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Tag: International Press Centre

  • ABC of election coverage, by Press Centre

    Media organisations need to comply with the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage and the Electoral Act in their coverage of the electoral process, the International Press Centre (IPC) has said.

    It said the media are obligated to give equitable coverage and access to political parties and under-represented groups, such as youths, women and persons living with disabilities (PLWDs).

    IPC regretted that some media organisations have not done so in the coverage of activities around the general elections.

    The centre presented a report entitled: Monitoring of Print & Online Newspapers’ Reporting of the 2019 Electoral Process: the September – December 2018 Scorecard.

    The report is an analysis of trends in the reporting of the 2019 electoral process by 12 print/online newspapers for September, October, November and December 2018.

    The newspapers whose content were monitored are: The Punch, The Guardian, Daily Sun, Vanguard, ThisDay, Nigerian Tribune, The Nation, Leadership, Daily Trust and Blue Print (monitored online).

    Others are The Cable and Premium Times (published online only).

    The monitoring exercise was undertaken under Component 4b: Support to the Media of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Project being implemented by IPC.

    The study found that media outlets during the period did not give equitable coverage to the parties and aspirants/candidates.

    IPC Director Mr Lanre Arogundade, quoting the report, said: “Two political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got much of the coverage while 89 others were not well focused upon.

    “Findings show that the combined coverage that APC and PDP get is 85 per cent while the rest shared 25 per cent.

    “While it could be argued that this possibly reflects the strength of the two political parties, efforts should have been made to cover and report the other political parties.”

    According to the report, the monitored media outlets did not give fair and equitable coverage to disadvantaged groups.

    It says women, youths and PWDs were poorly focused upon.

    It also found that men dominated the media space with 1,417 mentions, representing (50.61 per cent).

    Women, on the other hand, got 102 mentions (at 3.54 per cent), youths got 109 mentions (at 3.7 per cent) while PLWDs got 33 mentions at 1.14 per cent.

    “It, therefore, means that some of the women, youths and people living with disabilities especially those standing as aspirants and candidates might not have been given opportunity of getting their issues across to the public.

    “The monitored media outlets were conflict sensitive in their language use and generally avoided reports or headlines that could be interpreted as hate speech

    “Some of the monitored media outlets did not show enough sensitivity to gender in the way and manner of reporting female aspirants/candidates,” the report says.

    According to the report, of the 91 registered political parties as published on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) website, only 74 got mentioned in the newspapers under review.

    “The APC got the highest number of mentions at 4,095 times (55.9 per cent), followed by the PDP which got 2,133 mentions (at 29.12 per cent).

    “The remaining 72 political parties shared 14.98 per cent mentions. Out of this, Social Democratic Party (SDP) got 171 mentions (at 2.33per cent); All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), 151 mentions (at 2.06 per cent); and African Democratic Congress (ADC), 144 mentions (at 1.97 per cent).

    “The All Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) got 77 mentions (at 1.05 per cent); Action Democratic Party (ADP) got 51 mentions (0.7 per cent); Alliance for Democracy (AD), 50 mentions (at 0.7 per cent); Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), 46 mentions (at 0.63 per cent); Labour Party (LP) got 35 mentions (at 0.48 per cent). The rest 64 political parties shared the remaining 5.69 per cent,” the report said.

    The report says The Nation had the highest number of mentions on APC’s activities, with 507 reports, followed by Vanguard with 481 mentions.

    “Vanguard accounted for most of the mentions on the activities of the PDP with 335 reports, while Leadership was next with 221 mentions. For the Social Democratic Party (SDP) the Nigerian Tribune had the highest mentions of 27, while Leadership had 24 mentions of the party.

    “On mentions relating to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigerian Tribune had the highest with 42 mentions,” the report says.

    The report says all the newspapers showed conflict sensitivity in their language use, and “no evidence of hate speech was observed in the monitored reports”.

    The report observes: “Some of the monitored media outlets did not show enough sensitivity to gender in the way and manner of reporting female aspirants.

    “Some of the monitored media outlets used adverts as news without clearly indicating that they were sponsored adverts.”

    On recommendations, the report says: “The monitored media outlets and others not covered by this exercise should continue to strive to abide by the provisions of the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage and some other relevant frameworks, including the Electoral Act obligating them to give equitable access to parties and candidates, give equitable access to underrepresented groups, be socially responsible, be ethical, avoid hate speech; and be conflict sensitive.

    “The monitored media outlets and others should be more gender sensitive in the choice of language when reporting women candidates or their issues

    “With the elections drawing near, it is expected that the media and INEC will step up enlightenment around voting so that no one is disenfranchised and no one commits any offence out of ignorance.

    “This is the period the electorate need to be well informed about their duties and responsibilities during the elections.”

    Centre for Free Speech Executive Director Mr Richard Akinnola recalled that a presidential candidate of one of the supposed small parties complained about five years ago in a newspaper interview that financial demands by journalists in the coverage of his activities and campaigns impacted negatively on his media visibility.

    “This raises a very crucial point. As a matter of fact, if this report had covered the electronic media, the result of the research would have been worse because the level of commercialisation of news in that sector.

    “In actual fact, l have been a victim of such practice, whereby a public presentation of a media-related book was termed commercial by a television station.

    “This aspect of the report poses a major challenge to the press and the responsibility of the press to the people.

    “If we have to be real, political actors – candidates and parties alike – must have a heavy financial war chest for them to be well reported and projected in the media, as we have seen in this report.

    “This is an issue which we have to critically address, otherwise, we are invariably shutting the doors against candidates who are not financially buoyant.

    “To me, this is the main issue that resonates in this report. This has put the smaller parties in a disadvantaged position,” he said.

  • Promoting peaceful polls through conflict-sensitive reporting

    The International Press Centre (IPC) has held a two-day training for journalists on best practices in election coverage, including conflict-sensitive reporting. JOSEPH JIBUEZE reports.

    Next month, Nigerians will go to the polls. Will it be violent-free? The media can instigate and exacerbate violence through their news coverage.

    The media was implicated in fuelling violence in the Kenyan elections in 2007/2008.

    The press was accused of playing up divisions between the two main contesting coalitions and their candidates.

    The Kenyan media allegedly failed to mitigate hate speech, spreading violent imagery pitting communities against one another.

    Similarly in 2016, the media was accused of waging a propaganda war, with the private media backing opposition parties, and the public media supporting the ruling party and incumbent candidate in Zambia.

    Biased media coverage is one reason voters have little faith that elections are credible, and the outcomes legitimate. Indeed, the media can be a force for both good and bad in elections.

    At a two-day workshop on Best Practices and Professional Reporting of the Electoral process organised by the International Press Centre (IPC) in Enugu, Enugu State, journalists were urged to practise peace journalism to help reduce conflicts.

    The event was under the auspices of the Component 4b (Support to the Media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN).

    According to a professor of Mass Communication, Chinyere Okunna, who was one of the facilitators, the media can play a critical role in creating peaceful and non-violent elections through peace journalism.

    Peace journalism, as opposed to war journalism, emphasises peaceful resolutions over conflict, common ground over differing viewpoints, and depth and context over sensationalism.

    It is people-oriented, truth-oriented, and solution-oriented rather than violence-oriented, propaganda-oriented and victory-oriented.

    According to Prof Okunna, the media can promote peaceful elections by emphasiing conflict resolution, balanced analysis of the underlying causes of conflict, the use of alternative news sources rather than those that reinforce personal biases, and the use of language that does not play up conflict.

    “The world over, the media are often indicted for their negativism because of their penchant to attach high news value to negative happenings, and to actively seek out and report negative events.

    “This scenario is true, even in developing countries where deliberate efforts are expected to be made to promote development journalism to effect the development so desperately needed by these countries in every aspect of life.

    “Because of the  nature of conflict and the orientation of the mass media to regard conflict as very newsworthy and to seek out and report such negative and ‘newsworthy’ situations, it is often said that the media are attracted to conflicts like ants to sugar or honey,” she said.

