Sola Ojo, Kaduna
ActionAid Nigeria in a communique issued after a two-day virtual humanitarian crisis reporting training for 40 journalists across the country said, there were no known protocols barring journalists from revealing the identities of those affected by COVID-19 pandemic.
ActionAid had held a two-day virtual training for journalists from Lagos, Kano, Akwa-Ibom, Enugu, Kaduna, Borno and FCT as well as representatives of civil society organisations between June 22-25, 2020, as part of the implementation of the Strengthening Citizens Resistance Against Prevalence of Corruption (SCRAP-C) project of the organisation.
The communique, which was made available to media by the Communications Coordinator, ActionAid Nigeria, Lola Ayanda, added that, state actors and politicians have continued to keep the information away from members of the public thereby raising suspicion.
The communique made a reference to the New York Times that published all the names of persons who have contracted the virus, those who recovered and those who succumbed to it.
“While there are no known protocols barring journalists from revealing the identities of persons recovering or affected by COVID-19 in Nigeria, state actors and politicians have continued to keep the information away from members of the public”, it said.
The communique read in part, “while the media have been involved in the coverage of COVID-19 response in the country, only very little has been done to show how the pandemic is affecting the lives of the average Nigerian.
“The media and journalists do not have enough requisite tools to cope with the challenges and new realities thrown up by the pandemic, a situation that has made many journalists rely on the dry statistics daily churned out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) the Presidential Task Force and the task forces in the states across the country.
“Media organisations in Nigeria are yet to properly adjust to the new realities of operating in the COVID-19 environment, including the adoption of containment protocols into operational systems and provision of PPE and specialised gadgets for reporters.
“Human interest angles in the reportage of the COVID-19 realities in the country are still largely unexplored by journalists.
“The strategy adopted by the PTF, NCDC and task forces at the state levels in handling the COVID-19 response plan has created doubt in the minds of not only members of the public but also among journalists in the country.”
The communique however called on journalist strive to dig deeper into the story behind the data and find answers to the many unanswered questions in the minds of Nigerians on COVID-19.
“Apart from relaying on updates from government sources, concerned agencies and health care professionals at the frontlines, journalists also should probe further to uncover facts regarding the novel coronavirus disease to keep citizens better informed.
“Media owners should provide adequate incentives as well as other protective gears for reporters going out to cover stories, salaries should be paid when due to encourage productivity and explore new business models and sustainability strategies in the face of dwindling advert revenue”, it added.