Ugo Nosiri, Owerri
Journalists have been called to use new knowledge gotten from training to improve the quality of their reportage for the good of the public.
Executive Director, Ikenga Media and Cultural Awareness Initiative, IMCAI, the publishers of Ikengaonline, Dr Chido Onumah, made the call Thursday in Owerri, during a one day capacity training for journalists on “Improving the Quality of Journalism in the South-East for Good Governance.”
Dr Onumah maintained that the main essence of journalism was to improve good governance through investigative reports, and called on the participants to push for the development of the South-East through their reportage.
Introducing the organisation’s vision, Dr Onumah said IMCAI, “an online media platform which focuses mainly on the events and happenings within and around the South-East is supported by the MacAuthur Foundation, through the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.”
Speaking on the topic: “moving the needle; the kind of journalism that engenders good governance,” a resource person Mr Chinagorom Ugwu, noted that journalists have four roles to perform.
He listed the roles to include, information dissemination, interpreter role, public mobilizer role and adversarial role.
Mr Ugwu, therefore, urged the participants to focus more on investigative Journalism to question the activities of the government, which would in turn enhance good governance.
Another resource person, Mr Charles Ogugbuaja, who spoke on ‘Ethical Journalism in an Era of Technology’ encouraged the participants to imbibe professionalism in their reportage while staying out of anything that could jeopardise their safety.
The one-day training which had an equal gender representation was attended by journalists from the print, broadcast and online media organisations.
