Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged Nigerian journalists to make the safety, dignity, privacy and best interests of children central to their reportage, warning that careless headlines, photographs and disclosure of identities could expose vulnerable children to further harm.
The Chief, UNICEF Enugu Field Office, Juliet Chiluwe, gave the charge in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Wednesday, at a two-day Zonal Workshop on Ethical Reporting of Children organised by the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA) in collaboration with UNICEF Enugu Field Office.
Chiluwe described journalists as “shapers of society”, stressing that the stories they select, questions they ask, images they publish and voices they amplify significantly influence public understanding of issues affecting children.
She said when a child appears in a newspaper, on television, radio, online platforms or social media, the child must not be treated merely as a subject of news, but as a person with dignity, rights, aspirations and a future.
