COVID-19: Youths Digest Organizes Digital Training for Campus Journalists

The Youths Digest, in collaboration with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) plans a training programme for young journalists on digital security on Twitter.

This is coming as Nigeria and other countries of the world continue to battle Coronavirus.

The tweet chat, which will take place concurrently on the online newspaper and CPJ’s Twitter pages– @youthsdigest and @CPJAfrica–will be anchored by CPJ’s Senior Africa Program Researcher, Jonathan Rozen.

Youths Digest, in a tweet on its Twitter page, said the training is a ‘safety advisory session on digital security issues’ for journalists and media outlets who still need to work during the coronavirus outbreak.

“Journalists who are reporting on the spread of COVID-19 are at risk of being exposed to malware and scams, as criminals target people with misinformation and sophisticated phishing campaigns linked to the virus.

“These are more of a threat to journalists working without tech support, or using personal devices that have not been secured; personal information could also be at risk if devices in the home are exposed to malware,” the tweet reads.

The online conversation will be the first of the four series expected to train campus writers and journalists.

Meanwhile, Nigeria and other countries around the world have been shut down, as efforts are being intensified to contain the global pandemic.

Nigeria has reported over 200 cases with most journalists made to work from home.

Youths Digest, the organizer of the annual Campus Journalism Awards (CJA) and Campus Journalism Dialogue (CJD), is also the publisher of News Digest, an online newspaper.

On the other hand, CPJ which is popularly known as Journalism Red Cross is an American based non-profit organisation that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.

The online training is supported by the Civil Society and Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC).