The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) has called on journalists to embrace responsible and balanced reporting of religion, saying professional media practice is critical to protecting freedom of religion, countering misinformation and strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.
The call was made Monday at a Breakfast Dialogue with the Media on “Religion and Freedom of Religion in Media Reports in Nigeria,” held at the KAS office in Abuja.
The Resident Representative of KAS, Moritz Sprenker, said religion remains a powerful force shaping identity, politics and public discourse in Nigeria, making the role of the media more important than ever.
“In a diverse society like ours, journalism can either build understanding or deepen mistrust. A headline can clarify or inflame. A report can shed light on complexity or reduce it to a harmful binary,” Sprenker said.
He noted that Nigeria’s conflicts are rarely one-dimensional, adding that religion often intersects with ethnicity, politics and economic realities.
“When we reduce complex situations to religious conflict alone, we risk overlooking deeper causes and possible solutions,” he added.
He said professional journalism demands “accuracy before speed, context before sensationalism, and careful language that does not turn communities into adversaries.”
Sprenker also warned that the rise of misinformation and polarising narratives has increased the responsibility of journalists to provide context and promote understanding rather than reinforce existing fears.
He said the dialogue was organised not to criticise the media but to reinforce the importance of free, professional and responsible journalism in safeguarding both freedom of religion and freedom of expression.
Also speaking, political scientist, columnist and author, Professor Alexander Görlach, said journalism offers societies an opportunity to understand differences rather than fear them.
He observed that pluralism has always existed in human societies and cautioned against political actors exploiting religion to advance identity politics and authoritarian agendas.
“There is no place on earth where everyone is exactly the same. Journalism is a great way of exploring how people live, why they live and what motivates them,” Görlach said.
He warned that religion is increasingly being instrumentalised for political gains in different parts of the world, citing examples from India and the United States, and urged societies to resist such manipulation.
Delivering the keynote address, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and Publisher of Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi, called for a new ethical framework for reporting religion, which he described as Faith Journalism.
According to him, Nigeria’s democracy requires journalism that reports religion with greater depth, constitutional awareness and professional rigour.
“My claim this morning is simple: Nigeria’s democracy needs a new professional ethic for reporting religion, and I call it Faith Journalism,” he said.