IPC hosts 2-day Webinar on Journalists Education, Trauma

The International Press Center, Lagos is hosting a two-day webinar on Journalism Education and Trauma, on behalf of Journalism Education and   Research Group (JETREG), Sub Saharan Africa.

The virtual event, slated for Thursday, 18th and Friday 19th  November 2021, is organised in collaboration with the School of English and Journalism, University of Lincoln, UK and Journalism Subject group at the Media, Arts and Communications Department, Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

According to a statement by the Coordinators of JETREG Sub Saharan Africa, Associate  Professor Dele Odunlami, of the Olabisi Onabanjo University OOU), Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, and Dr Qasim Akinreti, Deputy Director, Digital Media, Voice of Nigeria (VON), the two-day virtual event will be addressed by the Representatives of UNESCO; The Dart Centre Europe; Trauma Reporting Ltd; journalists from all the world regions represented in JETREG’s regional research hubs.

The statement also stated that senior Nigerian journalists and academics including Mr. Lanre Arogundade of IPC, Dr Qasim Akinreti, Mrs. Adenike Adegoke, Professor Dele Odunlami, and Dr Jide Johnson would discuss Journalism and Trauma Literacy, through focus discussion groups, adding that over 60 members of JETREG in Nigeria will participate online.

Trauma literacy, they said, was an unmet objective in the UNESCO’s Safety of Journalists’ policy agenda, pointing out that: “Since 2007, the Safety of Journalists’ agenda covers a range of issues from violence, conflict, physical and online abuse, harassment and impunity but overlooks journalists’ emotional and psychological responses to exposure to traumatic events”.

According to the coordinators, this is a pertinent research enquiry because scholarly studies consistently conclude that journalists who regularly cover accidents, natural disasters, crime, cases of rape and child abuse are susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and persistent fear. “It is noted that reporters are often ill-prepared to cope with the consequences of covering these assignments and there is still some stigma attached to the conversations about mental health in journalism and high burnout rates among media workers”, they further stated..

ETREG focus

JETREG aims to bridge gaps in research by working towards the development of a professional development course (PDC) to enhance journalism educators’ expertise and confidence to teach trauma; a trauma-informed literacy module for journalism students; and by conducting further research to enhance our understanding of work-related trauma and coping strategies in journalism practice.

The Safe Space event organised by JETREG and its growing international network brings together journalists and journalism educators to develop a common understanding of trauma-informed literacy and how it can be embedded in teaching and professional practice.

Moreover, the Safe Space event aims to engage with other stakeholders in the debate such as UNESCO, global media organisations, international NGOs and how to overcome the stigma around the topic. Trauma Awareness and Challenges to Teaching Trauma and Charting a Pedagogical Approach to Teaching Trauma in Journalism Education.

In order to ensure the success of the project, a steering Committee of JETREG, including Ola Ogunyemi, Lada Price, Roderick Orner, Stephen Jukes, Jo Healey.

Regional Research Hubs are Desiree Hill (North America); Archana Kumari and Mohammad Sahid Ullah (South Asia); Dele Odunlami and Qasim Akinreti (Sub-Saharan Africa); Marijana Markovikj and Eleonora Serafimovska (Western Europe); Karen Neill (Australia and Oceania).

Research Assistant for the project is Kyra White, while the Project Website is https://jetreg.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/about-jetreg/

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