The chief executive officer of Journalism.com, Mr. Anselm Okolo has urged Nigerian journalists to be rationale in the use of data in building their news stories and features on family planning, reports NaijaAgroNet.
Speaking in Lagos at a three-day capacity building workshop on investigative journalism organized by Pathfinder International Nigeria, he said that data has become an indispensable part to achieving change in communication and behavior.
He also said that it would assist journalists investigating family planning issues to have a better and accurate planning outcome.
According to him, investigative journalism provides truth about people from government and information on what other entities such as Pathfinder among stakeholders are doing to fulfil their mandates.
This, he said, helps for accurate decision making for development, stressing that it serves as good feedback mechanism for programme review whilst it drives and refines decision making.
“Readers and listeners want to see news stories that evidence based,” he declared.
Earlier, welcoming participants to the workshop, the Communications Manager, Pathfinder International Nigeria, Mrs Somto Atuagha, told NaijaAgroNet that the workshop aims at strengthening the capacity of the Media Advocacy Working Group (MAWG) to complement family planning advocacy efforts in Lagos State towards the attainment of the FP2020 goals.
Atuagha who was accompanied by Programme Coordinator, Advocacy and Policy at Pathfinder, Ms Kosisochukwu Izundu, also named two-key objectives of the workshop include strengthening of capacity of participants on investigative journalism to develop more impactful family planning related media content for broadcast and publication.
In addition, she said it would orientate participants about youth access to family planning in Lagos State and would be hands-on driven.
Isaac Oyimah/Editor
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