Lukman Abdulmalik
Stallion Times with the support of the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the MacArthur Foundation has trained no fewer than 40 journalists from the blogosphere, print and broadcast stations in Kogi State on Data Journalism and Media Standards.
The training program which took place on Saturday, is a part of Stallion Times activities in year 2 of its 3-year Participatory Governance and Media Literacy project dubbed: “Get Involved, Dialogue and Improve (G-DRIP).”
In his welcoming remarks, Isiyaku Ahmed, the Editor-in-Chief and Project Coordinator of G-DRIP tasked journalists to be data-driven in filtering and analyzing large data sets for the purpose of creating or elevating investigative reports.
He added that data journalism reflects the increased role of numerical data in the production and distribution of information in the digital era.
While presenting his paper on Media Standards, Ahmed explained that Media standards comprise codes of ethics and good practices applicable to broadcasters and journalists.
“A professional journalist is one that understands these standards and judiciously applies them in his day-to-day work and reportages.”
Ahmed then called on journalists to promote anti-corruption, gender and social inclusion, and transparency and accountability.
Charles Mbah, Program Lead at Dataphyte, said the training will introduce journalists to data journalism and help simplify the application and visualization of data in storytelling.
Part of the training Mbah taught journalists included how to source data, extract critical information for quality reportage, and apply data visualization tools to produce good stories.
He added that data journalism, which represented facts, would aid the public to get the right information that they could use to hold the government accountable.
