To help break the barriers around gender disinformation and groom the next set of female champions in the newsroom, Folashade Ogunrinde, Editor at TV360 Nigeria, organised a one-day capacity for mass communication students and early career journalists. It focused on ‘Gender reporting training and leadership grooming for early career female journalists’ to promote gender and enhance women leadership in the newsroom.
Lekan Otufodunrin, ED, Media Career Development Network (MCDN); Nkechi Macaulay, Female Gender-based reporter and Zainab Bala, Executive Director, The Scoop Storytelling Initiative, were engaged as resource persons for the one-day capacity building workshop for young female journalists on Tuesday 4 June 2023. Macaulay introduced the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) concept, how to report SGBV cases, protect the dignity of SGBV victims and survivors and how reporters can navigate gender reporting. She also imparted skills to prepare them for leadership positions in the newsroom while Otufodunrin discussed journalism opportunities available to aspiring media professionals and students.
The 11 participants in attendance were also sensitised on the importance of gender reporting, inspired by opportunities in journalism and their knowledge of report writing and storytelling deepened. To sustain the gains of the training, Otufodunrin, former Managing Editor of online and special publications of The Nation Newspapers, has consistently shared insights and media opportunities with the trainees through the WhatsApp group created by Ogunrinde. Members also exchange story ideas related to reporting on women.
The one-day training was part of Ogunrinde’s leadership project under the 2023 Report Women! Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP), Champion building edition of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) with the support of Bill and Melinda Gates. The TV360 senior reporter emerged runner-up in the online category story of the 2022 Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR) with her story ‘Policies and the people: How the Lagos State Government’s mega city drive is worsening its housing deficit’.
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