    Prof Okunna, a former Anambra State Commissioner for Information, made said conflicts during elections will be reduced if the media do not “add fuel to the fire”.

    “A peace media system can be described as one that successfully minimises conflict (or outright violence) and is able to promote peaceful behaviours in society.

    “It is a media system that has developed ideals, ethics, mores, value systems and institutions that minimise conflict or violence and promote peace within it and among the audience,” she said.

    The academic advised against reporting hate speeches and unverified claims, but encouraged balanced and fair coverage that ensures that all parties get a fair share of reportage.

    “One way of escalating conflict in reporting the electoral process is through hate speech.

    “Conversely, avoiding hate speech through conflict-sensitive reporting is a fundamental tenet of a peace media system that is operating towards peacefulness in the society,” she said.

    Prof Okunna said the media’s “framing powers” and agenda setting roles can be deployed for good.

    “Ultimately, the way the media ‘frame’ violence and the desirability of peace, the types of items (conflict-oriented or peace-promoting) that are placed on the media agenda, as well as the importance or status conferred on people and events in conflict situations, could be major factors in determining the emergence of a culture of peace and the avoidance of hate speech in any society.

    “In this regard, a media system that glamorises violence and hate speech totally lacks the capacity to enthrone the tenets of peace journalism,” she added.

    A certified trainer and political analyst, Mr  Jide  Ojo, said the media should do more to hold politicians accountable.

    According to him, there are several issues for which those seeking political offices could be taken up on.

    For instance, he said the 2018 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), launched last October 29, scored Nigeria 47.9 in overall governance, with the country ranking 33 out of 54 in Africa.

    Although Nigeria increased in ranking from 35 in 2017 to 33 in 2018, the country’s overall score dropped from 48.1 to 47.9.

    According to the report, this score is lower than the African average of 49.9 and also lower than the West African average of 54.3.

    He also cited data from the World Poverty Clock, which says that Nigeria has overtaken India as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty.

    Ojo cited the report as saying that an estimated 87 million Nigerians, or around half of the country’s population, are thought to be living on less than $1.90 a day.

    “Nigeria is at the threshold of conducting her sixth general elections since 1999. Every four years we elect president, governors, senators, House of Representatives members, and members of State Houses of Assembly. What have we to show for these elections?

    “As part of the agenda setting responsibilities of the media, it is imperative for you as political correspondents to ask the right questions from those who are contesting the next elections,” Ojo said.

    Another facilitator, Funke –Treasure Durodola, urged journalists to do more on post-election reporting.

    To her, the media must effectively document, track and monitor electoral promises made by candidates during election campaigns.

    Post-election reporting, she said, should include the extent to which officials at all levels have been able to implement electoral promises while in office.

    IPC Director Mr Lanre Arogundade said it is expected that the media will follow the global trends in the use of media as a political communication tool during the 2019 general elections.

    He expects the media to create equal opportunities for all actors and parties.

    “The media have a critical agenda setting role to support the integrity and credibility of elections.

    “Not only must they take a lead role in ensuring that citizens are adequately mobilised, but they should also ensure that the entire process is open to public scrutiny.

    “It is expected that this training will help participants to understand and imbibe the principles of fairness, diversity and objectivity in reporting the electoral process and the elections,” Arogundade said.

     

     

     

     

  • IPC seeks justice for Dele Giwa

    IPC seeks justice for Dele Giwa

    THE International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, has called for justice on the murder of Dele Giwa, 30 years ago.

    Giwa, the founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch, was assassinated through a letter bomb on October 19, 1986.

    IPC Director Lanre Arogundade, in a statement, described the killing of Giwa as the most drastic act of intimidation of the press in Nigeria.

    “The death of Dele Giwa has shown just how journalists could be endangered. Many others have been killed, and we must not relent in the pursuit of justice for them and the safety of journalists in Nigeria.

    “IPC, therefore, uses the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the murder of Dele Giwa to plead to the Buhari administration to reopen the case, as justice is an important element of development,” Arogundade said.

