The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation on Monday, commenced training for journalists on ethics of child reporting.
Declaring the two-day workshop, for journalists from the North-Central and North-East regions, open in Gombe, Mr Toye Falayi, an Assistant Director, Child Rights Bureau, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, said the training was aimed at improving child protection through reportage.
Falayi urged journalists to pay attention and fully participate in the sessions to ensure that the objectives of the training were met.
“I want to commend UNICEF over this very important collaboration aimed at protecting rights of children through responsible reportage of their issues,” he said.
In his presentation on “Privacy, Dignity and Protection of Identity: Consent and Parental Approval”, Dr Geoffrey Njoku, one of the facilitators, said journalists must avoid sensationalism, especially when reporting children’s issues.
Njoku charged journalaists to put children’s safety first in all situations to avoid leaving them with trauma.
Dr Jide Johnson, another facilitator, who spoke on the topic, “Media as Protector or violator”, said that the media had a responsibility to protect children in their reports.
Johnson charged journalists to handle interviews and reports that had to do with children carefully to avoid causing harm to their reputation.
Mr Nansel Nimyel, veteran broadcaster and one of the facilitators, while speaking on “Responsibilities of Print and Electronic Media'”, urged journalists not to expose the identifies and locations of children because that could expose them to dangers or could lead to stigmatisation.
Nimyel charged journalists to be responsible and ethical in their reportage, warning that irresponsible reporting could have dire consequences and long time negative social effects on the children.