Participants at workshop.
By Marie-Therese Nanlong
Jos – Journalists in Plateau State have been asked to collaborate with civil society organisations to promote the Freedom of Religion or Belief, FoRB as this will mitigate some of the triggers of violent conflicts in society.
The journalists were also urged to deploy the principles of conflict-sensitive reporting and do no harm in their reportage especially as the dynamics of conflicts evolve.
The tasks were given in Jos, during a three-day workshop (15th -17 July) organized by the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action, JISRA in collaboration with other partners with the theme: The role of media in interfaith relations and peacebuilding.
Addressing the over 50 participants, The Director of JISRA, Jude Likita said the collaboration between media practitioners and CSOs was vital in enthroning FoRB. This will disabuse society’s perception that religion is the cause of conflicts in the country.
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He added that the JISRA programme, a five-year initiative, is implemented in seven countries including Nigeria (focus on Plateau and Kaduna States), Ethiopia, Mali, Kenya, Uganda, Indonesia, and Iraq.
Also, the Lead Facilitator, Reuben Emmanuel, noted that religious intolerance has caused more havoc in society and stressed the objectives of the workshop were to among other things, “increase understanding of FoRB and interfaith relations, increase understanding of Humanitarian principles/Core Humanitarian standards, support participants in conflict-sensitive reporting and interfaith journalism.”
He maintained JISRA aligns with quality standards which include protection, resilience, empowerment, gender, accountability, impartiality and targeting, behaviours, and technical quality” and deploying these standards in all spheres of endeavour would curb unnecessary tensions and promote peace.
The participants were taken through diverse training sessions to build their capacity for conflict-sensitive reportage. The event also witnessed a question-and-answer session where issues were clarified and understanding deepened.
