By Helen Scott and Martin Huckerby
As the flip chart filled with an ever-increasing list of dangers, threats and resource issues, we began to realise just how tough is to be a journalist in the Niger Delta.
Martin Huckerby and I were running a five-day course for journalists in Lagos. And although we were in the comfort of a hotel, there was no escaping the challenges faced by our group. How do you report safely from an area that’s home to gun-toting militants?
As one reporter told us: “I’m not insured to go to the scene when a pipeline is sabotaged. I have to do it on the phone.” Others turned out regardless, but put flak jackets on their wish list.
The course, sponsored by Nigeria LNG, a gas company, had opened with a glittering array of the country’s senior media stars in attendance. The morning of speeches brought many comments about the vibrancy of the Nigerian media, but also self-criticism about media standards.
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