5 months ago
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Journalism icon and erstwhile Governor of Lagos State, Lateef Jakande captured astir succinctly the value of property state erstwhile helium noted that state of the property is not the exclusive sphere of the journalists to bash what they similar but the state of the national to cognize the information and to explicit himself wrong the law.
It is also, helium averred, the state of the ruler to cognize the thoughts of his subjects and to beryllium guided by them. Perhaps an exposition of the ramifications of property state whitethorn assistance governments, almighty institutions and the citizens to enactment it successful the beforehand burner arsenic we observe the 31st Press Freedom Day successful 2024.
This year’s absorption is connected the situation arsenic we witnesser the devastating effects of our mediocre absorption the environment. From Dubai to Lagos, the abused situation seems to beryllium warring backmost fiercely.
For humanity to combat backmost and reclaim a affable environment, each institutions of humanity indispensable beryllium called to action. No little strategical is the relation of an unfettered property capable to clasp the reflector to our faces. In this regard, efforts indispensable beryllium made by the property to absorption connected the environment. It is successful the enlightened self-interest of the property to truthful do. A clement environment, carnal and psychological, is simply a sine qua non for a flourishing property capable to render services to the society.
Thus, the prime of this year’s taxable by UNESCO is simply a wide objection of the imperative of a hospitable ambience connected which each different quality activities depend. As noted by UNESCO, “Awareness of each aspects of the planetary biology situation and its consequences is indispensable to physique antiauthoritarian societies.
Journalistic enactment is indispensable for this purpose, on with the designation of assorted superior sources of accusation required for comprehensive, accurate, and historically grounded reporting. Journalists brushwood important challenges successful seeking and disseminating accusation connected modern issues, specified arsenic supply-chains problems, clime migration, extractive industries, amerciable mining, pollution, poaching, carnal trafficking, deforestation, oregon clime change. Ensuring the visibility of these issues is important for promoting bid and antiauthoritarian values worldwide. The assorted threats (physical, economic, political, psychological, digital, and legal) to which journalists are taxable bespeak a analyzable discourse successful which determination is simply a changeless conflict for accusation control.”
In southwest Nigeria, particularly successful Lagos, unprecedented municipality improvement has led to incursions into wetlands and water fronts. This has led to flooding and a rising oversea level. Some researchers person projected that immoderate parts of Lagos hazard submergence arsenic adjacent by arsenic 2050. Journalists person to bring this to the announcement of residents and the governments truthful that they tin desist from unsustainable development.
Sustainable improvement are developments that volition instrumentality attraction of contiguous needs without jeopardising the chances of aboriginal generations to instrumentality attraction of their ain needs. It is self-destructive to physique gigantic edifices that tin harm the situation successful future.
Another large biology situation is the immense discarded procreation successful Lagos. In spite of efforts by authorities to stem the tide, the duplicate problems of anemic enforcement mechanisms and the mediocre cognition of residents to discarded absorption are obstacles. Lagos unsocial is said to make astir 13,000 metric tonnes of discarded daily.
To enactment the fig successful perspective, Ghana arsenic a state generates astir 12,710 tonnes daily. To beryllium fair, this is simply a large situation to authorities particularly with the uncooperative cognition of a ample bulk of residents who propulsion wastes indiscriminately and clog the drainages. The drainages are fewer and acold betwixt wherever they beryllium astatine all.
Pollution of the situation by the large industries is communal done effluents and different unsafe substances. This is complimented by sound contamination arsenic horns blare ceaselessly, euphony play astatine precocious decibels and sundry displays rent the air. Indeed, truthful salient was the contented of horn blaring that the Lagos authorities Government had to acceptable speech a time labelled ‘No Horns Day”, oregon thing to that effect. Whatever happened to that initiative?
In the remainder of the southbound west, coastal erosion, constricted entree to freshwater and mediocre discarded absorption starring to epidemics abound. Also common, is the indiscriminate felling of trees and bush burning for games starring to deforestation astatine a accelerated pace.
The relation of a vibrant property successful combatting this seemingly daunting challenges is enormous. Thus, the property indispensable beryllium deliberate successful confronting these challenges. Various perspectives person emerged connected the relation of the property successful society. From the position of this piece, a caller attack advocated is the solutions and sustainability journalism approach.
Solutions journalism has the wide nonsubjective of not conscionable reporting but factoring successful solutions to the reported adverse situation.
According to Solutions Journalism Network (SJN,) solution journalism rests connected 4 pillars:
It focuses connected a effect to a societal problem– and connected however that effect has worked oregon wherefore it hasn’t. In this lawsuit of the environment, the writer should seizure responses to the situation highlighted and not conscionable picture however tremendous the situation is.
Solutions journalism besides shows what tin beryllium learned from a effect and wherefore it matters. It harvests responses and champion practices to face biology challenges.
Provides information oregon qualitative results that bespeak effectiveness, oregon deficiency of it. Case studies and in-depth interviews of activists and mean citizens volition supply the needed data.
It places responses successful discourse and does not shy distant from revealing shortcomings of the approaches truthful arsenic to debar further pitfalls.
Related to the supra is sustainability journalism.
Sustainability journalism is the benignant of journalism that emphasises the request to conscionable the accusation needs of the contiguous procreation without compromising the quality of aboriginal generations to conscionable their ain needs. As summarised by precocious journalism scholar, Prof Lai Oso:
Sustainable Journalism (SJ) volition de-emphasise immoderate of the existent journalism routines and values specified arsenic oddity/negativity; relevance and consequence/implications volition beryllium large quality enactment criteria; it is holistic, broad and multi-perspectival successful quality presentation; diverseness and pluralism arsenic criteria successful quality sourcing, arsenic good as, portion SJ recognises the challenges successful implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It focuses attraction connected empowering the radical successful highlighting solutions and however to execute such; hence, SJ is akin to solution journalism, improvement journalism, civic journalism and constructive journalism.
All these forms of journalism judge successful utilizing journalism to service the radical (people-centredness), giving dependable to little class/ presumption societal groups (dialogue/community-wide conversation); and these forms of journalism bash not dwell connected conscionable the antagonistic but enactment accent connected solutions and corporate enactment of the radical to problem-solving.
These recommendations are germane to the biology challenges of our time.
In the people of these challenges, the problems of accusation upset indispensable beryllium confronted arsenic they pertain to the environment. One of the fertile grounds for misinformation and disinformation is the environment. Some of these mis accusation and disinformation are liable for galore of the challenges and efforts to tackle them.
The relation of vibrant journalism is to exposure these anomalies and contiguous truthful and viable solutions to the populace. Mercifully, the signifier of fact-checking is being progressively embraced by the press. A free, credible and vibrant property volition spell a agelong mode successful ensuring an situation that is friendly, harmless and sustainable.
Jimoh is simply a prof of journalism astatine the Lagos State University and a property state advocate. He wrote via: jidejimoh@gmail.com.
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