ICRC urges Journalists on humanitarian reports
Journalists have been urged to be accurate in their humanitarian reportage, by reporting both the causes and effects of armed conflict, in order to make the public understand the situation better.
The Communication Coordinator of International Committee of the Red Cross, in Nigeria, ICRC, Robin Waudo, stated this at the end of a two-day training for 27 journalists, from the North Central Geo- Political Zone, held in Jos, Plateau State.
Waudo explained that the training was aimed at building the capacities of journalists on how to accurately report humanitarian issues in Nigeria, also provided an avenue for the ICRC to intimate media professionals on its activities of assisting victims of war and natural disasters across the world and charged the journalists to use the skill acquired to put the victims of conflicts at the forefront of their reportage.
Waudo, added that the organisation collaborates with the Nigerian Red Cross Society to search for missing persons and reunite them with their families, due to the ongoing conflict in the North East that has led to over twenty-five thousand persons missing over a period of ten years.
A Facilitator and lecturer , Bayero University, kano , Dr Bala Muhammad said journalists have raised awareness, funds for humanitarian crises, provided early emergency warnings, and monitored the treatment of citizens during conflict situations,but emphasized the need for them to put victims in the center of their news and dig to know the root causes of any crisis.
Bala noted the importance of humanitarian reporting as all the geo-political zones of the country were currently facing challenges and called on journalists to always do background checks and research to enable them tell better stories, be unbiased by upholding the global humanitarian principles to help even the politicians understand what is happening and to situate it.
Earlier, the Head of Sub Delegation, ICRC, Jean-Paul De Passos, stated that accurate information is key in crisis situation therefore journalists should partner in the humanitarian cause to help save lives and restore human dignity.
The participants, drawn from Benue, Bauchi,Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau were given an overview of the international humanitarian law on how it should not be misused to enhance maximum protection for both war and civilian correspondent in crisis situation.
