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“Strive to practice unifying journalism”: Nigerian Archbishop to Catholic Communicators

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama with Catholic communicators in Nigeria/ Credit: Archdiocese of Abuja/Facebook

The Archbishop of Nigeria’s Abuja Archdiocese has challenged Catholic Directors for social communications in the West African nation to show authenticity and practice a journalism that contributes toward unity rather than division and conflict.

You know, the voices on social media are largely not authentic. So, you must strive to convey the naked truth to society and practice unifying journalism,” Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama has been quoted as saying.

In a report published by Vatican News Wednesday, June 30, Archbishop Kaigama who was speaking  at a three-day media workshop organized by the National Directorate of Social Communications and Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) in Abuja encouraged Catholic journalists to reach out to ordinary people and report about their respective experiences.

While Bishops speak from the altar in Church, you are the foot soldiers of the Church because you must go out to encounter the people and report about their plight as it truly is,” the Nigerian Archbishop said, challenging Catholic communicators to be the voice of the less privileged in the society.

“The poor must also find space in your front pages,” Archbishop Kaigama emphasized, sentiments that the Auxiliary Bishop of Nigeria’s Onitsha Archdiocese, Denis Chidi Isizoh, echoed.

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“We need directors with the passion for communicating effectively and who can correctly engage with media tools,” Bishop Chidi said, and explained, “While you must project your Bishops and the Church's message, it is also imperative that you go to the villages and report on the struggles and heroic activities of poor people.”

Ordinary and poor people, the Nigerian Bishop said, “must be given space on the front pages of your newspapers.”

“I challenge the country's Catholic Directors for social communications to show more commitment and passion in their task as Church communicators and to ensure that they seek every means available to develop themselves in order to be more efficient in their duty,” Bishop Chidi told the participants in the three-day workshop.

Organized under the theme, “Empowering Directors for an Integrated and Effective Catholic Media Apostolate in Nigeria,” the workshop that brought together Diocesan and Religious Catholic Directors for Social Communications from across the West African country aimed to foster integrated and effective Catholic media in Nigeria.

At the workshop, the Assistant Director of Communications of Uyo Diocese, Fr. Paulinus Andiyene, guided participants through the setting up of a basic low budget studio for audio and video recording and editing.

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Fr. Andiyene also explained the distinctions between various types of recording equipment including microphones and their respective use.

The participants in the workshop acknowledged with appreciation the immediate former National Director of Communications in Nigeria, Fr. Chris Anyanwu, for his many years of service to the Catholic Church at the Bishops’ conference.