UNICEF wants Newsmen to avoid stigmatisation of children in news reportage

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

THE United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has advised journalists to avoid stigmatisation when reporting children based issues. The body also called on Journalists to adhere strictly to the principles of ethical  guidelines while reporting on issues concerning children in order to safeguard and secure their future.

Speaking at a  two-day media workshop on Ethical Reporting on Children organised by UNICEF, held in Ibadan, Oyo State the UNICEF Communication Officer, Blessing Ejiofor,  said reporting on children and young people has its special challenges and there is the need to adhere strictly to the ethical guidelines and principles, in order to protect them from any type of retribution and stigmatization.

According to her, “In some instances, the act of reporting on children places them or other children at risk of retribution or stigmatisation. Hence, the aim of this workshop is to share with journalists some developed guidelines and principles that would assist them cover children in  appropriate and sensitive manner.  The guidelines are meant to support the best intentions of ethical reporter in serving the public interest without compromising the rights of children.”

Dr. ‘Goke Rauf, Department of Mass Communication, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, said that ethics are rules of conduct or principles of morality that guide reportage on children based issues. Rauf advised journalists to equip themselves with child right act and other relevant laws so as to guide against portraying the children in a way that could subject them to embarrassment, ridicule and stigmatization.

According to him, “In reporting, the truth, journalists should be guided by other values which include national security, public interest, privacy of others, freedom of others and more importantly, the child’s right especially when the matter affect the children. Also, Nigerian mass media should brace up to their responsibilities and reclaim their pride of place as credible platform by doing all things possible to reverse the trend where some lazy traditional media now rely on social media as source of news items.”

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