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The president Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Mr. Chris Isiguzo has urged the media to be more committed to peace while reporting 2023 general elections, saying Democracy will not develop without peace.
In a paper presented on Wednesday during a Training Workshop for Northwest journalists, organized by the Center for Democracy and Development-CDD in collaboration with INEC, NUJ on Conflict Sensitive Reporting and the 2023 General Elections held at the Royal Park Hotel, Kano, Mr. Chris Isiguzo said the training is to prepare media for the onerous task ahead.
The NUJ president who was represented by the union national consultant Mr. Amos Duniya and editor in chief ForeFront Magazine further disclosed that the paper presentation was Role of the Media in the conduct of Peaceful Election.
“The topic is very important at this time, given the fact that political Actors in Nigeria consider elections as a do-or-die affair. It is therefore auspicious for us as Media Professionals to brainstorm ahead of the election year so as to prepare ourselves for the onerous task ahead”.
According to him, in whatever journalists should report, it is very necessary to take the issue of peace as a cardinal point and take into consideration the need to be careful so that areas that are already fragile do not explode or implode.
“Peace is a basic requirement in a democracy. No democracy can develop in the absence of peace.”
He stressed that its inevitable to completely eliminate crises and conflicts from our society, however, it is important if deliberate efforts are made toward conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
“As journalists, we are expected to develop a thorough, understanding of the elections and the electoral process, an understanding of conflicts, and convey these to citizens in a way that reflects the truth in all their complexities.”
He maintained that the proper foundation established by Journalists will provide
citizens with the opportunities they require to make informed judgments about issues involved and perhaps help the government in taking meaningful decisions.
“The role of the media in peace promotion or conflict escalation has been heightened by a number of factors which include ownership and funding, editorial policy and the regulatory agencies.”
He maintained that Journalists have contributed to the process of
democratic sustainability in Nigeria in the past 23 years or thereabout, therefore they should also be interested in its future.
“The 2023 general election is important to all journalists especially as it will further stabilise our democracy and strengthen the democratic culture in Nigerian.”
The NUJ President said the media should be more committed to improving the ethical standard of news reportage during elections.
“They must ensure that they undertake their professional duties within the ambit of the Electoral Law and other
regulations. Professionally, they are required to improve their news judgment as it affects elections and election-related issues.”
“Journalists, as a matter of priority must always beam their searchlights on the Election Management Body INEC to ensure that it is impartial and competent, that it embraces transparency and inclusIvity in its composition and mandate in order to discharge its duties effectively.”
He said journalists should inform the public of how effectively the politicians have performed and help to hold them to account.
He explained that media plays a major role in keeping the citizenry abreast of current events and raising awareness of various issues in any society.
“As noted in the “Media and Parliamentary Elections in Egypt Evaluation of Media Performance in the Parliamentary Elections, Human Rights Movement Issues 26, at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, 2011.”
“Journalists in Nigeria should work towards the advancement of the right of freedom of expression, access to information, freedom of the press, media independence, conflict transformation and
peacebuilding .”
The NUJ president hopes that participants will make proper use of this training
opportunity to ensure that a level playing field is provided for all political actors and ensure that peoples’ votes will count through highly professional management of news by journalists.
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2023: Democracy will not develop without peace, says NUJ President
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