Participants at a 3-Day Media for Peace training have called for the integration of social media influencers, religious leaders and traditional rulers into peace building networks.
This it to ensure that this set of people identified as gate keepers of truth, disseminate verified information rather than inflammatory rhetorics .
Rising from the 3-day training on Wednesday in Kaduna, North West Nigeria, the participants also endorsed the need to bridge the gap between government and the governed to prevent misinformation from ” filling the trust void”.
The participants strongly believe that government as a solution provider must go beyond security intervention, but engage in constant grassroots communication to humanize policy and response.
The Resolution urged government to move from reactive propaganda to proactive transparency, having observed what they called a critical breakdown in communication.
The participants noted that conflict often escalates because of delayed investigation and therefore advocated for a completion culture where investigations are tracked until a legal or social resolution is reached.
The Resolution tagged “Working Document: Strategic Framework for Peace Journalism & Conflict Resolution (Kaduna Media Stakeholders) ” touched many areas as shown below:—
Section 1: Governance and Institutional Accountability
The primary focus here is bridging the gap between the governing bodies and the governed to prevent misinformation from filling the “trust void.”
Addressing the Trust Deficit: There is a critical breakdown in communication. The government must move from “reactive propaganda” to “proactive transparency.”
Government as a Solution Provider: Beyond security interventions, the government must engage in consistent grassroots communication to humanise policy and response.
The Follow-up Crisis: Conflict often escalates because of delayed investigations. must advocate for a “completion culture” where investigations are tracked until a legal or social resolution is reached.
Leveraging Influencers: Social media influencers, religious leaders, and traditional rulers act as the “gatekeepers of truth” in Kaduna. They should be integrated into formal peace-building networks to q they are disseminating verified information rather than inflammatory rhetoric.
Section 2: Professional Ethics and the Digital Frontier
Media professionals must guard against both internal biases and external technological threats.
The AI Threat (Negative Influence): Deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation can spark communal violence in seconds. There is a need for training in AI Literacy to detect manipulated media.
The “Media Ownership” Constraint: Editorial independence is often compromised by the political or ethnic leanings of media owners. Journalistic integrity must be prioritized over the owner’s agenda to prevent “weaponized reporting.”
Linguistic De-escalation: Avoid “Extreme Adjectives.” Using words like barbaric, vicious, or genocidal without verified context can inflame passions and deepen divisions.
Bias Mitigation: Journalists must undergo regular sensitivity training to recognize their own subconscious biases regarding religion and ethnicity.
Section 3: The Human Element & Psychosocial Dynamics
Conflict is not just about weapons; it starts with the breakdown of the family and the mind.
Family and Physical Interaction: As digital interactions replace face-to-face community life, “family disintegration” weakens the primary social safety net that prevents radicalisation.
Combating Emotional Manipulation: Conflict actors use “Outrage Marketing” to bypass critical thinking.
Solution: Promote a Fact-Checking Culture where citizens are taught to pause before they share.
Humanising the “Other”: Recruitment of young people into militias often relies on “empathy detachment”, teaching them to see the “other side” as less than human. Media narratives must focus on shared humanity and personal stories that bridge gaps.
Section 4: Security Literacy and Proliferation
The media plays a role in how physical threats are perceived and managed.
Arms Proliferation Reporting: Conventional media requires specialized training on how to report on arms dealing. Reporting should focus on the supply chains and the impact rather than glorifying the weaponry or giving tactical ideas to insurgents.
Balanced Conflict Reporting: In the face of arms-driven conflict, media bias often manifests as taking sides with one’s “own people.” The document proposes a “Neutrality Charter” for journalists covering active conflict zones in Kaduna.
