…over 100 journalists, undergraduates trained in high-risk investigation
Esther Olaifa
Professional journalists, Mass Communication students and media enthusiasts recently received training on how to manoeuvre while covering high-risk investigations, with Juliana Francis, an investigative reporter, stressing that Nigeria remains a very dangerous place to practice investigative journalism.
The training, which was step-down training, was organized by Juliana Ebere Francis, Deputy Editor, The Eagle Online, who is also the publisher of Securitynewsalert.com.
The step-down training with the theme, Safety of Reporters In High-Risk Investigation, followed a two-day training held in Abeokuta, Ogun State organised by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), supported by the Netherlands.
The online training brought together diverse participants including journalists, civil society organization (CSO) members, and media activists.
The convener of the webinar, Francis, said that Nigeria remains a very dangerous place to practice investigative journalism.
While highlighting safety tips for journalists, she advised journalists to have strong ethics, avoid money journalism and carry out a risk assessment and security report before embarking on any investigation into any community.
Francis also stressed the need to conduct thorough checks about the assignment area, further advising how reporters can protect themselves.
The reporters should ensure their editors know the investigations they are working on, be physically fit, think of escape routes while in strange communities and they carefully a trusted fixer or a local journalist within the community.
Francis urged media houses to also invest in equipment and certain measures to keep journalists on an assignment safe.
Innocent Duru, Assistant News Editor, The Nation Newspaper speaking on the topic: ‘Safety of Reporters In High Risk Investigation,’ mentioned that there was a need for young journalists to venture into investigative journalism.
His words: “It is a very good idea to be an investigative journalist, being a regular beat journalist will always keep you as a beat journalist, you may not be able to do anything outstanding.”
He advised students who want to be a journalist to be an investigative journalist because “it has the potential of making someone stand out and apart from that, there are a lot of opportunities for investigative journalists now than ever.”
While sharing his experience as an investigative reporter, Duru emphasised there should be deliberate planning when going for an investigation.
He recounted: “What has been helping me in the course of my job that has made me not to attract so much danger to myself is that before I go for any investigation is planning.
“Following the training that I have attended, I got to know that before I go for an investigation anywhere, I need to have a fixer, somebody in the community where you are going to carry out your investigation. The person will be able to help carry out a background of that community. He knows the dangers in such a community and ensures you wouldn’t fall into those dangers.”
Duru further urged journalists to leave their personality outside work.
“It’s not in every situation you begin to brandish your Identification card. There are some situations where you have to keep your ID and do your check before announcing yourself,” said Duru.
He also advised journalists not to be money-conscious because if they are and drop stories because of bribes, they begin to kill their careers as investigative journalists. “If you are not careful, such behaviour can cost you your life.”
One of the participants, Funke Fayemi said: “The nature of the story likely determined the risks to expect from the community one is going into. The stories one is working on are unique in their way, so the experience would likely be different.”
Over a hundred participants attended the webinar. According to Francis, there are going to be three other webinars still focusing on the safety of journalists.
