US trains journalists on election reporting The United States Mission in Nigeria on Tuesday organised a training session for journalists in the print and electronic media ahead of the 2015 general elections. The resource person, Eduardo Cue, an American media and communications trainer cum journalist, made his presentation during a session held via digital video conference with journalists at the US Consulate General office in Lagos. Cue stated that as the 2015 elections drew near; journalists should play a greater role in informing the public with a view to allowing them make good choices on who run the affairs of the country for the next four years. According to him, elections are “key moments” in a democratic society, when the citizenry usually have a tough time making choices, due to the “so much noise” during electioneering. Urging journalists to refrain from singing praises of political office seekers, he advised them to provide an impartial and complete set of information that would allow the citizens to make informed decisions. He said, “Elections are key moments in a democracy where the average person can actually have something to say; and exert an influence on the direction the country will be headed for the next few years. “Making choices may be very confusing for the people. Even well educated citizens may be confused because there will be so much noise during electioneering. The role of journalists in a democracy cannot be overemphasised. In the build up to elections, journalists should inform the public so that they can in turn make decision on who will govern them. “Journalists should beam a searchlight on who the political candidates are; what they stand for; where their money come from; who supports them, so that the public can know what influences them and what kind of decisions they are likely to make when they get to power.” Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate General, Dehab Ghebreab, said the aim of the workshop was geared towards supporting Nigerian journalists to do a better job during the forthcoming election. According to her, journalists have a key role to play in ensuring a free, fair and violence-free 2015 general elections.
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 15:30:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015