As the country goes to the polls this weekend, stakeholders have charged media practitioners to work towards the safety of journalists and seek proactive ways to safeguard media freedom and integrity during and after the elections.

Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE), in collaboration with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Palladium, at a roundtable in Lagos, yesterday, urged the Nigerian media to remain impartial and report the truth at all times.

At the event, they mapped out strategies that journalists could employ to ensure media freedom and integrity as well as identify new and existing civic space protection mechanisms.

Regretting that media freedom had not been threatened as much as it is presently, the organisers pointed out that media practitioners in Nigeria are constantly in danger. They added that global measures that were supposed to protect the media had assailed as the media continues to be undermined by politicians and world leaders.

Revealing that Nigeria’s systems are currently too frail to adequately protect the media and civic space, they said the media and journalists have to by themselves, protect the space and their individual integrity.

At the panel discussion, Precious Enyi from Wazobia TV noted: “Threat to the media comes from both state and non-state actors.”

On his part, Redzie Jugo urged journalists to be fearless in their line of duty, adding that security agents bank on the fact that many were ignorant of the law and tend to take advantage of this.

Media practitioner present were urged to be fair in election reportage, get credible verifiable information from direct sources and shun social media sensationalism, especially as most information got from there might not be factual.

“Verify anything got from social media, as you would be held responsible for spreading fake news,” they were told.