National President of National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs. Ladi Bala, has charged members to balance their reports always especially as the countdown to the 2023 general elections commences.
Mrs. Bala stated this at the opening ceremony for digital/multimedia story telling skills organised by Institute for Media and Society (IMS)
held in Benin City, Edo State where women journalists from the South-South, South-West and South-East of Nigeria were in attendance. She said the training became necessary to empower women journalists adequately.
Executive Director of IMS, Dr. Akin Akingbulu, maintained that women journalists were critical stakeholders that needed to be empowered and equipped with the necessary skills that would make them tell stories in an informed manner to audiences on the social spaces, which now accommodate a large number of Nigerian citizens.
The Programme Manager of IMS, Mr. Timothy Bamidele, emphasized the need for them to use the opportunity to equip themselves considering the careful selection of the participants by IMS for the project .
He urged them to go back and start educating other women journalists in their different organisations on multimedia skills to enhance the reportage of the 2023 election.
Speaking on Digital Story Telling process: producing a multimedia blog, using story, video and podcast, a Content Development Trainer, Mr. Osifo Omozugba, emphasised the need for women journalists to shift from the traditional method of telling stories to adopting multimedia approach considering the large numbers of social media users.
He took the women journalists through different social media tools and applications they needed to make their story telling interesting to the right audiences.
Another resource person, a Digital Content expert, Mrs Ehi Ohiani, while speaking on social media strategy, tools and best practices intimated women journalists on the need to identify their audience and disseminate information that would enhance improved participation and methods of telling stories from a multimedia perceptive that would interest online audience to make enhance credibility.
In their response some of the participants appreciated the organizers for the impactful training and promised to utilize the lessons learnt.
