At a stakeholders roundtable, the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, Nigeria, will share the results of its ongoing media monitoring of election coverage.
The roundtable discussion, which will take place on January 24, 2023, will include presentations of the updated Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage and discussions of the results of the monitoring in October and November 2022.
It will be possible to evaluate the media monitoring report at the convergence that will draw participants from the media, civil society, academia, regulatory bodies, and other pertinent organizations.
The media monitoring is one of the activities being implemented by IPC under an EU funded project entitled, “Strengthening the media for fair, accurate, ethical, and inclusive coverage of the electoral processes and elections in Nigeria”.
The Executive Director IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade in a statement said: “In addition to promoting democratic elections, the analysis of the media monitoring report of the 2023 elections is pivotal in determining the extent to which the elections can be said to be inclusive”.
He added: “This is why IPC will also present a performance scorecard by the monitored media based on their promotion of inclusive issues in their coverage and reportage of the electoral processes and elections particularly in line with the stipulations of the Media Code of Election Coverage”.
The five online media are The Cable, the Premium Times, Eagle Online, RealNews, and the Authority. The newspapers being watched are The Punch, The Guardian, Daily Sun, Vanguard, ThisDay, Nigerian Tribune, The Nation, Leadership, and Daily Independent.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigeria’s election management organization, also keeps an eye on its News Portal (website) and Twitter accounts (INEC).
Dr. Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL (Vice President, North Central, ACSPN), and Mr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren, General Secretary, NGE, will be the primary discussants while Prof. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika of the Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, will review the reports.
The overall goal of the media component under EUSDGN II of which IPC is the lead partner is to “Support the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria with the media (broadcast, print and online media) helping to facilitate the key ingredient of credible elections through engagement and professionalism in coverage and reportage of the electoral processes.”
The other partner is the Institute of Media Society (IMS).