By Charles Olewezi

Veteran journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, Martins Oloja, has warned Nigerian editors not to become unwitting tools in the hands of terrorists, saying terrorists seek fear, fame and funding while cash-strapped media chase clicks, access and scoops, and the overlap is where journalism fails.

Delivering a masterclass on covering terrorism without amplifying it at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference in Enugu, Oloja said the temptation to sensationalise terrorism for traffic is helping terrorists achieve their aim.

He set out ten practical rules for responsible coverage: verify body counts before publishing, deny terrorists spectacle and undue fame, name crimes precisely for what they are, humanise victims not perpetrators, prioritise context over speed, avoid live coverage of negotiations, triangulate sources, follow the money behind terrorism financing, protect reporters and fixers in the field, and report post-attack resilience, not just destruction.

Oloja also diagnosed the political economy undermining ethical terrorism reporting in Nigeria, citing commercial pressure, advertiser fear, chronic underfunding, poorly paid reporters and government pressure.

To navigate this, he offered five workarounds for newsrooms: pitch terrorism stories as both high-traffic and legally safe, seek grant funding for investigations, embrace cross-newsroom collaboration to share cost and risk, adopt solutions journalism to attract sponsors, and build personal ethical credibility.

He charged editors to run self-check questions before publication and to leave Enugu with five deliverables – a safety protocol, a style guide for terrorism coverage, a source map, at least three published pieces within 30 days, and an advocacy memo to their publishers.

“Ethics are a journalist’s one non-devaluing currency,” he told editors.