By
Akanta Hannah
Participants at a three-day training organized by Search for Common Ground, a non-governmental organization, have pledged to internalize the skills they gained and apply them in reporting conflict-sensitive stories.
The training, held in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, aimed to equip journalists with the necessary skills for writing conflict-sensitive reports.
Participants described the workshop as an opportunity to deepen their understanding of conflict dynamics, the “Do No Harm” principle, and the crucial role journalists play in promoting peace.
Hilda Adebayo, a reporter and editor at Taraba State Broadcasting Service, TSBS, emphasized the difference between conflict reporting and other forms of journalism.
She said, “In reporting conflict, you must look at the issues that led to the conflicts, and as a reporter, the Common Ground program is important because it has widened my horizon in the area of reporting crisis. I have learnt that in reporting crisis I must first maintain a neutral ground, report objectively, ensure the voice of the waring parties are heard and at the end proffer solutions to the crisis on ground through my reportage.”
Victor Nwaka Ozor, a journalist and on-air presenter with Shimo FM in Jalingo, shared how the training broadened his perspective. “The training with Search for common ground has personally given me a wider view beyond just reporting a story, it has given me more reasons to do a story from a different perspective, especially to ensure that peace comes to being.
I hope that henceforth, the stories we write as journalists courtesy of this training can bring about peace in conflict situations,” he said.
Mr. Raymond Enoch, Editor-in-Chief at ZiTi Newspaper, also reflected on the training’s impact. According to him, “Search For Common Ground has been so beneficial and resourceful in helping me and my colleagues in segmenting, understanding, and contextualising our urgencies in terms of reporting conflict sensitive issues in the state and around the country.
We recently wrote a feature on the impacts of the COMITAS project in the Taraba conflict, specifically in Abbare community in Lau Local Government Area. One of the lessons I took from there was that Search is making impacts and making the communities come back together.”
Search for Common Ground Fellows also highlighted how the workshop exposed them to reporting techniques that prioritize the “Do No Harm” approach, a framework they were previously unfamiliar with.
Participants expressed their gratitude to Search for Common Ground for organizing such comprehensive training, which allowed them to enhance their skills in conflict-sensitive reporting.
They also committed to sharing their new knowledge with colleagues to collectively promote peace through their work.
Search for Common Ground is an international peace building organization that has been promoting peace in various parts of Nigeria, particularly in Taraba and Adamawa states, under the COMITAS project funded by the European Union.