Peace Building Process: Media Can Be A Filter To Hate Speech-Eugene Nforngwa.

 By Raymond Dingana

A three-day workshop organized by #Defyhatenow in partnership with Africa Knowledge and Policy Center-AKPC under the theme: Catalysing Media for Peace and Justice in Cameroon has come to end. The capacity building was focused on training journalists on Conflict Sensitive Reporting. The over twenty media practitioners from the North West Region of Cameroon that answered present in Bafoussam, from the 08-10 October 2020 were made to understand that, their role in Peace Building cannot be ignored. As indicated by the main resource person, Eugene N.Nforngwa of AKPC, the media can be a filter of hate speech:

“In spite of the fact that, hate speech is such a big deal, media can actually become a filter to hate speeches from the society either by completely cutting them out from their reporting and also taking active steps in correcting misperceptions of other groups based on their identities such as religion, ethnicity and otherwise, ”      Eugene Nforngwa said.

Journalists At Receiving Techniques In Conflict Sensitive Reporting Workshop In Bafoussam.

Eugene N. Nforngwa Drilling Journalists At Workshop.

He also said that journalists have the capacity to modify the outcome of conflicts through their work and that, if they are aware of these influences, they can do their work better, reason why, the workshop was also aimed at arming journalists with the necessary tools to be able to minimize opportunities for conflicts but also by maximizing opportunities for conflicts. He further said, journalists should seek to maximize those opportunities for better outcomes by  helping communities experience more peace adding that, if they remain professional and provide accurate information; they can help the public to make informed choices and also make policymakers to act rightly.

According to Ngala Desmond Ngala, Project Country Manager for #Defyhatenow, Media for Peace is motivated from a peace building standpoint whose aim has been that, the media should be able to report conflicts the right way …. “In conflict reporting, journalist should be able to report fairly or the right way. It is not just enough to have the facts may be from one side, but we should be able to know what facts we are gathering, from where are we collecting the facts and how to gather them. They should be able to analyze conflicts and know how they affect the communities before venturing into reporting,” he said.

Ngala Desmond Ngala, Project Country Manager for #Defyhatenow.

Journalists were also schooled on the dangers of breaking the news and that, it is better not to break the news, but wait and have it right rather than rushing to break the news and at the end of the day, causing more harm. They were also advised to stay away from Spins and Sign Posting in journalism and report from all the sides of those involved in a conflict.

Bebey Blaise, One Of The Resource Persons At The Workshop.

Rosaline Obah, a blogger with Liengusdiary and National Coordinator of the Cameroon Community Media Network CCMN who attended the workshop, said she is better off and will do what is right in conflict sensitive reporting…. “when it comes to conflict sensitive reporting, i will chose the right words, angles and images to my stories that will help contribute in building society for the better and avoid words, angles and images that, will instead go a long way to cause lost of lives and even incite more violence or make a bad situation worse. ”     

Rose Obah, Participant At The Workshop.

As indicated by Nji Ignatius, a journalist with the Eden newspaper, using verbs and not adjectives is one of the new things he is taking home…. “I have to be friendly with verbs because I have been clouding my stories with adjectives and most of the time, not telling the real story and at the end of the day, failing to contribute to the peace building process especially when the adjective is not appropriate.”   

Pedmia Shatu, blogger with the Insider237 said she grabbed big particularly in the area of fact checking …. “I am taking home the fact that, in fact checking, you cannot rely only on one source but on multiple sources because the fact that, many are talking about something does not make it right. There is need for information verification the moment it gets to you”.     

Pedmia Shatu, Partcipant After Receiving Certificate From Organizers.

With the journalists armed with the skills to make it right as far as conflict sensitive reporting is concern, the ball is now in their court to make them good conflict sensitive journalists given that, they are working in one of the epic centers of the ongoing Anglophone crisis.

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