Bello Oyiza Rosemary
Journalists and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have been tasked with the need to be credible in their dissemination of information on social media.
A Digital Forensic Researcher, Mr. Isa Ali gave the charge at a one-day training on “Effective Use of Social Media” CSOs and media practitioners in lokoja organized by Stallion tTimes Media Services under the Get Involved, Dialogue and Improved (G-DRIP) Project with support Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism, and the McArthur Foundation.
The Project Coordinator, Isiyaku Ahmed said the workshop was to equip Journalists and Civil Society advocates for good governance with effective knowledge to use social media to advance their work, network, and counter fake news.
He said the objectives of the training were for participants to appreciate best practices for creating social media content, to get the best of social media, and to know how to use it to reach targeted audiences.
In a paper presentation, the digital forensic expert described social media as a powerful tool that should be harnessed in storytelling to a vast audience.
Mr. Isa while availing the participants with various ways to effectively create quality informative content to grab the attention of the targeted audience, emphasized the need for Journalists and CSOs to always fact-check information to rule out unverified material, give credit to original owners of any content or information used, be authentic and transparent when putting out any story.
He also took participants through some processes of building professional relationships on social media to enable growth that will invariably enable their stories to gain wider coverage and accessibility.
On Audience engagement, the forensic expert who urged the participants to take cognizance of prime times of any platform in other to reach the target audience said interaction is also vital to get feedback.
Some CSO members and journalists at the event said the training will add value to the work they do and they will put into practice what they learned.
Not fewer than forty participants from the media and CSOs were in attendance
