The roundtable aimed to strengthen the media to provide fair, accurate, and ethical coverage of the Ondo State electoral process.

The event, which held on Wednesday September 23,2020 at Royal Birds Hotel, Alagbaka, Akure, brought together selected correspondents and editors from the broadcast, print and online media and other industry stakeholders in Ondo State to engage around the theme, “Professional, inclusive and conflict sensitivity reporting of the Ondo elections”.

The roundtable attracted a select audience of about 40 media stakeholders; the representatives of the Ondo State chapters of the NUJ, NAWOJ; online journalists, political reporters/correspondents; broadcast media presenters and editors, who shall be actively involved in media reportage of the elections.

The thrust of the roundtable was to engage the media in Ondo on fair, balanced, language sensitive and conflict sensitive reporting of the elections and to deepen the role of the media in reportage of the Ondo State Governorship Election.

The event started with a general self-Introduction and affirmative statement by the participants on their interests and commitments on the Ondo elections.

Opening remarks were given by Dr. Akin Akingbulu, Executive Director, (IMS) and Mr. Sanmi Falobi, Programme Manager, IPC while goodwill remarks was received from the Chairman, NUJ, Ondo State, (represented by the Secretary of the NUJ council, Mr. Leke Adegbite) and from the Chairperson, NAWOJ, Ondo State, Mrs. Doris Olumoko, respectively.

The roundtable had three sessions.

Session one, with the topic, Understanding and Using the Nigeria Media Code of Election Coverage and the Ondo Governorship Elections by Mr. Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director, IPC, was presented by Mr. Ayo Aluko-olokun, Editor, Nigerian Democratic Report - NDR.

The second session had two presentations.

The first presentation on the topic, “towards Professional, inclusive and conflict sensitivity reporting of the Ondo elections: Issues from IPC media monitoring report and expectations of the media on election coverage” was facilitated by Prof. Tokunbo Adaja, HOD, Mass Comm Dept, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, JABU, Ikeji-Arakeji.

The second presentation on “Ensuring fair reportage of the Ondo Elections: Issues for Broadcast media coverage from IMS monitoring of media and elections reportage” was facilitated by by Prof. Ayo Ojebode, Dept. of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan.

A brief presentation on talking points on broadcast media elections coverage was also facilitated by Dr. Akin Akingbulu.

The last session of the roundtable was stakeholders’ engagement/ interactive session on the theme: “Re-focusing perspectives: Proactive measures to ensure more professional reporting and coverage of the Ondo electoral process”.