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By Chinenye Anuforo
The Initiative to Resist Institutional Slavery and Exploitation (IRISE), in collaboration with One Billion Rising, has urged media professionals to strengthen responsible, evidence-based and stigma-free reporting of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
The organisation made the call at a two-day media roundtable held at Perfecto La Villa Hotel, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, aimed at reviewing progress since an evidence-based media reporting training organised in February 2026.
Speaking at the event, Executive Director of IRISE and Country Coordinator of One Billion Rising Nigeria, Omodele Ibitiye Ejeh, said the media wielded significant influence in shaping public opinion, attitudes and social norms.
She urged journalists to ensure that reports on sensitive health and gender issues are supported by credible data and presented in ways that do not promote stigma, misinformation or harmful stereotypes.
“We at IRISE understand the important role that media plays in shaping society. We understand the importance of training media and partnering with media personnel to look at how data for reporting is sourced and how evidence is being gotten to shape the reporting that is put out there.
“For us, we believe that the media are like prophets; they shape the narrative of ordinary people,” Ejeh said.
The roundtable assessed the impact of the February training and examined continuing challenges affecting the coverage of SRHR and GBV issues in the media.
Ejeh disclosed that IRISE conducted baseline research before the initial training to assess how major media organisations reported sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence issues.
She said the assessment examined the tone of reports, sources of information and the presence of stigma in media coverage.
According to her, although improvements had been recorded in some areas following the training, several challenges remained, particularly the inappropriate use of visuals in news reports.
Ejeh cited a report on contraceptives in which the written content was accurate but the accompanying photograph, she said, conveyed a contradictory and stigmatising message.
“There was this reporting on contraceptives, not even abortion. The writings were accurate, but the picture was stigmatising,” she said.
She explained that the report used a photograph of a heavily pregnant woman with the foetus visible in the womb, despite the story being about the use of contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancies.
“You are telling women to use contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancies, but you have a heavily pregnant person in the picture. Ordinarily, a layman could look at it and say, ‘Are you telling me to take these drugs to abort this pregnancy?’ It sends a very, very negative message.”
The IRISE executive director also identified unconscious bias as another challenge affecting coverage of sensitive issues, noting that journalists could sometimes allow personal beliefs, values or moral perspectives to influence the way they frame stories.
“Sometimes, most times when we write, it’s just the way we are thinking. We put the way we are best thinking into our writings and it reflects our morals,” she said.
She, however, acknowledged the efforts of journalists to provide factual information, stressing the need for continuous professional development, research and access to credible sources, particularly as social media has made information dissemination easier.
“We want to see media that is more visible, media representatives that are more visible on the social media space rather than looking at bloggers causing blunder in our society,” Ejeh added.
She said IRISE also seeks to establish a stronger and more structured relationship with media professionals across Nigeria to improve journalists’ access to credible data, experts and appropriate visual materials for reporting SRHR and GBV.
“We want to see more improved materials in the media space and we want to see professionals shaping the media space. The media is working hard, but we need to support them to do their work better,” she said.
According to her, responsible reporting of SRHR is important because misinformation, inaccurate narratives and stigma could discourage people from seeking appropriate health services and further limit conversations around gender-based violence.
As Country Coordinator of One Billion Rising Nigeria, Ejeh also reaffirmed the movement’s commitment to using the media to drive advocacy, awareness and social change.
One Billion Rising is a global movement advocating an end to violence against women and girls and mobilising communities to speak out against gender-based violence and discrimination.
Participants at the roundtable identified fact-checking, responsible use of visuals, continuous training and greater visibility for professional voices as key areas requiring attention.
They urged journalists to rely on credible data from health institutions, research organisations, rights groups and other verified sources instead of personal opinions, assumptions or isolated anecdotes.
Newsrooms were also encouraged to develop stronger editorial guidelines for the use of photographs and other visual materials accompanying SRHR and GBV reports to ensure that such materials accurately reflect the subject of stories and do not reinforce stigma.
Participants further called for regular training and retraining of reporters and editors on SRHR terminology, ethical reporting, human rights principles and the responsible coverage of sensitive issues.
The roundtable also stressed the need for trained journalists and credible media organisations to become more active on digital platforms to counter misinformation and misleading narratives circulated by unverified sources.
IRISE said it plans to provide further support to media organisations through access to resource persons, data toolkits and a media-monitoring feedback mechanism to track improvements in SRHR and GBV reporting.
The organisation also urged editors and media managers to treat SRHR and GBV as important public health and human rights issues rather than taboo subjects to be avoided or sensationalised.
Ejeh urged journalists to recognise their influence in shaping public understanding of sensitive issues.
“As media, you have the power to either break the stigma or reinforce it,” she said. “We are calling on you to choose to be the prophets of truth, dignity, and evidence.”
The two-day roundtable ended with participants committing to stronger collaboration with IRISE and improved reporting of sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence in an accurate, ethical, evidence-based and stigma-free manner.
