Media Ethics And Conflict Reporting

BY SIMON REEF MUSA

 From December 22 -23, 2020, the City, University of London organised a two-day workshop for top editors and reporters in deploying journalism ethics in conflict reporting.  At the end of the programme which took place at the AES Luxury Apartments in Abuja, the two facilitators, Dr. Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar and Dr. Theophilus Abbah, succeeded in deepening knowledge of participants and exploring the challenges of reporting conflicts.

To kick start the workshop, Abbah’s first presentation at the workshop provided historical perspectives on crises in Nigeria. Speaking on ‘Conflicts in Nigeria: History, Perspectives, Objectives’, he recalled various conflicts that have left bloody trails on national life. From the raging Boko Haram insurgency that is spreading fast from the North-east geo-political region to other parts of the country, Abbah, who is a former editor of ‘Sunday Trust’ and now the Director, Daily Trust Foundation, recalled the terror exploits of  the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP); the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Indigenous Peoples Of Biafra (IPOB), among others.

The objectives of these groups whose objectives are against the Nigerian constitution, Abbah contended, is aimed at creating fear and tension among citizens. Arising from failure of the government that forms the fulcrum of crisis at any given time, the former editor averred that media practitioners often find themselves in  a complex web of adhering to journalism ethics in reporting conflicts.

How best can the media promote peaceful resolution of crises without covering up the truth? If media practitioners are to focus less on conflict perpetrators, instead of reporting the horrors of terror attacks, is the media not hiding the truth from the public and covering up on the crimes unleashed on the people by terrorists?

Abbah affirmed that conflict reporting in Nigeria has always been handled poorly in the past and present. According to him, the glorification of terror groups, rather than reporting on sufferings victims, has always attracted the attention of practitioners. Of course, the emphasis on revenue generation and driving for wider listeners/viewers remain a determining factor on violation of these ethics that emphasise on preserving the dignity of the human life.

Speaking on ‘Ethical Issues in Reporting Conflicts,’ Abubakar, who is Senior Lecturer at the City, University of London, said media ethics have always been defied when it comes to conflict reporting. He noted that while there are no globally accepted codes for conflict reporting, he nevertheless stressed that choices of what to do at any particular instance depend on reporters and editors.

According to the university lecturer, conflict reporting had been more in focusing on those engaged in inflicting pains, instead of reporting on victims of terror groups. Calling on the media to strike a balance between serving the interest of the larger society and reporting the dangers of these conflict perpetrators, Abubakar called on media practitioners to proffer solutions towards the resolution of crises.

On December 22, 2020, being the second and final day of the programme, Abubakar brought out various forms of conflict reporting by global media outfits. Speaking on ‘Global Best Practices in Conflict Reporting’, the university teacher went down memory lane to illustrate how various global media platforms have handled reports on terror attacks.

He recalled that in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States of America, the then National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, had met with top media executives to focus on the suffering of the terror victims, instead of harping on the exploits of the terrorists.

That worked swiftly as both the media and the US government saw the need for synergy towards proffering solutions, rather than praising the cowardly exploits of terror perpetrators.

In the Christchurch killing in New Zealand, not only did the government respond effectively and appropriately to the debacle, Abubakar said the media did well by capturing the mood of the nation. A major newspaper in New Zealand had described the bloody incident as ‘darkest day’ for that country.

Though there are instances were some media organisations have engaged in promoting terrorism, there are also numerous instances where these same media platforms applauded the heroic disposition of suffering victims, while focusing attention on rescue operations.

Abbah’s presentation on ‘Media and Conflicts in Nigeria’ highlighted the challenges of conflict reporting in a nation devoid of synergy between media and security agencies. Like it is done in other countries, Abbah called for a closer synergy between the media practitioners and security personnel. In a situation where there is mistrust between media and security agencies, the forensic researcher contended that the road to good relations between these two critical stakeholders may prove a lonely road to tread for a long time.

Without doubt, the two-day workshop that was supported by the City, University of London’s Global Challenges Research Fund has opened up new horizons in appreciating the dialectics of conflict reporting. Apart from placing premium on focusing less on perpetrators of violence, participants agreed that focus should be more on terror victims. The participants unanimously advocated for effective partnership between the media and the security forces to defeat perpetrators of conflicts in the country.

On the need to weaken the support base for terror groups in the country, the workshop identified the populace as critical in the final defeat of crises and terrorism. For instance, the need to set up media organs to counter propaganda by terror organisations was emphasised. Participants faulted the deradicalisation programmes presently being carried out by the Federal Government and called for a review.

It is unlikely that several media organisations would treat reports on conflicts the same. The need for increased revenue from copy sales and attracting listeners/viewers will always play a defining factor. While media ethics may prove decisive in certain situations and areas, the disposition of editors/reporters will always influence what is pushed out to the public on conflict reporting.

Participants were divided on the propriety of using pictures of the 334 freed Kankara boys who were kidnapped in Katsina state by bandits. While some kicked against the use of the boys’ pictures on account of being minors, other participants advocated the blurring of these pictures as used by the BBC.

More than anything, the workshop offered a platform for top editors and reporters to appreciate the intricacies involved in conflict reporting. There may not be a global acceptable codes for reporting conflicts, but participants at the workshop agreed that emphasis should be placed in reporting heroic acts of rescuers and concentrating on victims, instead of frightening citizens with the devastation of terror attacks on victims and communities.