Renevlyn Development Initiative, RDI, an advocacy group, has trained journalists on access and use of data to report on tobacco control.
The one-day training held virtually, had over 20 journalists across traditional and new media in attendance. They had sessions on how to do probing reports on the rampaging tobacco use pandemic and the wiles of tobacco firms.
In his welcome address, Philip Jakpor, Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative, said data makes reports more impactful.
Jakpor noted that “Data is important if you want your report to make meaning to policymakers and the public.
“We realised the media is key, not only in keeping the public informed but also in eliciting robust discourse that ultimately transcends into policies, responses and actions.
“The indispensability of the media to tobacco control is exemplified in the amount of money that the tobacco industry pumps into the media.
“Last year, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said in the United States alone, the amount the tobacco industry spent on visibility activities rose from $7.84 billion in 2020 to $8.06 billion 2021.
…In Nigeria
“In Nigeria, we are all witnesses to the promotional activities running into millions. The tobacco industry also exploits the social media, which is largely unregulated.
“So, this training is premised on the need for robust and educative reports on tobacco control. There are interlinking issues from which we obtain credible data that are underreported or unreported.
“We must not forget that policymakers rely on what they read, hear and watch to make laws rooted in facts. And the task of ensuring this happens rests on the media.
“This is why we have linked up with partners and experts to lead us to where credible data can be found and how to use it to enrich our reports,” Philip Jakpor, Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative, added.
