From Femi Mustapha in Kaduna
A not-for-profit health communication and advocacy organization, Nigeria Health Watch, has trained journalists in solutions journalism in Kaduna state.
The event, titled Sojo Meet up, was organized to educate and enlighten both practicing and student journalists on the need to report solutions stories.
The facilitator of the training, Mr Nathaniel Bivan stated there was a need for journalists to report on solutions people provide to address social problems rather than focusing on reporting problems
He added that solutions journalism is rigorous and in-depth reporting on responses that address social problems, highlighting the impact and limitations of such responses.
According to him, a good solutions story must entail the four pillars of Solutions Journalism, which are response, insight, evidence, and limitations.
He stated that solutions journalism focuses on the response, not the people or organization that brought the response or solutions.
Another solutions journalist, Aisha Gambo, who presented a slide on attaining excellence in solutions reporting, stated the importance of conducting research and cross-checking evidence while writing solutions stories.
She said that solutions journalists must balance the impact of a response with limitations, seek varied perspectives, and ensure the accuracy of information.
Meanwhile, some of the participants commended the Nigeria Health Watch for bringing the training to Kaduna.
John Joseph said that the meet-up was insightful , adding that he didn’t know much about solutions journalism before, but the training had broadened his knowledge.
“I understand how it is done, its pillars, and what to look out for when writing solutions report.
“I intend to write a lot of solutions journalism reports; when I go back, I will check and see what solutions I can report on,” he said.
On her part, Patience Robinson stated that it was her first time attending a program on solutions journalism, adding that she would start working on writing such stories.
