From Dianabasi Effiong Port Harcourt. A union leader has urged Nigerian journalists to continually promote peace building as well as resolution and prevention of...

From Dianabasi Effiong

Port Harcourt. A union leader has urged Nigerian journalists to continually promote peace building as well as resolution and prevention of conflicts in day-to-day reportage of events in their country.

Mr Stanley Job Stanley, the Chairman, Port Harcourt Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) gave the advice on Thursday at a training programme on` `Peace and Conflict Reporting’’.

The programme was organised in Port Harcourt by the Port Harcourt Cosmopolitan in partnership with the state council of the NUJ to improve capacity of journalists as peace harbingers in society.

He lauded the programme which he said came at the time the Nigerian Government was saddled with the responsibility of conducting a free, fair, credible and peaceful elections for its citizens.

Stanley also stated that journalists roles in peace building was very important now “where fake news reign supreme in our land’’.

“Conflicts most times have been triggered by false information and fake news. It is therefore the responsibility of every responsible journalist to report nothing but the truth. Practitioners of traditional media must play by the rule by ensuring that parties involved in a matter are given equal opportunity to state their case and be protected equally.”

Earlier, the club’s President, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, a former Commissioner for Information in Rivers, said the club refused to “accept to accept conflict as a way of life’’.

According to her Rotary projects provide training that “fosters understanding and provides communities with the skills to resolve conflicts’’.

“Through service projects such as this training , peace fellowships and scholarships, our members are taking action to address the underlying causes of conflict including poverty, inequality, ethnic tension, lack of access to education and unequal distribution of resources.”

Resource persons spoke on conflict sensitive reporting issues of “Professionalism: Five W’s and H as Tools in Managing Conflict and “Identifying the triggers and preventing conflict: the role of the media’’ at the workshop.

They also discussed “the role of the media in peace reporting including “Conflict sensitive reporting: dealing with emotions, sentiments and personal interest’’ and “Newsroom management: the role of editor in conflict reporting’’.  

Other topics discussed at the training’s plenary included ” How Journalism can contribute to peace keeping, peace building and peace-making as well as “Staying safe when reporting conflict.

Dianabasi Effiong