Media
By Nwamaka Chigbo
THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, held a two-day training workshop for journalists on how to report anti-corruption issues on June 19 and 20.
The training programme, which took place at the Auditorium of the ICPC Head Office in Abuja, was attended by a good number of scholars and journalists
Bolaji Owasanoye, chairman of ICPC, in his welcome address, stated that investigative journalism was important for the emergence of good governance and accountability and deplored the incidence of fake news and the danger it poses to the stability of the country.
He said that the aim of the training was to impact positively the narrative about corruption and anti-corruption agencies, the modus operandi and to appreciate their impact on the political economy not just locally but internationally.
According to him, there is therefore no gainsaying the fact that as the fourth Estate of the realm, it behooves on the media to conduct and ply its trade in a way and manner that espouses objectivity, constructive criticism, devoid of bias, while reporting all sides with fairness to all concerned, without embellishment of facts and avoid sensationalism.
The capacity building workshop boasted of a robust programme of highly articulated lectures on topical burning issues bordering on accurate reportage on the activities of the ICPC in the fight against corruption.
The statement by the ICPC noted that erudite resource persons engaged the participants in highly interactive sessions on the various aspects of the activities, achievements of the ICPC and the importance of good reportage with insightful interventions during the workshop.
It acknowledged the contributions of the resources, including, Ashiru Baba, director, Education & Public Enlightenment at the ICPC, Jude Okoye, director & head of Corruption Monitoring Evaluation Department; Ebenezer Shogunle, Professor Elijah Okebukola, Ali Yusuf of the Nation Newspaper, Folu Olamiti, Clememt Obaniyi and Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson of ICPC.
According to the statement, all the resource persons agreed on the important role of journalists in the fight against corruption, while emphasizing the need for an enduring partnership between anti-corruption agencies and the media in order to succeed in the fight against corruption.
“All the speakers in tandem enjoined the journalist to conduct fact-checks and assiduously warned against carrying unverified, fake, or biased reports, which could lead to trust deficit on the part of the public, information sharing, mobilization and agenda-setting in the fight against corruption., instability in the polity and attract costly libel suits,” the statement said.
While recognizing the role of the media in raising public awareness and shaping public discourse and opinion awareness, the Commission noted improvements in the trajectory of reportage in recent times and admitted that it could be improved by more engagements.
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Tags: Ali Yusuf Ashiru Baba Azuka Ogugua Bolaji Owasanoye Clememt Obaniyi Ebenezer Shogunle Folu Olamiti ICPC Jude Okoye Nwamaka Chigbo Professor Elijah Okebukola
