The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has sought the partnership of the media on the reportage of disaster and emergency occurrences in the country.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, stated this at a workshop for media practitioners on Saturday in Lagos.
The workshop was titled: “Disaster Resilience in Media: Sensitisation Workshop on Promoting Ethical and Ethical Reporting for Media Practitioners.”
Ahmed said NEMA intended to use the workshop to foster collaboration and networking with the media.
He said the goal of NEMA was to facilitate effective information dissemination during emergencies.
“By working together, we can ensure that timely and accurate information reaches the public, creating much needed awareness and enabling them to make informed decisions and take necessary precautions where applicable,” Ahmed said.
He said the objective of the workshop was to provide a clear understanding of NEMA’s operations, Nigeria’s triple response structure and its relationship with sub-national actors.
Ahmed added that the workshop would provide an opportunity for NEMA to interact with media practitioners, share learning, insights and equip media practitioners with knowledge needed in their reportage.
According to him, it will enable media practitioners to mediate misinformation, disinformation and fake news while building resilience in the sector.
Ahmed, however, enjoined media practitioners to act as gatekeepers in this era of disinformation.
“We trust you to act as the bulwark against misinformation and fake news and the shenanigans of citizen journalists and fifth columnists,” Ahmed said.
Contributing, NEMA’s Director, Special Duties, Dr Onimode Abdullahi, in his technical presentation, explored the history of NEMA, the agency’s mandate and its efforts on disaster management.
The first-panel discussion focused on “Navigating Challenges in Disaster Reporting, Insights from Media Practitioners.
The second technical presentation had the topic “Collaborative Approaches in Disaster Reporting, Strengthening Partnerships for Effective Communication and was led by Communications Management Expert, Chido Nwakanma.
Public Relations and Development expert, Toni Kan, facilitated the third technical presentation with the theme: “Ethics in Disaster Reporting: Balancing Sensationalism and Responsible Journalism.
