From Abel Leonard, Lafia
Journalists in Nigeria have been encouraged to adopt approaches that promote peaceful conflict resolution in their news reporting.
The call was made during a one-day State-Level Strategic Stakeholders Engagement workshop held in Makurdi, Benue State on Saturday.
The workshop, organized as part of the Peace Action for Rapid and Transformative Nigerian Early Response (PARTNER) programme, was aimed at equipping journalists from Benue and Nasarawa States with conflict sensitivity guidelines.
The Sun reports that Mercy Corps, in collaboration with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), the Benue State Commission for Peace and Reconciliation, and the Nasarawa State Peace Committee (ISPA), facilitated the event, which was funded by USAID.
The Lead Facilitator, Danjuma Dawop, emphasized the importance of journalists understanding conflict dynamics to better report on events that contribute to peaceful resolutions.
He noted that journalists play a critical role in shaping public perception and can significantly impact the management and resolution of conflicts through conflict-sensitive reporting.
Two of the participants Abel Leonard of The Sun and Tahir Ahmed of The Leadership Newspapers expressed appreciation for the training.
They expressed optimism that the workshop would enhance their ability to report on conflict-sensitive stories, thereby contributing to peacebuilding efforts in their communities.
The Sun gathered that the workshop, which focused on the Effective Early Warning, Early Response System in Nigeria, was attended by selected journalists and representatives of government agencies and development partners from Benue and Nasarawa States.