From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Stallion Times Media Services on Thursday in Lokoja trained 40 practicing journalists in Kogi on ‘Disability Reporting in The Media’ to boost their efficiency in giving adequate publicity to the physically challenged within their areas of coverage.
The beneficiaries were drawn from across the print, electronic and social media practitioners within Kogi state.
The One-day training workshop has three main objectives to achieve which includes; to ensure that journalists were equipped with rudiments of reporting on the persons with disability issues, to engage journalists to report issues in ways that highlights the concern of the physically challenged and to promote issues focussed on giving desired publicity.
In his welcome address, the Project Coordinator of the programme, Isiyaku Ahmed, said that the target is aimed at giving equal opportunities to both the able bodied and the physically challenged citizens in media reportage.
“The disabled citizens need to be carried along in the scheme of things especially giving them the desired publicity as well as issues around them to attract government’s attention” Ahmed emphasized.
The project coordinator therefore, reminded the trainees on the need to make judicious use of the opportunity to improve upon their standard of reporting disability issues.
A Consultant with Stallion Times Media Services who is also a resource person for the training, Anselm Okolo described the social responsibility roles of journalists as very sensitive and tasking.
“What you do as journalist is sensitive and difficult adding that the job is not meant for the lazy and the unintelligent. What you do is very important to the society. To succeed in journalism practice therefore, you must be hardworking and be ready to even do extra jobs.” Okolo admonished.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the Kogi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Adeiza Momoh-Jimoh thanked Stallion Times Media Services for the opportunity of the training in critical area of reporting disability.
Participants were lectured on objectives and expectations in reporting disability, social inclusion of persons with disabilities in Nigeria: challenges and opportunities, disability laws in Nigeria: how effective? and the overview of disability issues in Nigeria respectively.
