U.S Consulate trains 150 journalists on election reporting

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

The two-day session for the South-South geopolitical zone was concluded on Wednesday in Port Harcourt.

Speaking through video conference, the U.S. Consulate General, Will Stevens, assured of the support of the United States government to deepen democracy in Nigeria.

Stevens, represented by the U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Joe Kruzich, said the Election Reporting Project (ERP) is an intervention project supported by the U.S. Consulate to support Nigerian journalists, videographers and photojournalists to adequately cover the 2023 elections.

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

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 Prof. Lai Oso, former Dean of Communications, Lagos State University; and Ms Grace Ekpu, investigative reporter with the Associated Press.

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 journalists, had earlier been conducted in Ibadan, while the Lagos session is slated for November 24.

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