In its bid to promote behavioural change around managing the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring effective stakeholder response, the Anap Foundation COVID-19 Think Tank has announced its collaboration with 10 media organisations to launch a ‘Name and Shame’ Initiative.
The 10 media organisations are THISDAY, ARISE TV, Business Day Newspaper, Channels TV, Classic FM, Daily Trust Newspaper, Premium Times, The Cable, The Nation and Vanguard Newspaper.
Announcing this in a statement signed by its Vice Chairman, Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, Anap foundation welcomed the COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations (2021) aimed at ensuring Nigerians adhere to public health advice to curb the spread of the virus.
Noting that it is detailed and if adhered to, would go a long way towards protecting Nigeria from the second wave and the more infectious strains of the virus, it however noted with concern that these regulations were being openly flouted.
Anap foundation said while there was room for mass communication of the regulations, which mainly reiterated the popular global advice about managing the pandemic, such as avoiding crowds, physical distancing, washing hands and wearing masks, duty bearers and people in influential positions were particularly egregious in their disregard for public safety protocols.
The foundation therefore said it was collaborating with the 10 media organisations to address this.
“The Name and Shame Initiative will highlight the non-compliance of newsmakers by (i) not covering events or denying media coverage of events where participants do not comply with the Health Protection Regulations and (ii) spotlighting defaulters in the media,” it stated.
The statement encouraged all other media houses to consider signing up to join our Name and Shame Initiative
“We must continue to act clever and take every opportunity to protect ourselves, our neighbours and our country. We cannot afford another lockdown, but we can also not afford to act like we are not in the middle of a global pandemic that has already claimed 2 million lives globally,” it added.
