Kano State Government has expressed willingness to collaborate with Daily Trust Foundation on capacity building for practitioners in the media industry.
Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Baba Dantiye, made the commitment, yesterday, at the opening of a three-day Advance Data Journalism training organised by Daily Trust Foundation (DTF), for 22 select reporters from seven states of the North West region, in Kano.
Dantiye, a former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), emphasised the essence of accurate reportage of issues using data analysis, reminding the participants of the critical need for journalists to broaden their skills for proper precision of development.
The commissioner, who explained that he would be willing to help journalists grow in their endeavours, hinted at the state government’s plans to initiate mutual collaboration with the foundation to expand the training opportunity.
Earlier, the Chairman, DTF, Bilya Bala, expressed the foundation’s passion to widen knowledge of journalists in the areas of investigation and data analysis.
He stressed: “As members of the fourth estate of the realm, journalists have a duty to work hard to provide reliable and accurate reports devoid of subjectivity for the benefit of the society.”
Bala noted that the foundation considered capacity building as a vital strategy for enhancing credible and relevant journalism in Nigeria, as part of its social responsibility and contribution to the media industry.
He said: “The foundation has put together this workshop on Advanced Data Journalism to build upon previous training activities on investigative reporting, which we have conducted since 2017, in partnership with MacArthur Foundation.
“For every successful investigation, journalists need evidence, not just in the forms of documents and interviews, but also in available data, which can show patterns or trends that alert those in power about things that may have gone wrong. There is a way visualised data can bring the reality of highly complex issues home, much more than thousands of words can do.”
In his presentation, the Programme Director of DTF, Theophilus Abbah, said data journalism requires commitment, hard work, patience and diligence, while the foundation remains committed to equip journalists with necessary tools for data journalism to enhance their skills in their daily assignment.
