By Ruth Tene Natsa, Abuja
The Reporters Without Borders, through its Journalism Trust Initiative project yesterday engaged over 20 media managers/publishers in the advocacy for transparency and best practices.
Speaking at the one-day event in Abuja, tagged ‘Workshop on Journalism, Trust Initiative for Media Publishers and Managers in Nigeria’ JTI Manager for Africa, Marc ABOFLAN said the JTI App is a mechanism based on three pillars for media owners to do self-assessment on their organisations, have independent auditing by accredited certifiers aimed, at preserving the integrity of the media
Marc Aboflan, in his presentation titled REWARDING TRUSTWORTHY JOURNALISM informed, that the JTI already has 1500 registered media, 1400 that have started self-assessment, 150 with transparency reports and 20 media outlets already certified.
He further informed that the “JTI started as a collaborative standard-setting process, according to the guidelines of CEN, the European Committee for Standardization, with core support from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Agence France Presse (AFP), adding that more than 120 experts and entities have contributed to this CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA), that was finally published on 19 December 2019.
Adding that the online tool had been added since 2021, Aboflan stated that the pilot project ‘Fostering qualitative media by rewarding reliable sources – Journalism Trust initiative’ is co-funded by the European Commission, DG Connect.
In her welcome remarks, Editor, of Extractive 360 Juliet Ukanwosu said “JTI is a market-driven solution aimed at promoting the credibility of quality journalism, reducing disinformation and transforming it into a tangible competitive advantage”.
Ukanwosu said “The workshop seeks to highlight the importance of adopting the JTI for media publishers and managers in Nigeria and outline the incentives and benefits it offers.
“The workshop is intended to promote a healthier information space with the development and implementation of indicators for trustworthiness of journalism, that promotes and reward compliance with professional norms and ethics”.
“The objectives of the workshop she said aimed at introducing the Journalism Trust Initiative to Nigeria media publishers and managers, Providing guidance on aligning existing editorial processes, performance, and ethical conduct with JTI requirements, and promoting trustworthy and credible journalism among others”
She added that the JTI provides an inclusive transparency and compliance tool applicable to newsrooms of all sizes and types worldwide. By conforming to the JTI standards, media outlets can optimize their editorial processes, performance, and ethical conduct – giving them a competitive edge.
“The JTI also enables consumers and citizens, regulators, investors, donors and the private sector, like advertisers and distributors, to identify and reward trustworthy journalism”
“As a one-of-a-kind official ISO-type Standard, the JTI is certifiable by means of optional third-party audits, and it is machine-readable to feed into algorithmic indexation and recommended systems (social media feeds, search ranks, programmatic advertising) to enhance visibility, and eventually sustainability, of trustworthy sources of information”.
She also informed that the “18 standard clauses in the app cover the institutional and process level of journalistic production, including specifications on ownership transparency and editorial guidelines, covering independence, accuracy and correction policies”
“Currently over 100+ media outlets are implementing this instrument along the different stages, including RTÉ News, Exit News Albania, SWI swissinfo.ch, France Télévisions or CBC/Radio-Canada: she added
