By Nefishetu Yakubu/Mercy Omoike
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has urged journalists to protect returned migrants from harm when conducting interviews and reporting migration-related stories.
The Senior Communication Assistant at IOM, Mr Elijah Eliagwu, made the call during a lecture on media ethics, data protection principles and reporting techniques at an ongoing three-day training programme for journalists in Lagos.
Eliagwu stressed the need for journalists to minimise foreseeable risks to the safety, dignity, privacy and mental well-being of returnees and other vulnerable migrants.
He said reporting should not expose individuals to stigmatisation, discrimination or renewed trauma.
According to him, consent must be voluntary, informed and fully understood by migrants before interviews are conducted.
He said journalists should clearly explain how information obtained would be used and where it would be published.
Eliagwu noted that minors under the age of 18 could not legally provide consent on their own and would require approval from parents or guardians.
He warned that seemingly insignificant details could reveal a person’s identity, urging journalists to avoid publishing information that could unintentionally identify returnees, trafficking survivors and other vulnerable migrants.
The communication expert also advised journalists to collect only information necessary for their reports and to adequately protect interview recordings, notes and images containing sensitive personal information.
According to him, photographs can expose identities through faces, documents or identifiable locations.
“Journalists are encouraged to use alternative angles or symbolic images where necessary,” he said.
Eliagwu also cautioned against the use of terms such as “illegal migrants”, recommending the use of “irregular migrants” instead.
He urged journalists to be transparent about how stories would be used and to promptly correct inaccuracies when they occur.
According to him, transparency helps to build trust between journalists, sources and audiences.
Eliagwu said ethical reporting requires balancing public interest with human dignity, noting that every story involves real people whose welfare should not be compromised.
“Every story is a human being first. If the reporting is strong but the source is harmed, then journalism has failed,” he said.
He said the principle should guide journalists covering returnees, trafficking survivors, migrants and other vulnerable populations. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
DMO/NY/JNC
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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma
