CJID trains students on ethical journalism, fact checking, others

As part of its Next Gen/Campus Reporter project, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), with support from the Norwegian Embassy, has completed a three-day training for campus journalists and mass communication students in Anambra State. 

The training which took place at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) campus between 27 and 29 August, had over 40 participants from various tertiary institutions, including UNIZIK, the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, and the Federal Polytechnic, Oko. 

With a focus on ethical reporting, fact-checking, and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern journalism, the training provided opportunities for the young writers to gain practical knowledge from mainstream media practitioners and develop their skills for a career in journalism.

Other key areas of journalism covered during the training programme included basics and elements of feature reporting, data analysis and visualization techniques, political literacy, safety tips for campus journalists, and gender sensitive and inclusive reporting. 

During his class on ethics, Idris Akinbajo, Managing Editor of Premium Times, described ethics as “the moral principles that guide practitioners in knowing what is right and wrong.”

He highlighted accuracy, truthfulness, objectivity, and fairness as the global ethical standards of journalism. He also introduced participants to news values such as timeliness, impact, proximity, and oddity and stressed the importance of tailoring stories for different audiences by localizing, nationalizing, or globalizing news.

“Every journalist must understand how to make news relevant. To reach people effectively, sometimes you have to bring a global story home, and other times you have to show how a local story connects to the wider world,” he said.

Mr Akinbajo shared his expertise and experience with the participants, providing them with valuable tips and techniques to enhance their reporting and writing skills.

On her part, Busola Ajibola, Deputy Director of the Journalism Programme at CJID, led a session on gender-sensitive reporting and inclusive storytelling. She emphasized the need for journalists to represent diverse voices in their works and avoid reinforcing stereotypes, especially when covering stories involving women and marginalized groups.  

“A data report from Dataphyte showed that women’s and children’s opinions are poorly represented and underreported. We have to change the narrative by employing inclusive reporting and avoiding stereotyping,” Mrs Ajibola stated.

During the session on “Leveraging AI to Enhance Journalism in Nigeria,” she encouraged the students to leverage the numerous AI tools available to their advantage while also urging them to verify the information given to them by Artificial Intelligence, as it can be biased. 

“Journalists are already using AI in the media space, and there is no going back. But in its usage, also try to maintain human oversight and ensure accuracy at all times in your report. Never trust AI to write your fact-check story,” she said. “AI has come to stay. All we are to do is to checkmate the use of it individually and also know how to prompt it to help us in working effectively as journalists.”

While Mboho Eno, Deputy Director of the Accountability Programme at CJID took the session on youth participation in politics, elections, and governance, Lois Ugbede of Dubawa took the trainees on fact checking, as she emphasized accuracy, transparency, accountability, and fairness as the cornerstones of verification.

Other facilitators who engaged the campus reporters are Amina Miango, Project Manager, MiNe/LDJ; and Adijat Kareem, a lawyer.

To test their hands-on practical skills, the students were split into four groups, likened to newsrooms, and were asked to provide a report at the end of the training. Mr. Akinbajo reviewed each report, providing necessary corrections and admitting that he was impressed with the level of detail and analysis in the reports. The assignments fetched the group members  monetary prices. 

At the end of the workshop, participants described the training as impactful and timely, particularly ahead of the forthcoming Anambra governorship election, where ethical and fact-based reporting will be critical.

One of the participants, Abigail Mbah, said the training significantly improved her understanding of data journalism and news writing. “Now I can write news in both local and global formats. I look forward to putting my new knowledge to use,” she said. 

Another trainee, Nnamdi Igwe shared that despite spending four years studying Mass Communication at the university, he had never experienced such an intensive and impactful training. “I never knew how to write news and feature reports throughout my time as an undergraduate in Mass Communication, but CJID has given me this opportunity. I will put everything I’ve learned into practice,” Igwe said.

Commending CJID for the capacity-building training, Allen Adum, a professor and Head of the Department of Mass Communication at UNIZIK, expressed appreciation for the initiative, highlighting its importance in enhancing the skills and knowledge of students and young journalists. 

The Campus Reporter project, launched in 2017 by CJID, is designed to build the capacity of young journalists across Nigerian universities and polytechnics. The project has trained hundreds of students on ethics, accountability reporting, fact-checking, and investigative journalism. Many alumni have since progressed into mainstream media, contributing to a culture of truth and accountability in the country’s democracy.