by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
An organization, known as, ‘Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action’ (JISRA), has organized a three days’ workshop for journalists in Plateau State, aimed to engage with the media to ensure they spread the message of freedom of religion or belief, allowing everyone to enjoy it and promote peace.
This was disclosed by Country Coordinator for JISRA Program in Nigeria, Mr. Jude Likita, who said “This consortium comprises seven local partners and three international organizations.”
According to him, “The seven local partners are DIWA, DREP, FOM1, JPRM, RUCON, SUA, and WIC, adding that, the three international partners are MENSI MENSI, represented by CAFOD here in Nigeria; TFON, the coordinating agency in Nigeria; and Search for Common Ground, a well-known peace-building partner here in Nigeria.”
He explained that the workshop, which is been held over the past three days, was organized for media practitioners.
“We want to create an opportunity for media practitioners to report religious issues in a conflict-sensitive manner. In the current Nigerian context, almost every conflict has a religious component, and whatever the media says can either trigger violence or foster peace,” he stressed.
The Country Coordinator stated that, “This is a 40-hour program within a five-year project that started in 2021 and will end next year, 2025.”
While noting that, during the workshop, questions of why Plateau and Kaduna States were selected was raised he said “These states were chosen because they are often at the center of religious conflicts in Nigeria. Both Plateau and Kaduna are polarized along religious lines, with significant divisions between Muslims and Christians.
“This polarization is evident in various conflicts and even during election campaigns, which often have religious undertones.”
Mr Likita noted that, Plateau State is in the north-central region, and has become a sensitive point for religious conflict.
He further explained that, the JISRA program aims to show that religion is not necessarily the root cause of each conflict, but they aim to explore these conflicts, focusing on religion, and ensure that everyone can enjoy freedom of religion or belief, promoting peaceful coexistence for all.
Also speaking, Mr. Promise Salawu, who works with Tearfund, urged media owners and journalists to ensure that they prioritize national interest over financial gains, economic benefits, or ‘breaking news,’ because, he said, “It is crucial to see the common and national interest as paramount in our reporting.”
He called to journalists to keep up the good work and remain dedicated to being sensitive about conflicts and how they report, especially on conflict-related issues.
According to him, conflict-sensitive reporting focuses on reducing the potential for conflicts to be triggered by the reports presented to the general public.
He explained that, “One of the most important ways is by considering different perspectives. When a conflict occurs, there are always various viewpoints, and it is crucial to analyze and share these different perspectives.
“Additionally, we must be very sensitive to the language we use. The kind of language employed in communicating events or issues is critical.
“Another key aspect is framing. How do we frame our reports? What’s the tone of our reports? And the angle we take is very important because it can either escalate or de-escalate violence within communities,” he stated.
In another contribution, an Advocacy Officer with Tearfund, Rueben Emmanuel, said the three days’ workshop was geared towards fostering a society where there is freedom of religion and belief in a just and peaceful environment where everyone enjoys these rights.
He stressed that, “The media plays a critical role in this because media practitioners are the gatekeepers of information and knowledge. Information is power, and we believe many people depend on various sources of information.”
He observed that, “People, whether literate or not, listen to the radio, read newspapers, and access the internet, because they rely on these sources for information, which can shape the society by influencing attitudes and behaviors. The media also holds certain stakeholders accountable due to their reach and expertise.
“Through conflict-sensitive reporting, we believe that many conflicts can be de-escalated, and positive changes in the mindset and behavior of the citizens of Plateau State can be achieved,” he stressed.
“This is why we have brought specific stakeholders under the umbrella of JISRA to this workshop to develop new strategies to address the underlying causes of conflict,” he said.
On her own part, Nankling Mershak, who works with Rurcon as the Peace-building Project Officers, said, “Women’s inclusion – we know that in the media space, there is not much representation.
“We realized that when we train a few women, they can go out and train others. This is similar to what we do in our trainings: we do not train all the women; just a fraction, and then they go out and replicate what they have learned.
“The women present in our sessions can advocate for women’s inclusion when they return to their organizations. They now understand the importance of women’s inclusion and will advocate for more inclusion in the media space, and they will also help carry out this advocacy as media practitioners,” she said.