Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged Nigerian journalists to make the safety, dignity, privacy and best interests of children central to their reportage, warning that careless headlines, photographs and disclosure of identities could expose vulnerable children to further harm.
The Chief, UNICEF Enugu Field Office, Juliet Chiluwe, gave the charge in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Wednesday, at a two-day Zonal Workshop on Ethical Reporting of Children organised by the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA) in collaboration with UNICEF Enugu Field Office.
Chiluwe described journalists as “shapers of society”, stressing that the stories they select, questions they ask, images they publish and voices they amplify significantly influence public understanding of issues affecting children.
She said when a child appears in a newspaper, on television, radio, online platforms or social media, the child must not be treated merely as a subject of news, but as a person with dignity, rights, aspirations and a future.
According to her, ethical reporting must go beyond determining whether a story is newsworthy to asking whether telling the story in a particular way is in the child’s best interest.
She urged journalists to consider whether their reports could expose children to additional risks, compromise their privacy or dignity, or cause further trauma.
“When in doubt, protect the child,” Chiluwe emphasised, urging media professionals to emerge from the workshop as child-rights champions.
She noted that the digital age had heightened the risks associated with reporting children because photographs, names and recordings could remain online indefinitely and reach national and international audiences within minutes.
Chiluwe identified children affected by violence, abuse, displacement, conflict, exploitation, disability and legal proceedings as requiring particular sensitivity, adding that responsible reporting could expose injustice, mobilise communities, influence policy, hold institutions accountable and amplify solutions.
In his welcome address, the Director-General of BCA, Apostle Francis Nwubani, represented by the Director of News and Current Affairs, Mr. Blessing Egbu, said ethical reporting of children was not only a professional requirement but a moral obligation.
He warned that sensationalism, inappropriate identification, intrusive interviews and stigmatising language could deepen the trauma of vulnerable children.
Nwubani said the workshop brought together journalists, editors and state correspondents from Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Rivers, Cross River, Benue and Delta States to strengthen professional capacity and promote a common understanding of child-sensitive journalism.
He urged participants to continually ask whether their reports protect or endanger children, respect their privacy and dignity, give them a voice without exposing them to further harm, and serve their best interests.
Presenting a paper titled ‘Ethical Principles in Reporting Children’s Issues,’ Dr. Geoffrey Njoku identified early marriage, female genital mutilation, rape, child trafficking, child prostitution, child labour, war and violence, racial discrimination, refugee crises and displacement among issues requiring responsible media coverage.
He urged journalists to avoid sensational reports that could result in further abuse of children, describing media practitioners as agents of social change with a responsibility to promote, protect and institutionalise child rights.
Also speaking on ‘Media as Protector or Violator: Foundation of Child Rights’, Dr. Jide Johnson said child rights involved the shared responsibility of the state, parents and society to ensure children’s survival, development, protection and participation.
He stressed that investment in education was an investment in the future, noting that anything taken away from a child today would have to be compensated for in the future.
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.
He said public interest must be balanced against a child’s right to safety, dignity and protection.
Idowu urged journalists to protect children’s identities, dignity and safety while providing truthful and meaningful context, stressing that public interest does not cancel children’s rights.
Participants at the workshop were expected to apply the principles learnt to their newsroom practices, with UNICEF certificates to be presented at the end of the programme.