UNICEF Trains Journalists on Ethical Reporting of Children, Harps on Upholding Child Rights Act in Nigeria

Our Reporter 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Enugu Field Office, in collaboration with the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA), on Thursday ended a two-day zonal workshop in Port Harcourt to strengthen journalists’ capacity for ethical and child-sensitive reporting.

The workshop, attended by journalists, editors and state correspondents from Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Rivers, Cross River, Benue and Delta states, focused on the theme, “Why Ethical Reporting of Children Matters in Nigeria.”

In her keynote address, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, said media professionals were powerful influencers whose reports could either protect children or expose them to further harm.

Chiluwe urged journalists to go beyond the newsworthiness of a story and consider whether its publication would serve the best interests of the child, promote the child’s dignity and privacy, and protect rather than expose the child.

She cautioned journalists to exercise particular care when reporting cases involving sexual exploitation of children, noting that photographs and other materials uploaded online could remain on the internet for years.

“We should build a media environment where journalists understand the nuances in reporting child-related events and become child-protection champions,” she said, adding that responsible reporting could also help hold institutions accountable.

Welcoming participants, Mrs Tina Bamigboye of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Port Harcourt Zonal Office, said the training would sharpen journalists’ skills in reporting issues involving children and commended UNICEF and other organisers for the initiative.

The Director-General of BCA, Mr Francis Nwubani, represented by the Director of News and Current Affairs, Mr Ibu Blessing, said children were among the most vulnerable members of society and depended on adults and institutions to protect their dignity, privacy, safety and fundamental rights.

He said sensationalism, intrusive interviews, inappropriate identification and stigmatizing language could expose children to unintended harm during news gathering and reporting.

Nwubani stressed that ethical reporting was not only a professional requirement but also a moral obligation, urging journalists to constantly ask whether a report would protect or endanger a child, respect the child’s dignity and privacy, and inform the public without turning vulnerability into sensational entertainment.

Also speaking, Mr Temitoye Falayi, Assistant Director, Child Rights Information Bureau, Abuja, said the workshop would equip participants with knowledge of ethical frameworks guiding the reporting of children in Nigeria, including relevant legal implications of child rights legislation.

UNICEF Communication Officer, Abuja, Mrs Sussan Akila, said ethical reporting of child rights issues was about doing justice to children and protecting them from prolonged trauma.

Akila urged journalists to make the best interests of the child the core of their stories, especially in an era where sensationalism was prevalent.

She encouraged participants to approach the training with open minds and be willing to learn and unlearn practices that could undermine the rights and welfare of children.

Participants are expected to receive UNICEF certificates at the end of the two-day workshop.