  • Transparency crucial to stop corruption – US envoy 

    Transparency crucial to stop corruption – US envoy 

    The federal government can run a more effective anti-corruption crusade if it goes about it in a more transparent way, the Deputy Public Affairs Officer, United States Consulate-General Lagos, Mr. Frank Sellin, said Tuesday.

    Delivering the lead speech at a Media Tweet-a-thon organised by International Press Centre (IPC) with the theme: International best practices in transparency in government and the role of the media, Sellin called for the protection of whistleblowers and provision of the right tools for anti-graft agencies.

    He said: “Transparency is a crucial way to break the chain of corruption. That’s why the US government strongly supports open government.

    “Governments become unstable when they muzzle the media. They become blind to the problems of the people and the solutions.

    Sellin added that corruption affects all countries and Nigeria has to look for its own formula to tackle it.

    One such formula is to make government accountable to the people.

    He said: “When governments don’t answer questions, people will talk about it anyway. Silence encourages speculation without facts.”

    The consular officer recommended that the government should do all it can to defend media and judicial independence as well as limit secrecy.

    “Bad governments,” Sellin said, “survive in the dark.”

    One of the lead discussants at the event, Mr. Martins Oloja, Editor, Guardian Newspaper, said governments tend to hide things, so journalists must stay vigilant.

    He lamented that most of the publications in the media about the $2.1billion arms scandal are based on information released by the government and not what the media obtained by investigation.

    “The health of a democracy depends on the amount of quality information available to the citizenry.”

    Emphasising the place of funding in journalism, Oloja added: “There can be no editorial independence without financial independence.”
    The Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, who delivered the welcome and closing remarks, said the media tweet conference marks the commencement of a one-year Media and Transparency Watch project.

    He challenged the media to go beyond the mere reporting of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC’s) “dramatic arrests to look at the inadequacies in our institutional and legislative frameworks that make it easy for politicians to have unrestrained access to the public treasury and bleed it dry.”

    Mrs. Bimbo Oyetunde, who represented the Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council, said the Mr. Waheed Odusile-led NUJ will collaborate with publishers to solve the issue of poor welfare of journalists.

    “The NUJ will also introduce a re-certification of journalists; journalists must have a minimum of Ordinary National Diploma (OND),” she added.

  • How to manage disasters, by experts

    How to manage disasters, by experts

    Experts have warned that current approach to disaster management must be overhauled in order to significantly scale back its adverse effects.

    At a two-day seminar organised for journalists by an NGO, ActionAid and the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos, it was agreed that government at all levels need to rise above the ‘charity’ approach with which they are currently handling disasters to the level of ensuring adequate budgets and structure to minimise their occurances.

    The lecture whose theme was: ‘Disaster Communication, Accountability in Disaster Management and Conflict’, was delivered by ActionAid’s Human Security Manager, Gbenro Olajuyigbe. It highlighted the ills of disaster management in the country.

    He decried the lack of accountability in disaster management in the country, noting that most states in the country do not have functioning State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA).

    Olajuyigbe decried practices where politicians spend money meant for SEMA and incapacitate the agencies such that they lack logistics to carry out their daily activities.

    He lambasted the federal government for doling out the sum of N17.6 billion to states after the flooding incident in 2012, insisting that the federal government failed to monitor how such funds were used or managed.

    In 2012 alone, natural disasters killed nearly 200,000 people, affected more than 300 million others, and caused a record $366 billion in economic damage worldwide, said Olajuyigbe.

    In Nigeria, Olajuyigbe noted that some of the most widespread incidences of catastrophic flooding were recorded from June 2012, such that about 70 per cent of the states were affected.

    According to him, this was in addition to various violent security challenges and outbreaks of conflicts in various regions in the country.

    “Reports and studies have clearly demonstrated that the impact of future disaster is likely to be even more devastating. Disasters are expected to become more frequent in the future and to take a greater toll due to climate change, a growing world population, and more people settling in hazard-prone areas”, Olajuyigbe noted.

    Since Emergency Preparedness/Disaster risk reduction are multifaceted and long-term works  Olajuigbe said media and women groups are central to the effort as encapsulated in the Hyogo Framework of Action.

    He said there was need for accurate disaster mapping as well as data, adding that stakeholders need to be proactive and put adequate infrastructures in place.

    “There is need to ensure accountability and transparency in disaster management, so as to enhance people and state action to understand and reduce vulnerability, access support and embrace the culture of sustainable development.

    “Documentation is also necessary because it helps to manage post-camp integration. The government has to know it has duty to the affected persons and not rendering them favour, hence, there should be a responsibility framework in place and capacity building to develop personnel should be encouraged.

    “Failure on the part of the government to take necessary proactive steps in disaster management leads to the abuse of people’s rights; weakens donors and actors; promote corruption as well as reinforces vulnerability,” he said.

    Also speaking, Director, IPC, Lanre Arogundade highlighted the role of the media in disaster management and declared that the training could not have come at a better time than now when Nigeria is passing through a lot of security and disaster-related challenges.

    He urged journalists to uphold media ethics as well as social responsibility in disaster reporting. He also urged participants to go the extra mile to investigate and write stories that can hold the various stakeholders accountable.

  • How to manage disasters, by experts

    Experts have warned that current approach to disaster management must be overhauled in order to significantly scale back its adverse effects.

    At a two-day seminar organised for journalists by an NGO, ActionAid and the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos, it was agreed that government at all levels need to rise above the ‘charity’ approach with which they are currently handling disasters to the level of ensuring adequate budgets and structure to minimise their occurances.

    The lecture whose theme was: ‘Disaster Communication, Accountability in Disaster Management and Conflict’, was delivered by ActionAid’s Human Security Manager, Gbenro Olajuyigbe. It highlighted the ills of disaster management in the country.

    He decried the lack of accountability in disaster management in the country, noting that most states in the country do not have functioning State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA).

    Olajuyigbe decried practices where politicians spend money meant for SEMA and incapacitate the agencies such that they lack logistics to carry out their daily activities.

    He lambasted the federal government for doling out the sum of N17.6 billion to states after the flooding incident in 2012, insisting that the federal government failed to monitor how such funds were used or managed.

    In 2012 alone, natural disasters killed nearly 200,000 people, affected more than 300 million others, and caused a record $366 billion in economic damage worldwide, said Olajuyigbe.

    In Nigeria, Olajuyigbe noted that some of the most widespread incidences of catastrophic flooding were recorded from June 2012, such that about 70 per cent of the states were affected.

    According to him, this was in addition to various violent security challenges and outbreaks of conflicts in various regions in the country.

    “Reports and studies have clearly demonstrated that the impact of future disaster is likely to be even more devastating. Disasters are expected to become more frequent in the future and to take a greater toll due to climate change, a growing world population, and more people settling in hazard-prone areas”, Olajuyigbe noted.

    Since Emergency Preparedness/Disaster risk reduction are multifaceted and long-term works  Olajuigbe said media and women groups are central to the effort as encapsulated in the Hyogo Framework of Action.

    He said there was need for accurate disaster mapping as well as data, adding that stakeholders need to be proactive and put adequate infrastructures in place.

    “There is need to ensure accountability and transparency in disaster management, so as to enhance people and state action to understand and reduce vulnerability, access support and embrace the culture of sustainable development.

    “Documentation is also necessary because it helps to manage post-camp integration. The government has to know it has duty to the affected persons and not rendering them favour, hence, there should be a responsibility framework in place and capacity building to develop personnel should be encouraged.

    “Failure on the part of the government to take necessary proactive steps in disaster management leads to the abuse of people’s rights; weakens donors and actors; promote corruption as well as reinforces vulnerability,” he said.

    Also speaking, Director, IPC, Lanre Arogundade highlighted the role of the media in disaster management and declared that the training could not have come at a better time than now when Nigeria is passing through a lot of security and disaster-related challenges.

    He urged journalists to uphold media ethics as well as social responsibility in disaster reporting. He also urged participants to go the extra mile to investigate and write stories that can hold the various stakeholders accountable.