By: Mnena Iyorkegh, Abuja
The US Embassy has emphasized on the critical role journalists play in holding government accountable, promoting peace and development in the society.
The Cultural Affairs Officer, US Embassy In Nigeria, Brain Neubert, stated this in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital at a two day training for Radio Journalists, in Language Based Radio Stations.
The workshop focused on radio reporting, Editing , story telling, fact checking, presentation and the use of AI for radio.
The Cultural Affairs Officer also reiterated US Embassy’s commitment to promoting freedom of press.
“The American Embassy invests in Nigerian journalists because you are telling the stories that the citizens of this great country need to hear. You’re telling these stories on the radio, you are weaving together a narrative, you are protectors of the truth, accountability and peace. The American Embassy believes very strongly in your role in Nigeria’s democracy and Nigeria’s development. And we believe that journalists are crucially important to everything that Nigeria hopes to accomplish and everything that the United States hopes to achieve”. He said
Mr. Neubert, further urged journalists to prioritise writing stories that promote peace and development.
“I ask journalists to use their wisdom to contribute to peace. And by that, I mean the stories that you tell, the stories that you cover, the people you interview, the news, or the information that you you scrutinize, contributes to Nigeria being a better place. It contributes to your communities being better informed, for them to advocate for themselves, for them to make their communities better and better their lives which is a critical role that journalism plays in democracy and in a free country, such as, Nigeria”.
Facilitators who spoke on different topics at the training urged participants to always keep it simple while writing for radio, and also take advantage of social media space to influence the society.
Some of the participants while expressing their gratitude to US Embassy and Dhul Jalalu a charitable organization for putting out the training, promised to inculcate the knowledge gained from the training to other colleagues at their various work stations.
The workshop with over twenty participants was organized by the Dhul Jalalu Charitable foundation and sponsored by the US Embassy in Nigeria.
