The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says training journalists in conflict-sensitive and humanitarian reporting is crucial to improving public perception and understanding of crises.

ICRC’s public relations officer, Aliyu Dawobe, said this during an ongoing capacity-building workshop for journalists on Thursday in Lagos.

The training, for 50 journalists from 25 different media across Nigeria, is being conducted in two batches with 25 reporters for each batch, from November 17 to November 21.

Mr Dawobe said that journalists played a key role in shaping public perception of humanitarian issues through communication.

He said the aim of the training was to strengthen the ability of the journalists to generate human-angled stories that focus not only on casualties but also on survivors and their daily struggles.

“Instead of us concentrating on the number of deaths and the number of people injured, we also have to think about the living.

“How are they surviving? Where are they getting food to eat, water to drink and medication?” he said.

Mr Dawobe noted that stronger human-centred reporting drew the attention of governments, authorities and other humanitarian actors, prompting them to respond decisively to crises.

Also, the chairman of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Lagos Branch, Adebola Kolawole, said that journalists remained central to shaping public perception, particularly when misinformation spreads.

Ms Kolawole said that the training would guide journalists on the limits of the ICRC and equip them with skills to accurately assess and evaluate situations during conflicts or disasters.

“We are to assist and alleviate the suffering of those who have been affected by different kinds of conflicts,” she said.

She urged journalists to adopt the humanitarian principles of the Red Cross, assess and evaluate the situation, and accurately report what they observed.

Bala Muhammad, who facilitated sessions on conflict reporting and humanitarian principles, said humanitarian journalism remained largely neglected in Nigeria due to limited training opportunities.

Mr Muhammad, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Bayero University, Kano, said the lack of training in the field continues to limit ethical and accurate reporting.

“Humanitarian journalism is not a very lucrative area and that is why even the universities are not teaching it,” he said.

He noted that the expertise in that area was usually from organisations such as the ICRC.

He urged journalists to consider that humanity came first when reporting stories.

“Please always remember that human beings need your help.

“They need your understanding. They need empathy,” he said.

Muhammad commended the ICRC for ensuring that journalists acquired knowledge and skills in humanitarian reporting.

Courses in the training include journalists and conflict reporting in Nigeria, humanitarian journalism and reporting and the basics of international humanitarian law. 

(NAN)