Norway and Nigeria finally get together

The Norwegian government have held a workshop for Nigerian journalists, to reinforce the principles of journalism which we have bandied around our blogs this year.

Firstly, how often are Norway and Nigeria connected in the news? Not often enough if you ask me. I would like hear about the Nigerian cross country skiing team more regularly. Or maybe the adventures of a lonely Norse smoked salmon seller in Lagos. But that just might be me…

Anyway, last week the Norwegian government ran a 4 day training workshop for 50 Nigerian journalists in Abuja. There aim was to create a set of rules which journalists should work by, including this particularly relevant one:

“Journalists should support impartiality and objectivity in the management of words, identity of parties and their fears.”

The conference worked under the premise that the actions of journalist will have a huge impact on any conflicts in Nigeria, and therefore show the responsibility that many journalists have. The media are  thought to be crucial in smoothing the path of the forthcoming elections in the country.

This case shows when impartiality could have a serious impact on the lives of many people, and how governments from all over the world recognise this. Impartiality is not just always a simple case of how we would prefer to consume our news.