Adesina advises media to learn from 2015 general elections reportage

PR@ITRealms:

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina Thursday formally presented the report of the media coverage of the 2015 general elections to the public with a call on the media practitioners to digest and learn from the recommendations.

 

Mr Adesina who spoke in Abuja while presenting the book, “Reportage of 2015 Elections: Monitoring Scorecard of Print and Online Media”, enjoined the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to ensure that it is widely circulated.

The project jointly undertaken by the International Press Council (IPC) and the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) was funded by donors- EU, UKAid, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development under the Democratic Governance fore Development (DGD) Project managed by the UNDP.

According to the Presidential Media Adviser, it was good that the 2015 electoral process was measured and evaluated, saying it would guide media practitioners in the coverage of future elections.

While noting that there were lapses in the media reportage of the last general elections, Mr Adesina however, posited that "the negatives and positives are work in progress”.

The UNDP’s Media Advisor, Mrs Toyin Gabriel, who also represented the DGD Project Director, expressed delight that after a long process, the IPC and NPC were able to produce a world class report that can stand the test of time.

She said the project was undertaken meticulously with a view to proving that there are Nigerian institutions that can deliver high value project. 

Mrs Gabriel said the stake was very high to deliver a product that the sponsors can be proud of and thanked the contributors for a job well done.

In his review prior to the presentation, the Director, International Press Centre, Mr Lanre Arogundade, said the scope of the project covered six-month period from November 2014 to April 2015.

He said 12 national newspapers were monitored during the period. They were- Daily Sun, The Nation, National Mirror, Vanguard, The Punch, ThisDay, Daily Independent, The Guardian, Nigerian Tribune, Daily Champion, Leadership and Daily Trust.

Also monitored were 10 regional newspapers - Nigerian Chronicle, Daily Star, Nigerian Observer, Nigerian Pilot, Abuja Inquirer, Peoples’ Daily, Blueprint, The Gleaner, Desert Herald, and Fresh Facts.

In addition, four online newspapers- The Tide, The Cable, Sahara Reporters and Premium Times as well as three social media platforms - Enough-is-Enough Nigeria, Reclaim Naija and INEC were monitored.

Mr Arogundade said “The period covered meant that it was possible to assess the performance of the concerned media outlets, prior to, during and immediately after the elections in the five topical areas of use of sources, conflict sensitivity, language use, coverage of issues and coverage of the election management body”.

 

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms)
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