Neptune Prime, WSCIJ, train editorial staff on professional journalism standards

By Aisha AUYO, Sakinat MUSA, Maryam SULAIMAN, Faiza DOMA, Abubakar KADO, Jamila SULEIMAN, Hafsat MUYE, Gift LUCKSON

Neptune Prime Network, in collaboration with the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), has engaged the services of the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ) to train its editorial staff on professional journalism ethics and standards.

 The training, which is expected to last for three months, will equip the eight selected editorial members with knowledge on basic sub-editing and news arrangement, interpretative/specialised reporting, and practical news writing and reporting.

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Introducing the courses, the three resource persons; Dr Nick Igwenagu, Dr Uchenna Akunebu and Dr Emman Shehu, all experts in the media field, urged the participants to inculcate the habit of extensive reading in order to have adequate knowledge of every topic they are reporting on. 

They urged the working journalists to only go to press after verifying reports and avoid prioritising rumours, gossips, and hearsay as information sources.

The participants were also exposed to the importance of writing news stories using an acceptable journalistic structure in order to show professionalism and maintain international best practices.

 The training sessions were interactive and comprised of practical sessions, fieldwork, questions, and answers.

At the end of the training, participants are expected to learn the essentials of editing and how to apply them in the production process, understand the effective aspects of news writing and interviewing and know how to choose interesting topics and write specialised stories, as well as conducting investigative reports, among many others.

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Certificates will be issued to the participants by the International Institute of Journalism at the end of the training course.

The participants appreciated Neptune Prime management, the CEO, Dr Hassan Gimba, and the WSCIJ for taking pride in instilling more knowledge in their staff. 

Barrister Hafsat Muye, a reporter with Neptune Prime, said the training came at the right time when ethics play a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity and credibility of the journalism profession.

She said that with the guidance of experts handling the courses, participants will have a high-quality learning experience.

Also expressing optimism about the training, Abubakar Kado, a journalist, commended Neptune Prime for prioritising staff development, he said the training is an eye opener that would help him to discharge his duties with utmost professionalism and skill.