Hannah Anthony
A growing number of fearless female journalists are pushing back, despite the maelstrom of challenges, hamstrung by structural, institutional, and political obstacles they face. They are determined to expose the misuse of trust that goes unreported and un/under-investigated, holding power accountable and advocating for policies to improve the lives of the people in the society.
In many instances, some of the initiatives are led by fearless and non-conformist women. Mrs Toun Sonaiya and her organization has been revolutionizing the media landscape by not only inspiring these female journalists but also empowering them to become agents of societal change. A recent training by Mrs Toun Sonaiya tagged WRC 3.0 cohort supported by a frontline development organization attests to this. The program armed the participants with the investigative journalism skills to tackle critical issues that affect society, particularly in female gender education.
Toun Okewale-Sonaiya (Pc: Hannah Anthony)
The 3-day investigative journalism training for female journalists held in Lagos, featured industry experts like Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, Mrs Busola Ajibola, Mr Idris Akinbajo, Dr. Suleiman Yar’adua, Mr Charles Mbah and Maxine Danso as training faculty members, shared their expertise on investigative reporting.
The female journalists (participants) were empowered with practical methodologies, cutting edge skills, how to conduct investigative reporting and navigate gender-based abuse and safety in the process.
“You must learn basic defense skills to protect yourself when faced with physical attacks and threats, ” said Mrs Busola Ajibola, the Deputy Director of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development. “No story is worth your life, live to tell another story,” she emphasized.
“The Principle of writing for journalism is, ‘show’ don’t tell,” said Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher of Premium Times. “A powerful story is an emotional process that focuses on characters and plot.”
Mr Charles Mbah, highlighted the importance of data analysis, “Using data, the task shifts focus from being the first to report to being the one telling citizens what a certain development actually means.” He said, “Tell your story using representations, don’t show alone”
Dr Suleiman Yarádua
Dr. Suleiman Yar’adua of Bayero University-Kano stressed the significance of data sourcing, “Training in data mining and ethical data hacking, visualization and artificial intelligence are necessary for modern investigation because of the level of sophistication of modern society and technology,’’ he said.
In one of the practical sessions, participants presented their story ideas to the faculty experts, who provided valuable feedback and advice to help take their ideas to the next level and guidance to help shape and refine them.
Amina Ibrahim, a freelance journalist from Jigawa state, presented a thought-provoking idea to mitigate the rate of uneducated young widowed women in two communities away from hers. She narrated how she supports them to read and write, “I teach some of them to read because they show interest to be educated,’’ she said.Major take away include a comprehensive understanding of the skills required to producing high-impact investigative journalism, empowering them to hold power accountable and tell the stories that need to be told
