The second edition of the Akwa Ibom Journalism Clinic organised by the The Next Edition Centre for Investigative Journalism and Gender Advocacy (NECIJGA) kicked off on Thursday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.
The two-day clinic which is meant to train journalists in the state is being orgnised in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Its team is: “Reporting Right–Sustaining Democracy”
In a statement signed by the Managing Editor/Programme Director, The Next Edition, Ibanga Isine; Chairman, NUJ Akwa Ibom State Council, Comrade Patrick Albert and Secretary of the Local Organising Committee, Otobong Billy, it is stated that the clinic is aimed at enriching the practice of journalism.
Also, the statement said, it would help journalists and media houses to offer quality reporting in order to nurture and sustain a united, peaceful and prosperous democratic society where the rule of law and the rights of citizens are respected.
The training will deliver guidelines for the reportage of the forthcoming general elections and prepare the media community to set the agenda, drive healthy debates and help facilitate a peaceful election in the state.
“During the maiden edition of the Clinic in 2017, over 240 journalists signed up to abide by the ethics of the Journalism profession and that significantly reduced the level of hate and fake news that at the time threatened the peace and unity of the state.
“This year, we have identified dysfunctional media practices within the immediate society and based on appropriate diagnosis, crafted the theme and mini-syllabus for the Clinic,” the statement reads in part.
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Resource persons to feature at the training which will feature more than 300 journalists are: Country Mentor to Nigeria’s Google Developers and CEO, Start Innovation Hub, Nigeria, Hanson Johnson (Topic: Managing a Profitable Online Medium and the Challenge of Cyber Security and Safety); Executive Director, International Press Centre, Lagos, Lanre Arogundade (Topic: How to Apply the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage Before, During and After the 2019 Polls); Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication Arts, University of Uyo, Charles Obot (Topic: Reporting For A Government-owned Medium and the Burden of Social Responsibility); Former Commissioner for Justice/Attorney General of Kaduna State, Mark Jacobs (Topic: Government’s Perception of Negative Media and the Necessity for Critical Journalism in a Democracy) and a consummate journalist and CEO, Talent Business School, Uyo, Nnamso Umoren (Topic: From Raw Information to Finished News: Applying Standards of Best Practice in News Gathering and Reporting).
Also scheduled for the event is a former HOD and Senior Lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Udeme Nana (Topic: News Framing and Its Implication for the Promotion of Peace, Human Rights and the Rule of Law); Assistant Professor and Chair of the Communication and Multimedia Design Department, American University of Nigeria (AUN) Yola, Adamawa State, Presly Obukoadata (Topic: Interviewing Techniques in an Era of Multimedia Journalism) and multi-award winning journalist and Managing Editor, Next Edition Newspaper, Lagos, Ibanga Isine (Topic: How to Identify and Counter Fake News and Hate Speech before they Go Viral).
