BY AWELE OGBOGU
Human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, today commenced a two-day training for journalists drawn from the South East zone, including Delta State, in Enugu on human rights reporting in the country.
The Pointer correspondent, who is one of the select journalists attending the training, reports that the programme titled “Human Rights Centred Journalism”, is aimed at intensifying reportage on the worrisome trend of human rights abuses in the South East and other places where this could be taking place.
The activities comprised a lecture on “Press Freedom and the Law: Navigating Legal Risks in Journalism”, delivered by Prof. Chijioke Agbo of the Faculty of Law, Enugu State University (ESUT). Another lecture on “Journalism with a Gender Lens: Protecting Lives, Shaping Narratives”, was presented by Barr. Anne Agi, a lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar.
The highlights included a caution to journalists to see the court’s permission not to disclose news sources as a privilege and not a right, navigating legal hurdles occasioned by anachronistic and unfair press laws and need to avoid undermining women’s and victim’s perspectives in human rights reporting.
The training continues tomorrow with discourse on “Reporting Under Threat: Practical Safety Strategies for Journalists” and “Applying Media Ethics in Daily Practice: From Code to Conduct”, as well as “Journalism Theory and Practice: A Human Rights Perspective.”
