A consortium of non-governmental organisations led by Mercy Corps and the West African Network for Peacebuilding, WANEP hold a workshop to build the capacities of newsmen in conflict coverage
NKRUMAH BANKONG-OBI/Makurdi
The choice of location for the venue matched the profundity of knowledge on offer. The northcentral region of Nigeria has been the butt of relentless conflict in Nigeria for some time. The protracted herder-farm conflict, communal strife, and emerging acts of violence like terrorism, banditry and of course armed robbery and kidnapping made the essence of the training even more poignant, hence these are the issues that the trainee-newsmen encounter daily in discharging their duties.
It is to put the journalist in the right frame and capable of being, in a way peacebuilders, that officials of the Mercy Corps and West African Network for Peacebuilding spent nearly the entire Wednesday, 21 August, putting reporters drawn from Benue and Nasarawa State through the paces to be able to dispense news story in a way that promotes peace and not to jeopardize the chance of finding solutions to conflicts wherever they arise
Led by Danjuma Dawop, Chief of Party, Mercy Corps, the reporters were led to identify the idea of digital peace-building, understand that they can make a huge difference in progressing conflicts, provide more accurate and conflict-sensitive reports, based on theories that support the understanding of conflicts as well as utilize selected tools relevant to their trade. Drawing copious examples from conflict zones around the region, Dawop pointed out how even slight improper reporting can contribute to sustaining the lifespan of conflict rather than quelling it.
He also highlighted reasons why trained journalists must stand out from the citizen journalists who thrive on the outlet of social media. “The incursion of social media has altered the way journalists work, dramatically. It is the ecosystem that is not regulated. With the social media as an unregulated ecosystem, it is difficult not only to hold the reporter accountable but to put him in check.” The difference with the professional journalist, therefore lies in the understanding that “The real reporter is conscious of his training and takes care to the fact of the rules of accountability,” he noted. The lead facilitator acknowledged that professionals are influenced by social media but added that since the traditional media still enjoys more believability, there is a need to adhere to the guiding tents of journalism in the course of reporting.
Using an interactive method of knowledge impartation, Dawop led the newsmen to understand and be deliberately “conscious of what they say” because of the aftermath of what the end-consumer of the message does. He advised reporters to jettison high-sounding semantics that promote sensationalization, hence care be taken of the conflict-sensitive angle to the wording of the report. Objectivity was a key plank in the discussion. Although objectivity in the face of interest is identified as a global headache for news reporters, objectivity is an ideal principle to uphold when reporting conflicts. To achieve this, the reporter is encouraged to be quicker with his trustworthy reports, garner the ability to bring people together through his reportage and consider his responsibility to figure out who to trust as sources.
The workshop exposed reporters to the intricacies and dynamics of conflict. It delved into the sources of conflict, management of conflict and the rationale for the media to have a grasp of these, to be able to effectively produce reports that can contribute to peacebuilding rather than inflaming crises. The facilitator, citing ongoing examples, led the participants to understand why some conflicts reoccur despite attempts at ending them. In such situations, he opined that the sources of the problem have remained unidentified. Some of the precipitations of recurring conflicts, he noted, include; identity issues, values, psychological composition etc. “When you are writing, you must provide a bit of the dynamics listed above in your reports. Journalists should not provide one agenda or viewpoint, rather they should use their conflict-sensitivity knowledge,” he admonished.
Also, a key component of conflict is the cause. To this end, reporters of conflict, Dawop encouraged, should understand the causes of conflict as; “Area of and Belong to”. News reporters, he added need to have a clear knowledge of the facts, of the what, who, when, what, where and how of any given conflict situation. This he noted, will grant them unfettered knowledge of the issues involved thus balancing their reportage.
Reporters were equally put through such subjects as the conflict tree and conflict risk framework; where perceptions of vulnerability, governance ineffectiveness, socioeconomic frustrations that fuel expectation gap, scapegoating and accessibility to non-state violent actors, for which journalists covering conflict must pay keen attention to.
The one-day event left participants better equipped to handle conflict-related matters that have been rampant in the Northcentral region particularly Benue and Nasarawa in the last couple of years.