By Abubakar Ibrahim
Journalists have been urged to uphold the highest standards of ethics, empathy, and balance in their reportage as a crucial step toward strengthening community journalism and promoting human rights in Northern Nigeria.
This charge was made during a three-day fellowship training on “Strengthening Community Journalism and Human Rights Advocacy in Northern Nigeria, SCOJA, holding in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
During the closing session of the training, messages were echoed to use the media as a tool for making change in a society. In her presentation, Media Trainer, Hauwa Saleh Abubakar emphasized the need for journalists to exercise self-restraint and maintain professional integrity even while under pressure.
She identified challenges affecting journalistic practice in Northern Nigeria, including political, ethnic, and religious biases, sensationalism, language barriers, and misinformation, urging participants to balance empathy, inclusion, and accuracy in their reports.
Also speaking on Trauma-Sensitive Reporting and Engaging with Vulnerable Populations, media development specialist Johnstone Kpilaakaa encouraged journalists to practice empathy in their interactions with survivors and vulnerable groups.
Bajama Multimedia reporter who is attending the training, reports that the fellowship, organized by (HumaAngle) aims to build the capacity of local journalists to use their platforms to promote human rights, amplify community voices, and contribute to peaceful coexistence across Northern Nigeria.
The initiative, supported by the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria, is part of (HumAngle’s) broader effort to amplify local voices and encourage solution-driven journalism in underserved communities.
The SCOJA Fellowship was being implemented in phases across Nigeria’s northern regions which started from 10–12 November 2025 with fellows in both the North-West and North-Central regions.
