Minister, NSA task media on better security reportage

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu have called on the media to effectively report the successes recorded by Nigerian security agencies, especially the Armed Forces to boost their morale.
They spoke at the opening of a two-day workshop on effective reporting towards strengthening alternative terrorist ideologies for security/defence correspondents in Abuja organised by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the National Peace Academy of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
According to the minister, journalists have the unique ability to educate, inform and inspire resilience among the public through their reports, images and commentaries, noting that misinformation and fake news can be as damaging as the activism of terrorists.
According to him, terrorism is not merely a physical threat but also an ideological battle of the mind with the extremist groups exploiting vulnerabilities and spreading fear.
“In the fight against terrorism, the media can either undermine or bolster our collective efforts to provide alternatives to extremist ideologies.
“Through your reports, images, and commentaries, you have the unique ability to educate, inform, and inspire resilience among the public. Therefore, your reporting plays a pivotal role in this endeavour.”
He added that the extremist groups also propagate messages that present them as fighting for a social cause to further their evil agenda.
Idris said there was need to offer compelling, positive alternatives that resonated with the same audiences targeted by terrorists, adding that reporting played a pivotal role in this.
He challenged journalists to use data and research to back their stories, thereby enhancing credibility and depth.
“At all times, the media should uphold the ethics of journalism by being objective and fair and guarding against sensationalism.
“You must also respect the dignity of victims and affected communities and avoid language that could be construed as biased or inflammatory.
“Note that sensational reporting can inadvertently glorify terrorist acts and spread fear. Similarly, misinformation and fake news can be as damaging as the terrorist acts themselves and you must avoid this at all costs,” he said.
Also speaking, Ribadu said terrorist groups have continued to provide dysfunctional information through social media platforms, networking sites, and online propaganda, including mainstream and traditional media and cautioned media managers against promoting terrorists’ propaganda and ideologies through reportage of security issues.
“This is a situation that we must jointly combat to attain a safe and peaceful society that will guarantee sustainable socio-economic development.
“To achieve this, the media professionals must produce content that would counter or prevent the appeals of terrorism and other non-state armed groups.
“Indeed, there is the need for robust media campaigns against terrorism, violent extremism and all other forms of organised crime that is threatening our corporate existence as a country,’’ he said.
Ribadu, who was represented at the training by the National Coordinator, NCTC, Adamu Laka, said the kind of information being processed and passed could be functional with positive expectations, or dysfunctional with negative and life-threatening consequences.
He said the media, as a conveyor belt of information, could influence either positively or negatively.
According to him, the media is capable of exercising power in favour of the state or in favour of the enemies of the state.
“Media professionals must always be mindful of this in the discharge of their responsibilities in order to expose societal ills and suspicious characters and activities.
“Terrorist groups have continued to provide dysfunctional information through social media platforms, networking sites, and online propaganda including mainstream and traditional mediums of communication.
“This is a situation that we must jointly combat to attain a safe and peaceful society that will guarantee sustainable socio-economic development. To achieve this, media professionals must produce content that would counter or prevent the appeals of terrorism and other non-state armed groups.” Indeed, there is the need for robust media campaigns against terrorism, violent extremism and all other forms of organised crime threatening our corporate existence as a country,” he said.
Ribadu said the training was part of efforts in response to the call by the UN Secretary General’s Plan of Action for member states to develop and implement a national communication strategy.
This, according to him, is to ensure the dissemination of positive contents across a wide range of media, both traditional and digital platforms to counter terrorist appeals and violent extremist narrative.
He said media contents could change people’s perception and attitude; galvanise solidarity, mutual trust, patriotism and national cohesion.
“The media is also expected to mobilise support to government and national security efforts, and strongly help to dissipate ignorance that makes some persons vulnerable to terrorist appeals.
“This training is to build your capacity to be able to process and disseminate appropriate narratives (counter, alternative and positive) to address extremist ideologies.
“I urge you to avail yourselves of this opportunity to learn from the vast experiences of the resource persons drafted to interact with you.
“It is our hope to develop the capacity of a reasonable number of journalists and media professionals in the country to evolve a development and peace journalism orientation in the Nigeria media space,” he said.
Director, National Peace Academy (NPA) in IPCR, Bosede Awodola, said the media remained the most credible source of news and information dissemination.
“I have no doubt, therefore, that this workshop will upscale the skills of the media personnel present in their techniques of reporting and this will bring the required change to the ways terrorism ideology and activities are reported.
“The training will further improve state/media relations in our onerous and collective efforts to end terrorism in our society,” Awodola said.