Create disability and inclusion desk, Newsrooms charged
A commitment to the issue of disability and inclusion is seen when actions correspond with speeches. A concerted action from every stakeholder will provoke faster acceleration of goals. Issue of inclusion is everyone’s duty. Everyone must be positioned to do their parts. The above and other thoughts were shared by faculty and participants at the Disability and inclusion reporting fellowship for Newsrooms in Northern Nigeria and Federal Capital Territory, a project that the centre ran in conjunction with Africa Foundation for Young Media professionals as part of media initiative project
Cross section of the participants
The project is the second phase of Disability and inclusion reporting fellowship, which has been a yearly project since 2022. If the society must run faster in its inclusive and sustainable society drive, every stakeholder, including the media must be active in pushing the agenda. Media role in behavioural change communication is huge.
The 2-day intensive workshop event in Abuja, which was held between June 12-13, 2024, kick started the 2024 fellowship. The centre’s Executive Director, Yinka Olaito, took participants on the foundation of the course as well as charged them to understand that society can no longer wait. But first, if the media must readily do its work, they need knowledge about the issues they want to communicate.
Yinka Olaito called on Newsrooms to see the need to urgently create a disability and inclusion desk. “Newsrooms cannot stay behind if they truly want a change in societal behaviour. Journalists must be seen to do the right thing as well as lead the change”.
Oluseyi Olufemi, another faculty, on the other hand talked about the value of data in disability and inclusion reporting. He emphasized “data is not just about numbers; it must help the society see its impacts or failure”. Oluseyi demonstrated how data can enhance disability and inclusion reporting without been sensational,
On the second day of the event, Yinka Olaito also charged the participants to embrace learning in the area of appropriate language use. Words are powerful. “Even though the language use in the community is evolving, the more aware reporters are the better for their reportage” Yinka Olaito concluded.
Hannah Olayinka, an accessibility expert, charged participants on the need to embrace international protocol as well as good grasp of various charters of human rights of persons with disabilities entail so they can help cascade these to the rural community.
Adebayo Adebukola on his part challenged the participants to increase their knowledge about building collaboration and partnership for disability and inclusion reporting. While Journalists are supposed to know something about everything, they still need informed experts as sources in creating credible news items that are empowering as well as propel actions from the consumers.
Participants expressed their gratitude to the vent organizers about the new knowledge they just gained and itemised action steps they will be embarking on.
Aisha Shuaibi Baddegi of Citizen FM said “I have gained new insights and will begin to inculcate these in my reporting”. Another participant, Laraba Murrey, a reporter with Abuja Inquirer said “I am so happy to be part of this fellowship this year as I missed the fellowship narrowly last year. I am now better equipped than before and ready to distil this new found knowledge in my reporting”
Duro Maliki shared “I now have a better and informed understanding of disability and Inclusion Reporting. With this new armed knowledge, I see a new direction I should follow as a broadcast journalist with interest in disability and inclusion Reporting”.