NITDA Trains 50 Journalists on Fact-Checking Journalism in Jigawa

In continuation of its drive to enhance the capacity of media practitioners in the country, no fewer than 50 journalists and Social Media Influencers in Jigawa State have benefitted from a ‘Digital Journalism and Fact-Checking Training’ sponsored by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The training which was organized by Image Marchant Promotions Limited (IMPR) – Publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential Magazine; in conjunction with Penlight Centre for New Media Innovation with support from NITDA, held at the Manpower Development Institute (MDI), Dutse.

The training exposed participants and other online practitioners to various skills including media ethics, digital journalism and news verification, among others.

While declaring the workshop open, Hadiza Umar, the Head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations NITDA said that the capacity building workshop is one of the core mandates and objectives of the Agency and it was aimed at equipping Journalists with knowledge and skills of Digital Journalism practice in the Digital era.

In his paper presentation titled: “Journalism Ethics in an Era of Global Information Disorder”, former Managing Director of the Jigawa Broadcasting Corporation, Alh. Sabo Abdullahi Guri, charged media practitioners in Nigeria to uphold professionalism and high ethical standards in the discharge of their duties as the fourth estate of the realm.

He noted that the evolution of digital media and related technologies pose a significant threat to journalists and analogue media managers, hence the dire need to mainstream digital technologies in serving the public better as the watchdogs of society.

“The media is governed by standards which oversee its conduct and define its relationship with the larger society,” he said.

He charged the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) to checkmate such erosion of standards, especially by some privately run media organizations.

“People cannot continue to belittle our profession just because someone wants to make money,” he lamented.

The Editor-in-Chief of PRNigeria, Malam Yushau Shuaib, charged journalists and online practioners to take ownership and understand the consequences of their actions before going public.

He went further to educate participants on the techniques of digital journalism, social media practices and management of crises in communication.

The PR specialist used the medium to emphasize the need for journalists to acquire knowledge and skills on new-media technologies as tools for effective and efficient practice of digital journalism, charging them to desist from all forms of false information, fake News and hate speeches that could generate tensions among the people.

While taking participants on the topic: “Social Media Management, Etiquette for Journalists and Influencers”, Samuel Adeyemi, Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos Chapter, warned that journalists and social media influencers should be wary of people that use them to promote pecuniary ideology and agenda.

The Project Manager of Penlight Centre, Dahiru M Lawal, spoke on online media fact-checking, media monitoring and search engine optimization, where he introduced Journalists and social media influencers to basic knowledge of facts reporting, content monitoring on social media and techniques of using digital tools for effective verification of information.

Before presenting certificates to participants, the Media Adviser to Jigawa State Government, Mallam Habib Kila commended NITDA for its various technological interventions and capacity building programmes on Digital innovations across the states of the federation.

Other guests at the occasion included Mallam Habib M. Ringim, SSA New Media and Mallam Ahmed Danyaro, SSA Print Media.