.
During the practical session on the first day of the training, the participating journalists were grouped into newsrooms. They were asked to come up with a name for their newsroom, identify a failed campaign promise of a particular state and embark on how to write an FOI request to get information on why the promise(s) have (has) not been met.
This, the journalists did successfully, by capping it up with a presentation on the processes they went through as regards the FOI request.
The practicals came after the journalists were paddled through a comprehensive lecture on the application and benefits of the Freedom of Information Act by Mr Edetaen Ojo, the Executive Director of Human Rights Agenda, an NGO based in Lagos.
He taught journalists the importance of getting information that is credible and reliable in the digital age as a result of the increasing spread of fake news through the social media platforms.
He told journalists at the end of the training that part of the objective of the training was to create greater awareness and sensitize journalists about the existence of the law and its value to them and also build capacity and how to use the law effectively to advance the cause of society.
“There is so much fake news, so much inaccurate information floating around; so it’s particularly important that when we have an instrument that enables us to ask and get information and have the assurance that the information we are getting is accurate and reliable, yhen we should utilize that instrument.
“Unfortunately, our experiences have been that over the last 12 years or so, since the law has been in existence, journalists have not made significant use of it.
“So, part of the objective here is to create greater awareness and sensitize journalists about the existence of the law and its value to them and also build capacity and how to use the law effectively,” Mr Ojo reiterated.
When asked the solution he would proffer to journalists who are facing challenges in getting the FOI Act information from public offices, he said:
“The reality is that over the decade, our government has operated largely in secrecy and that culture of secrecy is very in-built in governance; so it will take time to break down that culture.
“I believe that through persistent and consistent use of the law, we would gradually begin to see a new reality where our government officials understand that they are under legal obligation to provide citizens with relevant information, and when journalists, along with other citizens, are using the law to ask them for information, they need to provide the information which failure to do so will result in consequences.”
Contributing to the discourse, a lecturer with the University of Port Harcourt, Dr Titilayo Osuagwu, emphasized the need to deal with gender biases in news reporting and for women to be supportive of each other.
From left, Mr Sanmi Falobi, Dr Lanre Arogundade, Dr Mrs Titilayo Osuagwu and Mr Edetaen Ojo resource persons at the workshop
According to her, gender equality has been a problem and there is a common belief that the media are culpable in perpetrating gender inequality.
She suggested that Female journalists should become more interested in gender-related issues and should be deliberate in searching for stories with women as players/protagonists.
“Female journalists should become more interested in gender-related issues and journalists should be deliberate in searching for stories with women as players/protagonists.
“Examples of such reports are reports about women contenders as governorship candidates and deputies. Journalists should follow their success stories and report the same to inspire other women.
Dr Arogundade doing a presentation
“For example, female correspondents will serve as a conduit for change by providing specific women’s perspectives that could transform discriminatory structures.
“Like I normally say, I don’t like it when we use the word inequality, the word to use should be lack of gender equity. In my presentation, I did mention gender complementary roles.
“Women shouldn’t think they can do it alone. We need to recognize the fact that both genders should come together to advance women’s course. Men cannot shy away from advancing issues that have to do with women.
“Then, women have to be intentional in advancing each other’s causes and need to support each other to break the glass ceiling.
“I don’t think that the male gender is marginalized as much as the female gender is marginalized in the world and Africa particularly. For example, there has never been a female president in the U.S.A; which means this gender of a thing is a worldwide issue. But it is more prominent in Africa,” she averred.
Back to the second and last day of the training, the Director of IPC, Dr Arogundade after his encompassing presentation on fact-checking group work and presentation, had asked the participants to practically identify a false claim by using the necessary fact-checking tools in determining if the claims were made or not.
This, they did, with high enthusiasm and also did a presentation showing that they had grasped and understood all that the facilitators had taught them.
Rita Enemuru (right) presenting outcome of the fact-checking assignment with Chinaza Osigwe
Expressing their gratitude and excitement, some of the participants, such as Ebenezer Adurokiya of the Nigerian Tribune, stated that though they were not initially conversant with the usage of the FOI Act, they had gained a lot of knowledge in the two-day.training.
They expressed their gratitude to IPC for the privilege to learn, unlearn, relearn and fraternise with media gurus in a convivial atmosphere amid sumptuous breakfasts, tea breaks and lunches, just as they hinted on their eagerness to forward FOI Act requests to government agencies and political office holders on pressing governance matters to enrich their investigative reportage when they arrive at their various beats and media platforms.
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