By Godwin Otang
The Godshield Kanjal Journalism Foundation (GKJF) in collaboration with the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Cross River State Council, has trained journalists on climate reporting in Calabar.
The training is the first collaboration between GKJF and the NUJ. Organizers say the training is motivated by the underreported climate issues in Cross River State, the south-south region, and the country in general.
Founder of the GKJF, Godshield Kanjal, advised participants to “take advantage of this training plus the experience and expertise in this job to solve societal and climate issues.”
He decried the minimal rate of participation by journalists especially in Cross River and Southern Nigeria ancestry in specialized beat, especially on climate change, and encouraged participants to take advantage of the space.
The resource person, Solution Journalist and Deputy Editor at Prime Progress based in Abuja – Mr. Ogar Monday emphasized the need for journalists to add, express, and anchor their works based on data: “Always use or add data when doing your reports. Data connects your story to the global audience and gives it a human face.”
Monday said that using news reports is a way of showcasing empirical facts in day-to-day journalism practice and best reporting.
He enjoined participants to be fully in the know of the current and developing facts backed up with data, tools, and research, to hold solid grounds when reporting their beats.
Shortly after the training, one of the participants, Tina Todo of the Pillar Newspaper, expressed confidence in the training and lauded the organizers for the activity.
Another participant and Cross River NUJ Secretary, Solomon Azu, expressed satisfaction with the training and prayed for more eye-opening training.
The highly interactive exercise featured senior Journalists from national and local media; media outfits such as the Leadership Newspapers, Blueprint Newspaper, Pillar Newspaper, and CrossRiverWatch amongst others. The GKJF also launched its maiden journalism fellowship after the training.
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