By Obiabin Onukwugha
Frontline environment newspaper, NatureNews has made history as the first news media organisation in Nigeria to be certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI).
The prestigious certification, which was announced at the weekend, is sequel to the newspaper’s excellent performance on a score of JTI parameters.
JTI is an ISO-Standard international organisation designed to provide a transparent mechanism for curbing misinformation and providing tangible rewards for ethical and professional journalism.
A statement by the media organisation says the JTI standards were developed by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres, RSF) in partnership with 130 experts and organizations representing journalists, editors, technology and advertising industries.
The statement says more than 400 media outlets from over 70 countries are currently participating in the JTI program, with NatureNews blazing a historic trail as the first media establishment in Nigeria to be JTI certified.
In a letter conveying the prestigious certification, Mr. Macoumba Ndour says: “Nature News has been independently certified according to the JTI and CEN Workshop Agreement No. 17493.2019.
Mr. Ndour says, “The certificate covers the media production, media business management, production quality, and information reliability of the news brand.”
The JTI recognition comes a few weeks after the African’s foremost environment newspaper, NatureNews, was rated Top 10 in a survey of over 2,500 nature publications in the world.
In a measured reaction to the certification, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of NatureNews, Aliu Akoshile, said he was obviously thrilled and excited by the successful audit after working so hard for it.
He said: “The JTI certification is a culmination of the rigorous online evaluation and scrupulous onsite verification of our journalism processes based on performance indicators administered by the Institute of Risk and Quality, IRISQ.”
“Coming barely two months to the fourth year anniversary of NatureNews”, he noted, “the certification is a testament to our unwavering commitment to journalism ethics, managerial excellence, professional integrity, accountability, and corporate governance.”
“We are delighted to share the joy of this enviable certification with our loyal fans and audiences across Africa and around the world. We cherish them for keeping faith with our authoritative journalism on the thematic issues of environment, climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable earth.
The Publisher, who is a member of International Press Institute (IPI), expressed deep appreciation to the newspaper’s Advisory Board, which is composed of highly distinguished personalities from across Africa, as he reiterated their invaluable insights and tremendous support to the young newspaper.
While dedicating the glorious recognition to the newspaper’s staff whose dedication and diligence earned the certification, he noted: “Even as we celebrate this achievement, we are not under any illusion that our work is done. We will continue to innovate and deepen our professional excellence to meet the needs of our audiences for credible journalism and stay on top of the dynamic environmental challenges facing our continent and humanity.
He said NatureNews was committed to doing journalism the professional way in spite of the macroeconomic challenges impacting the business environment.
Launched on 1st October, 2020 NatureNews is an independent online newspaper that is based in Abuja, Nigeria.
It has carved a niche as Africa’s foremost authoritative newspaper on environment, climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable earth.