The need for the Nigerian media to be more deliberate and intentional in amplifying the voices of women and ensuring inclusivity for people with disability in the political and electoral space has been re-emphasized.
The Executive Director, Institute for Media and Society, Dr. Akin Akingbulu gave the charge at a two day workshop on “Sharing on Good Practices and Trends on Inclusive Coverage of the Electoral Process” for media practitioners, held in Abuja on Monday.
He said the workshop was aimed at re-energizing the media to give quality attention to inclusive participation in the 2023 electoral process.
“Through this activity, IMS seeks to enhance the participation of women, youth and PWDs in the electoral process”
“I want to urge participants at this workshop to work towards creating action plans that would bridge the gap in inclusive coverage for the electoral process.”
One of the facilitators at the workshop, and a lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Prof. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, harped on the need for broadcast journalists to deepen professionalism in the coverage of women, youth and PWDs.
Also speaking, Dr. Ganiyat Tijani, lecturer, school of communication, Lagos State University advised producers, content creators to curate programs that will enhance inclusivity.
On his part, IMS’ Program Manager, Timothy Bamidele disclosed that the EU SDGN support to media component was to address the challenges media practitioners face during the coverage and reportage of inclusiveness during the electoral process.
According to him, IMS in a bid to promote inclusiveness in the electoral reportage has empowered 60 women journalists with digital storytelling skills.
The workshop is an activity under the Support-to-Media Component of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance (EU-SDGN) Phase II Project, currently being implemented by the IMS.
