By Deborah Mdima Adekaa.

Journalists reporting conflicts in Benue State have been urged to prioritise accuracy, context and the human impact of violence rather than the rush to break news.

The Programmes Officer of HumAngle, Khadijat Oscar made the call during a training for journalists in the state on solutions and data journalism.

Oscar said reporting in conflict-affected communities required journalists to go beyond casualty figures and provide the context and human experiences behind the statistics.

She said journalists must ensure that their reports did not worsen existing tensions or contribute to the spread of misinformation.

“One of the mantras from one of the training sessions is that it is accuracy before speed. It is not just about breaking the headlines; it is about telling the stories the way they should be told, considering the sensitivity of these conflict-affected areas,” Oscar said.

The training was organised under HumAngle’s project, “Countering Misinformation and Promoting Peace in Nigeria’s Middle Belt,” with Benue and Plateau states serving as focal states.

The initiative is sponsored by Journalism by Human Rights (JHR) and the Canadian High Commission.

Oscar said the programme was designed to equip journalists with practical skills in verification, data and solutions journalism to enable them identify and counter misinformation, particularly in communities affected by conflict.

She said misinformation could escalate tensions and undermine peace efforts if not properly addressed, stressing that journalists had a responsibility to provide balanced and well-researched information.

“We want journalists to be equipped enough to tell stories that are holistic and not just biased,” she said.

According to her, responsible conflict reporting should also focus on the human cost of violence.

“We want journalists to also look at the human side, the human costs of these conflicts. It is beyond just publishing numbers and putting the numbers out there,” Oscar said.

She disclosed that HumAngle would also engage state actors, community-based organisations, faith-based organisations and religious leaders as part of efforts to develop a broader response to misinformation.

Oscar said the involvement of grassroots stakeholders was important because they had direct contact with communities and could play a significant role in identifying and countering false information.

“We believe that it is not just journalists that have a role to play when it comes to countering misinformation. Faith leaders and community-based organisations also have important roles because they interact directly with people at the grassroots,” she said.

She said HumAngle hoped to bring the different stakeholders together to explore ways of developing a coordinated response framework that could help de-escalate situations triggered by false or misleading information.

Oscar also called for stronger collaboration between journalists and community- and faith-based organisations, saying such partnerships could help close existing communication gaps within conflict-affected communities.

During the training, Johnston Kpilaakaa facilitated sessions on “Context Setting: Scenario Activity” and “Neutrality, Sensitivity, and Preserving Journalistic Standards.”

Other sessions included “Human Rights Journalism: Finding the Stories and Reporting Them Ethically,” facilitated by Fidelis Mbah, and “Verification in Low-Resource Environments,” handled by Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu.