During a panel discussion on Women in Security at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), freelance journalist and former Channels TV conflict reporter Blessing Tunoh highlighted the pivotal role AUN played in shaping the approach of journalists covering the Boko Haram insurgency.
Ms. Tunoh reflected on how the 2016 conflict reporting training, organized by AUN and the American Embassy, transformed the way journalists in northeastern Nigeria reported on the insurgency and its impact. "Before the training, journalists had been covering the conflict without specific training on effective reporting," she recalled. "We were simply doing stories as we normally did."
The three-day intensive training focused on conflict reporting and peace journalism, with an emphasis on amplifying the voices of vulnerable populations, particularly women and children. Tunoh emphasized that before the training, reporting focused solely on the destruction caused by the insurgency, without a deeper understanding of its impact.
"The training opened my mind to the vulnerability of women and children, something we had been reporting unconsciously without truly addressing their plight," she said. After the training, journalists shifted their focus from merely reporting attacks and casualties to shedding light on the struggles, resilience, and efforts of displaced women and children to rebuild their lives.
Ms. Tunoh noted that the training helped journalists to "unlearn previous habits and apply what we had learned to tell stories in a way that could contribute to peacebuilding rather than just sensationalizing the conflict."
The training, made possible by AUN in collaboration with the American Embassy, reflects the university's commitment to fostering responsible journalism and supporting professionals in conflict-affected regions. As insurgency and security challenges persist in Nigeria, initiatives like this continue to play a crucial role in ensuring ethical, impactful, and transformative reporting.
Reported by Aishatu Munnauwarah Yahya