By Hope Ofobike & Linus Ngantem
On the last day of the International Peace Conference held at the University of Jos, Nigeria, there were more calls on media practitioners in the country to uphold the tenets of peace journalism as against war and sensational news reporting.
Dr. Simeon Alozieuwa of The Presidency in his presentation said the impact of the media on violent conflict has become a global phenomenon which has affected the concept of peace journalism in Nigeria.
He noted that ownership interest highly influence the content of news adding that politics in which the media is borne in is that of rivalry and conflict and therefore an average journalist sees every issue from the conflict point of view.
He added that until the media weans itself from this orientation, its perception of issues will continue to be shaped by the ideology of conflict, in which case the efforts at peace journalism might remain mirage.
In another paper, Dinshak Luka who spoke on Women and Peace Strategies for Peace Building in Plateau State said the women are more vulnerable during crisis and therefore called for the greater representation of women in the peace building process.
Dinshak said women should clearly distance themselves from violence as an option for the resolution of dispute and embrace non-violent struggle as means of transformation.
A post graduate student of political economy, Sule Abubakar who made a presentation on Mass Media and Conflict Reportage: A Call to Peace Journalism, said peace should be made part of the curriculum in the media school since abnormalities are essential ingredient in news selection. He called for paradigm shift from what the people used to know to what will suit the people and tasked journalists to promote peace in Plateau State and Nigeria at large.
Also speaking at the occasion, the former General Officer Commanding 3rd Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Jos, Major General Saleh Maina, urged journalists to abide by their code of ethics and be objective in their reportage especially during crisis situation.
He said the use of sensational stories and gory pictures during crisis situation, negates the professional conduct of journalists and advocated more collaboration between the media and security agencies in the maintenance of peace in our society.
Participants who contributed to his presentation, criticized the military for being partisan in areas where they are posted for peace keeping and urged the military to do more in tackling the spate of violence in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
In another paper, Mr. Godfrey Danaan of the Department of Mass Communication, said the media institution is caught in this controversy as its reportage is magnified beyond the ordinary proportion.
Danaan who spoke on Ethnic Conflicts and Media Interventions in a Democracy: The Jos Episode, did a content analysis of some papers that reported the crisis of the November 28, 2008 civil disturbances which, he argued, revealed that most papers reported the issues along religion divide.
According to him, reporters who cover crisis situations write in favour of the faith they belong to as against what is regarded as truth and balanced news reporting, as such they have been accused of killing with the pen.
Also speaking, Angela Olofu-Adeoye of the Centre of Peace and Conflict Management University of Jos said the media in Nigeria is influenced by the Nigerian environment which she described as turbulent, forcing media practitioners to embellish news reports to suit their personal interest.
She stressed the symbiotic relationship between the media and its environment adding that information disseminated through the media, is critical to sustaining peace and harmony in the society.
Mrs. Adeoye commended the role of the Nigerian media in the sustenance of peace and security especially in crisis prone areas such as the Niger-Delta Crisis, the Boko Haram sects in the Northern part of the country as well as religion and communal clashes.
In the final session, Dr Paul Nwulu from the American University of Nigeria Yola, presented video feature reports done by students of Mass Communication Department University of Jos which were built around the conference theme.
The event was climaxed by the presentation of the Conference Communiqué and its adoption by participants and accolades to the organizers for the wonderful initiative.
Pix by Livinus Ayih (Deputy Student Editor)
