Media executives across Online and Print media have described the intervention by the European Union on capacity building for journalists towards strengthening democracy in Nigeria as laudable and yielding.
The Media Executives made this known on Monday at a day interactive session for selected newsroom operators in Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti states held in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.
Organised by the International Press Centre, IPC, the session interacted challenges facing media executives in Nigeria and how sustainable solutions can be achieved.
In his opening remarks and welcoming the participants, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade explained how the organization in partnership with the EU has trained several journalists across the region, adding that the session is one of the products of earlier seminars held.
Arogundade listed the areas of focus for to include the need to improve professionalism; increase awareness in the use of the Freedom of Information bill; strengthening the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria, BON; combating mis / dis information in the media; educating and encouraging members of the public to participate in voters registration as well as ensuring the increase in participation of women in politics as 2027 draws nearer.
He said, “We have trained a lot of reporters on different areas but we realised that the results are not as expected as most of the reporters are not only decision-making desk or gatekeepers sometimes have no interests in those reports.
“We now thought it wise to engage the decision-makers themselves and unravel the challenges facing each newsroom.”
He also emphasised on the need for journalists to get more acquinted with fact checking, regular writing of editorials and the essence of embracing creativity to enhance productivity on the job.
In their respective submissions, publishers and media executives explained the challenges they faced while trying to access information on most of the critical development areas.
At the end of the summit, solutions were provided with media executives making commitment that would ensure more areas are covered.
Speaking at the one day training and workshop, the Chairman of the Southwest Guild Of Online Publishers, SWEGOP, Mr Bisi Oladele; expressed the readiness of the body to partner with the International Press Centre, IPC, by ensuring Online Publishers, most especially upcoming ones are well trained and tutored to be self sufficient on the job.
Oladele also assured the International Press Centre and its international sponsors of its readiness to align itself with its component 4 objectives which focuses on both Online and Print, with the exception of broadcast media which is now in the purview of CEMESO.
Publishers of Online Media present at the workshop includes Coven News, Treasure Newspaper, Insight Links News, City Mirror, Salient Times, Arise News Daily, The Tabloid News and Oyo Insight.
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