International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) has urged media practitioners and civil society organisations (CSOs) in Kogi to take advantage of the open contracting system in the state to provide the right information for the public.
Mr Damilola Ojetunde, a data analyst at ICIR, gave the charge at a two-day workshop on ”Stakeholders’ Engagement and Interface with Procurement Officers on Open Contracting”, on Thursday, in Lokoja.
Ojetunde, who is also a journalist, described data journalism as “a branch of investigative reporting that breathes life into figures and archival information, clothing them into human angle”.
According to him, data journalism reveals aspects that impact the lives of citizens but which are often ignored.
He added that investigative journalists should be able to showcase concrete examples and frameworks used in tracking public projects, tools, results, steps and impacts.
Ojetunde emphasised that the essence of data journalism was to uncover hidden patterns and trends in data which would then be transformed and visualized into stories that would make sense to the masses.
He, therefore, enjoined journalists to do proper investigation and analysis of any data before releasing such into public domain.
Also speaking, Miss Yemi Balogun, a journalist, decried the challenges facing journalists in the state, particularly their inability to get correct information from their sources.
She added that lack of insurance for journalists from their employers had also hindered their ability to go the extra mile in sourcing for the right information.
She advised employers to ensure provision of adequate security and insurance that would cover the lives and property of journalists.
(NAN)
