By Iliya Kure
Abuja (Nigeria) — A media NGO, Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) in collaboration with NextMerge, on Tuesday in Nigeria’s northern city of Kaduna, unveiled an online application which citizens can use to share news worthy information with journalists.
The application, Scoop News (ScoopNews.Info), one of the first news apps developed in northern Nigeria, provides an avenue for citizens to reach directly to journalists who are registered on the platform.
The person providing the information does not need to register to share the information, and they have an option to either share the news with all journalists on the platform, or choose a particular journalist to send the information to.
The information provider has an option of filling in their details, or submit the information as an anonymous person.
The journalists on the other hand are expected to follow up on the information provided, having verified it through the use of journalistic yardstick and standards before publishing them.
AMDF coordinator Sekyen Dadik said, by introduction of the application, the organisation seeks to promote in-depth and investigative reporting, as journalists begin to dig deeper into issues highlighted by individuals providing the information.
“We want journalists to take it from the point of the supplied information, to go deeper and get to the roots of matters raised by citizens,” she said.
Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Kaduna, Adamu Yusuf, expressed joy and encouraged journalists to maximise the opportunity provided by the online platform.
He appreciated AMDF for supporting journalists through training, saying the introduction of the application will go a long way in encouraging investigative journalism in the state.
Stanley Odior of NextMerge, who unveiled the application said, the platform is an interface between journalists and members of the public.
“The application is for people to share information with journalists to follow up,” he said.
He further explained that the app gives news sources the liberty to decide who to share their information with on the platform
To have access to the application visit www.scoopnews.info
