Child rights: BCA DG tasks media to adopt ethical reporting

Port Harcourt, Aug, 19, 2026 (NAN) Mr Francis Nwubani, Director-General, Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA), has urged the media to be circumspect in reporting child abuse to prevent further harm to the victims.

He made the remark in a media training on Child Rights Reporting, organised by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Enugu, Field Office in collaboration with BCA, in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

Nwubani, represented by Mr Blessing Egbu, Director, News and Current Affairs, BCA, identified children as most vulnerable members of the society who depended on adults and institutions to protect their dignity, privacy, safety and rights.

He said children sometimes became exposed by the media through intrusive interviews, inappropriate identification, sensationalism, stigmatising language or publication of information that compromised their safety and dignity.

He noted that media professionals occupied a position of considerable influence through their reports, headlines, broadcasting, documentaries and digital platforms, shaping public understanding and influencing societal perception of children and their challenges.

”Ethical reporting of children is therefore not merely a professional requirement, it is a moral obligation,” he said.

Nwubani said the way a child, who was a victim of violence, abuse, exploitation, or other forms of vulnerability, was reported could either protect or deepen the child’s trauma and expose him to further harm.

He said ethical journalism was not to avoid difficult stories concerning the children, but to tell the stories responsibly, accurately, sensitively and in ways that promote solutions and protect children’s rights.

”The media has an important role in bringing attention to violations of children’s rights, holding institutions accountable, and amplifying the voices of children and communities.

”Media need to promote policies and interventions that improve children’s lives; when done responsibly, journalism can be a powerful force for child protection and social transformation,” he said.

Nwubani said that five experts in child rights reporting would be the resource persons in the training and encouraged the participants to take advantage of their wealth of knowledge and experience.

He expressed hope that the training would provide participants with practical guidance in child reporting and help them to avoid harmful stereotypes and sensationalism.

Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, Chief Field Officer, UNICEF, Enugu Field Office, urged journalists to avoid stigmatising vulnerable children during reporting or interview.

She also urged journalists to see themselves as development workers and not a sensational writers, tasking them to produce contents that would promote children’s survival.

Mr Temitoye Falayi, Assistant Director, Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB), said the objective of the training was to enlighten journalists on the legal and ethical frameworks governing the reporting of children in Nigeria. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng