Group holds media training for journalists in South-east

A media group, Ikenga Media and Cultural Awareness Initiative has organised an investigative reporting training workshop for journalists in the South-east.

Ikenga Media and Cultural Awareness Initiative is the publisher of South-east-focused online newspaper, Ikengaonline.

The training for the over 20 journalists was held in Umuahia, Abia State and Owerri, Imo State on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

The training, supported by the MacArthur Foundation through the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, aimed to improve the quality of journalism in the South-east for good governance.

The training

One of the resource persons at the training, Chinagorom Ugwu, a journalist with PREMIUM TIMES, spoke on how investigative reporting helps to engender good governance.

Mr Ugwu urged journalists to go beyond serving as information disseminators and begin holding government accountable to engender good governance and strengthen democracy in Nigeria.

Another resource person and a journalist with the Guardian Newspaper, Charles Ogugbuaja, took the participants on the topic: “Ethical Journalism in an Era of Technology.

Mr Ogugbuaja stressed that there was a need for journalists to abstain from violating the ethics of the media profession, especially in the face of technological advancement.

Why the training

MR ONUMAH

Speaking at the training sessions, a Co-Publisher of Ikengaonline, Chido Onumah, said the exercise was part of the group’s efforts to promote accountability and good governance through quality investigative reporting.

Mr Onumah said the training, which was in its third year for journalists in the South-east, had recorded tremendous success in the region.

He added that at least 55 journalists in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states had been trained on fundamentals of investigative journalism, media and information literacy, among others.

“Some of the feedbacks we got after previous training include the need for continued reinforcement of the message of how the media can impact positively on the governance process,” he said.

The media expert expressed concern about information gaps and unethical behaviours in journalism in the South-east, explaining that Ikengaonline was established to help bridge the gaps.

“In essence, Ikengaonline, which is intentionally focused on the South-east is a bold attempt to give the people of the zone a voice in the media, which has been brazenly lacking in the past,” he said.

Participants speak

A participant, Chidi Nkwopara, a journalist with the Vanguard newspaper, described the training as a “beautiful exercise.”

“I am hopeful that all the people who participated in this training will put what we learned into practice,” Mr Nkwopara said.

Another participant, Angela Nkwo-Akpolu, said the training would help her improve her journalism practice.

“The most important thing for me was that it helped me to remember some of the things that I have forgotten. So, it was more like a refresher course for me,” said Mrs Nkwo-Akpolu, a journalist with the Leadership newspaper.

“It was also an opportunity to listen to fresh minds that you haven’t related with before to get new perspectives on journalism practice,” she stated.