US consulate partners media in improving health care reportage in Nigeria
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
United States Consulate General Lagos, Claire Pierangelo, has reiterated the need for media professionals to work assiduously towards improving health services for citizens especially by informed reportage.
Pierangelo stated that as opinion moulders, such role would enable citizens track performance of leaders based on their promises and what is obtainable, adding that there is need for such information to be accurate.
The Consulate General made this disclosure in a webinar commemorating World Press Freedom Day with the theme: ‘Frontiers of Health Reporting: New Insights, Fresh Perspectives’, on Monday.
Pierangelo said, “As media professionals you must continue to track institutional processes. Your report must critically analyse because the public depends on your reports in print, audiovisual and online. You can assess as Journalists, how health budgets are managed and whether there are adequate checks and balances in for effective governance. This is what allows citizens to know whether their local officials are fulfilling their promises and meeting their obligations.
“It is our hope that this webinar will increase your capabilities on how to provide some accurate information to Nigerians from your improved reporting on health, governance and other critical issues. Let me close with this quote from the American philanthropist Warren Buffet, he said ‘the smarter the Journalists are the better the society gets’. And I think that is really true because you play critical role in preserving democracy and the truth that people need to hold their government’s accountable.”
While harping the importance of the media in yielding development, she noted that the United States government would do more in supporting through capacity building.
“United States will continue to emphasis the value of promoting a free press because media plays such an essential role in preserving Democracy. As we can witness this days; including my own country providing correct and accurate saves lives.
“We all know that a free press is essential to a healthy Democracy and media can be a powerful force for change. It can effectively fulfill the role of a watchdog, gatekeeper and agenda setter. It can also improve governance by raising awareness on social issue by enabling citizens to hold government to account to curb corruption and create civic form for debate.
“United States government remains committed to initiatives that build capacity in Nigeria. For years US mission has funded training programme for journalists, hundreds of Nigerian journalists on topics ranging from health, defence and National security reporting. This demonstrates long partnership enjoyed with Nigeria. Unfortunately because of covid-19 we have not been able to do those programmes in person for the last two years and they will be coming back strong and our commitment remains solid,” she added.
Also, Oluwamayowa Tijani, Fact-Checking Journalist at AFP, who delivered a presentation in Spotting and Fact Checking Health-Related Disinformation and Misinformation identified fear and undue hope as elements of misinformation.
Tijani said, “Once there is fear there it means something may not be right. If there is excessive hope. Many a times when you feel it is too good to be true, it is indeed too good to be true. When it comes to health many are always looking for alternative sources of hope. You may want to thread carefully when you have fear and excessive in any kind of information.”
On his part, Fisayo Soyombo, Editor-in-Chief at Foundation for Investigative Journalism, who talked about Overcoming Challenges of Telling Impactful Investigative Health Stories said “No story is worth your life, if you need to get the full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) get it. No Journalist should lose their lives while reporting health or any pandemic.”