Covering Diversity: a Resource and Training Manual for African Journalists I 3 Nigeria Reporting Diversity Working Group
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ceived injustices made the renegotia- the amalgamation of the southernnationalism and have been a feature of politi- of the union a persistent question. northern protectorates in 1914.cal life The for uni most- of the century, op p o s i t i o n to racism is deeply embedded in journal- S TOR ICAL OV E RV I EW fication of this territory reflected the DIVE RSITY IN NIGERIA ism. But the use of journalists to provide form and manner by whichpolitical the British propaganda means media can still eria’s formal identity was forged with came to conquer, consolidate,become weaponsand of intolerance. amalgamation of the southern and administer the various peoples included The outbreak of war in 1992 in the hern protectorates in 1914. The uni- in the Nigerian state. The processBalkans, of sub- genocide in Rwanda in 1994, on of this territory reflected the form jugation and incorporationand of thesimmering more conflicts on every conti- manner by which the British came to than 250 ethnolinguisticnent groups demonstrate in that laws, journalistic quer, consolidate, and administer the codes, and good intentions are of little con- ous peoples included in the Nigerian Nigeria was protracted, piecemeal, and sequence in the face of ruthless political e. The process of subjugation and uneven. In 1914, three large groups pre- leaders bent upon waging war. rporation of the more than 250 eth- dominated: the Muslim Hausa Fulani of nguistic groups in Nigeria was pro- the north, the predominantlyIt is Christiannot unusual in war to find mass media ted, piecemeal, and uneven. In 1914, Igbo in the southeast, and therecruited religiously to support political objectives, large groups predominated: the often at the expense of professional bicommunal Yoruba in the southwest. lim Hausa Fulani of the north, the COVERINGcredibility. Indeed, this holds true for ominantly Christian Igbo in the The rest of the populationD almostwas IVERSITYmade all up wars. Notions of press heast, and the religiously bicommu- of more than 200 ethnicfreedom minorities and editorial independence can oruba in the southwest. The rest of whose size ranged from AseveralbecomeRESOURCE thou compromised- AND TRAINING anywhere MANUAL when population was made up of more than sand to a few million andFORjournalism included AFRICAN a is the victimJOURNALIS of politicalTS ethnic minorities whose size ranged mixed bag of religious adherents.manipulation. The m several thousand to a few million modernization process has Hbeen o w euneven, v e r, it is not only in times of war included a mixed bag of religious that media face the challenge of erents. The modernization process owing largely to the indifferent adminis- intolerance. Racial violence in urban been uneven, owing largely to the tration under colonial rule. This has gen- communities often characterized ter- fferent administration under colonial erated inequalities and sowed the seeds rorism, a rise in influence of extremist . This has generated inequalities and of distrust in the march towardright-wing national political parties, the reemer- ed the seeds of distrust in the march integration. The absencegence of oftrust, anti-Semitism, and widespread rd national integration. The absence religious intolerance, prejudice, and ust, justice, and peace has made con- discrimination against national minori- ional arrangements difficult to ties on the basis of language and social in. Controversy over the nature and status is all part of the landscape of daily e of the union has persisted since news reporting. 2 when the country adopted its first itution. Controversies have raged Too often ignorance and a lack of appre- the ratio of representation in the ciation of different cultures, traditions, ral legislature and the timing of self- and beliefs leads to media stereotypes ernment. which reinforce racist attitudes and strengthen the appeal of political extremists. iversity and At the same time media and journalists k in the 1950s, inter-ethnic clashes continue to be victims of undue pressure. separatist tendencies emerged. Some pressure comes from tense and se controversies informed the adop- competitive by conditions in the media of a federal constitution with market, and some is applied by political nomous regions by the British players, either governments directly or horities in 1954. Indeed, a major bone by powerful special interest groups. ontention in the 1954 Constitutional PRIME TIME FOR TOLERANCE ference was the question of whether ot any region should be granted the Journalists are rightly wary of outsiders t to secede. Eventually, no secession interfering in journalism, but many are e was included in the 1954 conscious, too, of internal weaknesses stitution, and the country