The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged Nigerian journalists to put the safety, dignity, privacy and best interests of children at the centre of their reportage.
UNICEF warned that careless headlines, inappropriate photographs, sensational reports and unnecessary disclosure of children’s identities could expose vulnerable children to stigma, discrimination and further trauma.
The Chief, UNICEF Enugu Field Office, Juliet Chiluwe, gave the charge in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at a two-day zonal workshop on Ethical Reporting of Children, organised by the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA), in collaboration with the UNICEF Enugu field office.
Delivering a keynote address titled: Why ethical reporting of children matters in Nigeria, Chiluwe described journalists as ‘shapers of society,’ stressing that the stories they select, questions they ask, images they publish and voices they amplify could significantly influence public understanding of issues affecting children.
She said: ‘When a child appears in the media, that child is not simply a subject for a story. That child is a person with dignity, rights, aspirations and a future.’
According to her, journalists must go beyond determining whether a story involving a child is newsworthy to considering whether the manner of reporting it is in the child’s best interest.
Chiluwe said responsible reporting should take into account whether a story could expose a child to additional risks, compromise the child’s privacy or dignity, or cause further trauma.
She warned that the digital age had increased the risks associated with reporting children, as photographs, names and recordings published online could remain accessible indefinitely and reach audiences across the world within minutes.
Chiluwe particularly urged journalists to exercise caution when reporting children affected by violence, abuse, displacement, conflict, exploitation, disability and legal proceedings.
She said responsible journalism could help expose injustice, mobilise communities, influence policy, hold institutions accountable and amplify solutions to challenges affecting children.
‘When in doubt, protect the child,’ she emphasised, urging journalists participating in the workshop to emerge as champions of child rights.
In his address, the director-general of BCA, Francis Nwubani, represented by the Director of News and Current Affairs, Blessing Egbu, said ethical reporting of children was both a professional requirement and a moral obligation.
Nwubani warned that sensationalism, intrusive interviews, inappropriate identification and stigmatising language could deepen the trauma of vulnerable children.
He said the workshop was designed to strengthen the capacity of journalists, editors and state correspondents from Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Rivers, Cross River, Benue and Delta states in child-sensitive journalism.
He said: ‘The way we report on a child who is a victim of violence, abuse, exploitation, conflict, displacement, poverty or other forms of vulnerability can either contribute to the child’s protection and recovery or, inadvertently, deepen their trauma.’
Nwubani urged journalists to always consider the consequences of their reports before publication, particularly whether such reports will harm or endanger children, violate their privacy and dignity, or fail to serve their best interests.
Also speaking, Dr Geoffrey Njoku, who presented a paper on Ethical principles in reporting children’s issues, identified early marriage, female genital mutilation, rape, child trafficking, child prostitution, child labour, war and violence, racial discrimination, refugee crises and displacement as issues requiring responsible media coverage.
Similarly, Dr Jide Johnson, in his presentation, ‘Media as protector or violator: Foundation of child rights’, said child rights involved the collective responsibility of the state, parents and society to ensure children’s survival, development, protection and participation.
On his part, Mr Lanre Idowu, who spoke on ‘Balancing public interest with child protection’, advised journalists to tell the story of the social problem rather than make the vulnerable child the story.