OPENING STATEMENT BY MR. LANRE AROGUNDADE, DIRECTOR
OF INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTRE AT THE PUBLIC
PRESENTATION OF JOINT MEDIA MONITORING REPORT ON COVERAGE OF 2019 ELECTORAL
PROCESS / MEDIA STAKEHOLDERS’ ROUNDTABLE ON THE MEDIA AND THE 2019 ELECTIONS
It is my pleasure and that of the International Press Centre, IPC,
Lagos-Nigeria, to welcome everyone to this public presentation of joint
media monitoring report on coverage of 2019 electoral processes / media
stakeholders’ roundtable on the media and the 2019 elections.
This
activity is being facilitated by IPC and IMS under Component 4a and 4b: Support
to the media of the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN)
project.
IPC
is implementing component 4b: Support to Media of the EU-SDGN project and this
initiative is one of many we have executed this year and others which the IPC
shall further effectuate over a 52-month period such as;
•
Media training workshops on best practices and professional reporting. Three of
these have already taken place in Kano, Enugu and Abuja while the fourth will
hold this week in Osogbo;
•
Publication, launch and dissemination of resource manual on election and
democratic accountability reporting. The presentation of the resource manual
will take place at this event;
•
Workshops for online journalists and bloggers on conflict sensitive reporting
online. The two trainings on this have been held in Abuja and Abeokuta;
•
Capacity building media workshop for political correspondents to deepen knowledge
and expand the scope of use data and digital skills in election reporting. The
two trainings in relation to this have taken place in Abuja and Abeokuta;
•
Capacity building for female politicians on use of the media during electoral
process and elections. Two of the trainings have already been held in Uyo and
Yola while the remaining two will soon take place in Abuja and Ibadan.
The monitoring report for the first quarter, the main
purpose of our gathering here, highlights the findings
and analysis of trends in reportage of the 2019 electoral process by twelve print/online
newspapers including The Guardian, The Punch, Daily Trust, Daily Sun, Blue
Print, The Nation, The Cable, Premium Times, ThisDay, Nigerian Tribune,
Vanguard and Leadership.
The purpose is to provide
evidence-backed information on state of media performance in the coverage of
the on-going electoral processes and the 2019 elections. The report therefore
highlights observed gaps and shortcomings in the monitored reports.
The outcome is expected to be used
as tools to engage with journalists, media managers and media gate keepers, which
is a major purpose of this gathering.
I should also mention that the
monitoring exercise also incorporates the documentation of electoral (campaign)
promises of presidential candidates as are being reported by the concerned media
outlets.
We thank Professor Ayo Ojebode for
accepting to review the first quarter monitoring report, covering the months of
June to August 2018. We expect that he would present before us the identified
strengths and weaknesses in the coverage of the political process by the
concerned media outlets for our deliberation and further recommendations.
Ahead of this, let me once again
enjoin all journalists and other media professionals to strive to abide with
the provisions of the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage, requiring us to
be ethical, professional, socially responsible and conflict sensitive,
especially through the avoidance of hate speech, in the coverage of the 2019
elections. It is also worth reminding all journalists, media establishments and
electoral institutions organising debates for candidates in the 2019 elections
that the Code requires them to ensure the participation of all parties and
candidates contesting elections in political debates. Now that candidates have
merged, let us also be reminded that the Code expects us to give prominence to
issues of women, especially female candidates, youths and persons living with
disabilities.
We wish to express our immense gratitude to the
European Union whose support has made this endeavour possible.
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