trudged on which compromise journalistic standa ndependence in 1960. rds.Since the mid-1980s, the number of ependence did not put to rest the ten- newspapers and magazines has grown s of the Nigerian union. Actual or rapidly in Nigeria. Between the end of ceived injustices made the renegotia- the Second Republic in 1983 and the of the union a persistent question. final days of the regime of General AG-intra-party crisis of 1962, the Ibrahim Babangida ten years later, seven census controversy, the general reliable because the rates of growth and re far from stable. The Panos Institute, Washington, DC, founded in 1986, is an international n o n - p r o fit, non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening the institutions of civil society worldwide by providing local grassroots journalists and NGO information providers with resources to cover major underreported and misreported issues responsibly and in depth. Panos facilitates the publication of alternative perspectives on these issues and the development of "hands-on" media training materials for its programs. Through its platform as an international organization and its global program, "MediaNet," Panos facilitates regional alliances and cross-border collaboration among journalists and between journalists and NGOs. For fourteen years, Panos Washington has worked with journalists and their institutions in Central America and the Caribbean to educate and communicate on such development and human rights issues as HIV/AIDS, the perspectives of marginalized peoples, including children, environmentally solid approaches to community problems, and the experiences of women and children in the aftermath of civil conflict. In 1998 Panos Washington began working with independent media institutions in Nigeria to support greater freedom of expression, training in computer-assisted research and reporting, and analysis of how the country’s media covers inter-communal, inter-faith and other diversity issues. The Panos Institute, Washington, DC, has offices in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and is affiliated with, but institutionally independent from, the Panos Institutes of London, Paris, Dakar, Lusaka, Kampala and Katmandu. The Panos Institute 1701 K Street, NW, Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20006 USA tel: +1.202.223.7951 fax: +1.202.223.7947 e-mail: [email protected] About the Center for War, Peace, and the News Media The Center for War, Peace, and the News Media is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to supporting journalists and news organizations in their efforts to sustain informed and engaged citizenries worldwide. The Center is headquartered at the New York University Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, where it was founded in 1985. The Center's goals are: To promote those norms and practices which independent journalism requires to operate effectively in diverse political, social, and technological environments; To strengthen those economic, legal, and educational institutions necessary to support fully functioning media sectors in emerging democracies; and To explore the role of the media in the dynamics of war, peace, and conflic t , and to create media-based initiatives to transform conflict and help manage its consequences. The Center's activities for 2000 – 2001 are concentrated in three areas: assisting American and Asian journalists in their coverage of international affairs and global security issues; aiding Russian journalists and news organizations in the process of developing a professional, democratic, and economically sound media sector; and initiating projects and research that explore constructive roles for the media in ethnic, civil, and other intra – and international conflicts. Funding for Center programs comes primarily from private U.S. foundations, with additional support from several governmental and international agencies for work in Europe and Russia. Center for War, Peace, and the News Media 418 Lafayette Street New York, NY 10003 USA tel: +1.212.998.7960 fax: +1.212.995.4143 e-mail: [email protected] The Independent Journalism Centre [IJC] of Lagos, Nigeria, is a not-for- p r o f i t , f r e edom of expression organization, founded in 1996 and dedicated to training, research, documentation and advocacy on media affairs. It publishes the Media Monitor, an authoritative weekly online digest of events in the Nigerian media and the Green Monitor, dedicated to environmental reporting. IJC also conducts a "French for Journalists" program, training in political and electoral reporting, and a computer assisted research and reporting [CAR R ] tr a i n i n g to enable media practitioner make the transition to the digital workplace. IJC is the first private media resource institute of its kind in Nigeria and receives support from the Frederich Ebert Foundation, the Alliance Francaise, the Goethe