US consulate trains 150 journalists in election reporting

The Unites States Consulate in Nigeria has trained 150 media professionals in election reporting ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the two-day session for the South-South geopolitical zone was concluded on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Speaking at the event through video conference, the US Consulate General, Will Stevens, assured of the support of the US government to deepen democracy in Nigeria.

Stevens was represented by the U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Joe Kruzich.

According to him, the Election Reporting Project is an intervention project supported by the US Consulate to support Nigerian journalists, videographers, and photojournalists to adequately cover the 2023 elections.

He explained that ERP is part of the US Consulate’s continued support for the growth of democracy in Nigeria in partnership with the West Africa Broadcast and Media Academy and the Enugu Literary Society.

NAN reports that the lead facilitator is the Dean, School of Communication and Chair, Department of Radio, Television and Films, Texas Southern University Houston, USA, Prof. Chris Ulasi.

Other facilitators include former Dean of Communications, Lagos State University, Prof. Lai Oso, and an investigative reporter with the Associated Press, Grace Ekpu.

Earlier, Ulasi, a Nigerian university don based in the United States, noted that the global attention was on Nigeria and urged journalists to effectively report the electoral process in a professional way.

The ongoing workshop sessions across the geopolitical zones, which drew participants from broadcast, print and online journalism, had earlier been conducted in Ibadan, while the Lagos session is slated for November 24.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, broadcast journalist, Carl Orakwue, thanked the organisers for the workshop, which he described as timely.

NAN