Stakeholders meet tomorrow on safety of journalists

A meeting of media experts and institutional stakeholders will take place in Abuja tomorrow to deliberate on the safety of journalists and emerging issues in conflict in Nigeria.

The participants will include the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Radio and Television Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU), Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ).

Also expected to attend are editors and reporters including those covering conflict prone areas, representatives of the Nigerian Press Council, spokespersons of the Police and Army, academic scholars and UNESCO officials.

The meeting is part of a project on Baseline Audit on State of Safety of Journalists supported by IPDC and the UNESCO regional office in Nigeria.

The objective is to conduct an assessment that provides baseline information on safety of journalists in Nigeria especially in the context of UNESCO’s Journalists’ Safety Indicator at the National Level so as to facilitate an intervention plan by UNESCO, its partners and other interested stakeholders.

Three front presentations will be made at the meeting, including Media Handling of Gender Issues in Contemporary Nigerian Conflicts by Dr. Ifeoma Dunu, Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; Professionalism and Ethics in Reporting Conflicts: Perspectives on Dealing with the New Challenges by Dr. Sola Ishola of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Ibadan and Religious Conflicts and Media Responsibility: The Emergent Challenge of Boko Haram by Dr. Abubakar Mu’azu, Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri.