Ahead of next month’s general elections, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, CJID, has called on governments at all levels and the security agencies to ensure the safety and security of journalists.
The call comes in the wake of many recorded cases of attacks on journalists, especially during political rallies and elections.
At a security training for 50 journalists across Nigeria, the CJID Deputy Director, Busola Ajibola disclosed that from the CJID Press Attack Tracker, about 53 attacks on journalists were documented in 2022 and many of which occurred during political rallies.
She lamented that journalists in most cases were beaten, denied access or had their equipment damaged while covering elections and called on relevant authorities to protect journalists carrying out their professional duties.
She said, “CJID is not oblivious of attacks against journalists and that the attacks tend to increase during election cycles.
“In 2022 alone, our Press Attack Tracker at CJID documented 53 attacks against journalists, many of which occurred during political rallies where journalists were beaten, denied access, or had their equipment damaged.
“We will therefore have a robust conversation on the safety of journalists in election cycles and the session will provide us with security tips for the 2023 Nigeria elections.”
While reminding journalists of the critical role they play in championing credible elections and deepening democracy, the Center urged them to ensure that the information they put out to the public is not distorted to avoid what it described as “information disorder in election coverage.”
The centre also encouraged journalists to deploy the tool of fact-checking and verification to stem the dangers to election and democracy in the country even as it urged them to look towards the key elements of the 2022 Electoral act and report them accurately.
