Journalists who plan to cover the upcoming general elections have been urged by certain media players to put their safety first.
They maintained that no news article is worth a human life during a workshop for journalists held by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) on Wednesday in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The claim was made at an Ibadan-based training session for media on peaceful and non-violent elections.
Journalists should be aware of their safety and security before, during, and after the general elections in 2023, according to resource people at the workshop.
In his presentation titled “Election and conflict-sensitive reporting,” Mr. Lanre Arogundade, a representative of the International Press Centre, advised journalists to report any act of intimidation or threat.
Dr. Tunde Akanni, a journalism lecturer at Lagos State University, urged journalists to anticipate dangers and be ready.
Use fundamental data and digital security tools and practices to save your information.
“Report threats or intimidation. Never forget that no story is worth your life.
Akanni emphasized that political parties, politicians, the media, and civil society organizations are some of the drivers of conflicts in his lecture titled “Understanding Conflicts and Drivers of Conflicts.”
However, he cautioned journalists against using their position to foment unrest in the nation and instead to contribute to peacebuilding.
He stated:
“The media contributes to the causes of wars. Conflicts are fueled in part by political parties, politicians, party members, the international community, and the media. The media ought to be involved in dispute resolution.
The training provided by the European Union Delegation under the EU Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase Two (EU-SDGN II), according to CAPPA’s Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi, is informed by the fact that the 2023 general elections are drawing near.
The threat of violence, the deliberate propagation of false information and misinformation, vote-buying, manipulation, voting suppression, and other factors, he continued, raise the specter of unease among prospective voters in the country.