{"id":103777,"date":"2024-10-22T03:10:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T03:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/crcc\/?p=103777"},"modified":"2025-09-05T23:50:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T23:50:00","slug":"bringing-religion-reporting-and-understanding-to-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/crcc\/bringing-religion-reporting-and-understanding-to-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing Religion Reporting\u2014and Understanding\u2014to Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Bringing Religion Reporting\u2014and Understanding\u2014to Nigeria<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n By<\/span>Innocent Eteng<\/strong>\n \n October 22, 2024<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n \n Share\n <\/span>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Copy Link<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Facebook<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n \n\n<\/svg>\n\n <\/span>\n X<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n LinkedIn<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Bluesky<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Email<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n

<\/p>\n

Inspired by a fellowship with CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality (2019-2023), journalist Innocent Eteng has found ways to improve reporting on religion in Nigeria.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"man<\/p>\n

Nigeria is a country with over 250 languages\/tribes and a Muslim-north and a Christian-south dichotomy. Both religious conflicts and interreligious dialogues are commonplace here. Yet, as religious as Nigeria is, there is no media organization dedicated to reporting on religion.<\/p>\n

After participating in the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s global project on engaged spirituality (2019-2023)<\/a> as a journalism fellow, I saw multiple opportunities to bring in-depth reporting about religion to Nigeria.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With initial funding from CRCC, I launched \u201cReligion for Change,\u201d<\/a> a training program and special section of Prime Progress<\/em><\/a>, the digital media organization that I started to document how people are responding to social problems in Nigeria. I also have secured the nonprofit registration for a new organization that both religious leaders and my journalism colleagues agreed is greatly needed in Nigeria\u2019s media ecosystem: the Religion Journalism Foundation.<\/p>\n

I foresee these efforts having a long-term impact: the promotion of understanding and unity across people of different faiths in a divided country.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Deliberate reporting on religion from the perspective of how it motivates people to engage in social good is not common in Nigeria. Instead, there is a consistency in the way the media report incidents of religious riots and extremist activities, like those of the Boko Haram terrorists in northeast Nigeria.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This consistency and focus often overshadow the impact of highly successful, even decades-old, life-saving initiatives led by religious people across the country. There are countless humanitarian initiatives, free or subsidized schools, health and vocational centers led by religious people across Nigeria.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

These initiatives fill critical gaps and serve the very poor in many communities. Yet, the people behind them hardly make media space, except when the publicity is paid for.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

CRCC\u2019s global project gave me the chance to meet and interview five spiritual exemplars (people motivated by their religious beliefs to dedicate themselves to solving social problems) in Sierra Leone<\/a>, Cameroon<\/a> and Nigeria<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One<\/a> of the solutions-oriented stories<\/a> I published from the interviews made One World Media Awards\u2019 2023 longlist<\/a>. But more importantly, the near-extreme self-sacrifice I saw in the exemplars I met, coupled with very emotional feedback I got from some people who read my stories, showed me just how critical it was to continue telling stories about religious people solving social problems in their communities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cReligion for Change\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The gap between the media’s current focus and the realities I saw on the ground validates the critical need for Prime Progress<\/em>\u2019 \u201cReligion for Change\u201d project. This comprises a fellowship<\/a> and a special section<\/a> on our website. With the fellowship, we seek to create awareness and build the capacity of more journalists to tell such stories, while the section allows us to amplify the efforts of those responding to social problems based on their religious convictions.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Thus far, we selected 10 fellows out of more than 50 applications and trained them in religion reporting from a solutions lens. Part of the training was a session by Lujain Alsendeg, a senior investigative data analyst at Code for Africa. Lujain showed the fellows how to use digital tools like the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED<\/a>) Project to track religious incidents and responses.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Following the training, each fellow pitched an idea. We commissioned five out of 10 and supported the fellows to produce the stories. You can read these stories here:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n