CAI4SR, CBM Train Osun Journalists on Inclusive and Ethical Disability Reporting
The Community Advancement Initiative for Self Reliance, CAI4SR, with support from Christoffel Blindenmission, CBM, has organized a one-day training for journalists in Osun State on inclusive and ethical reporting on disability issues.
The training, themed “Advancing Disability Inclusive Development through Implementation of Disability Law and OPD Empowerment,” was aimed at equipping media practitioners with knowledge and tools to promote ethical, rights-based and disability-sensitive reporting.
According to the organisers, the objectives included reflecting disability inclusion in media reporting, developing practical media actions and accountability mechanisms, promoting commitment to inclusive programming, and driving awareness on the Osun State Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Law.
Speaking at the training, facilitators said the media has a critical role in dismantling stigma and ensuring the full inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, in society. Quoting media expert Jennifer Ogor, they noted that newsrooms that prioritize inclusive reporting practices are more likely to produce balanced stories that reflect the diversity of society.
Participants were urged to highlight everyday discrimination faced by persons with disabilities, including exploitative practices such as transporters charging extra fares for wheelchair users and other mobility aids.
Journalists were also challenged to go beyond tokenism by actively inviting persons with disabilities as guests and participants in social, political and entertainment programs to ensure their voices and perspectives are represented.
A major highlight of the session was the call for dignity-first reporting. Journalists were advised to separate the person from the condition and to focus on the individual rather than the disability. The organizers emphasized that persons with disabilities must be directly involved at all stages, from program design to implementation, and included in all aspects of life.
The training also covered intersectionality in disability, with emphasis that disability does not exist in isolation but overlaps with other identities such as gender, age, socio-economic status and geography.
On ethical principles, participants were charged to depict disability as a natural part of human diversity, avoid inspirational portrayals that present disabled people as heroic simply for living daily lives, and focus on advocacy and rights rather than pity or charity. They were also urged to eliminate outdated, sensational and derogatory terms, and to prioritize dignity, privacy and consent in all coverage. The need for rights-based programmatic design, where inclusion is built into projects from the start, was also stressed.
CAI4SR outlined expected outcomes from the trained journalists to include accessible and inclusive media production, provision of certified sign language interpreters by media outlets, adoption of appropriate language and framing, and sustained collaboration with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, OPDs, Civil Society Organizations and expert sources for inclusive reporting.
The organization said its vision is a world where everyone enjoys human rights as a pathway to development. Its mission is to champion the cause of women, children and persons with disabilities through innovative programs that ensure protection and promotion of human rights. Its stated goal is a society in which failure is a matter of choice and not denial of rights.
The training ended with participants committing to promote disability-inclusive reporting in their various newsrooms.