Varsity don urges media practitioners to take back their role of agenda setting

By Praise Chinecherem

Foremost Professor of Mass Communication, Prof Stella Okunna has charged journalists to continue to remain the hope and mouthpiece of the people.

She urged them to take back from politicians their role as agenda setters.

Okunna spoke in Awka, Anambra State while delivering a paper tilted, “Fundamentals of News investigative reporting/fact checking at a training by Ikenga Media and Cultural Awareness Initiative (IMCAI) Training for Journalists in Southeast.

The workshop themed, “Reporting in a treacherous and incurred environment”, was supported by MacArthur Foundation and facilitated by Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

Describing fact checking of reports as critical element to practice of journalism in the country, Okunna, former Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka said any journalist engaged in investigative reporting without fact checking has no business in the profession.

“It’s not for nothing that the press has continued to be known as the fourth estate of the realm. Practitioners must take back from politicians their role as agenda setters,” she said
Earlier, Coordinator of the group and co-publisher of Ikengaonline media, Mr Chido Onumah said the training was targeted at bringing journalists up to speed about ways to hold authorities accountable through their reports.

Editor-in-Chief of Ikenga online, Mr Uche Ugboajah noted that the medium was established in 2022 to give voice to the Southeast following its under-reportage.

“The training is also part of our plans to build the capacity of journalists in the zone, as well as help in promoting good governance, gender equality, inclusion of people living with disabilities, among others,” he added.

Other resource persons at the training were a lecturer with Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Dr Henry Duru, and veteran journalist, Uzo Maxim Uzoatu who spoke on ethical issues in news reporting.