Clearview TV gains momentum for extractive industry accountability under CMEDIA

Clearview Television has harnessed insights from the ongoing Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity, and Accountability (CMEDIA) project, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, to generate reports and narratives to hold stakeholders in the extractive industry accountable. Odion Bello, CEO of Clearview TV, shared this during an interactive session in Abuja with the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) team led by Motunrayo Alaka, ED/CEO, on August 3, 2023. Bello, who reported activities within the mineral resources and mining sector in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Niger State, outlined plans to bolster the organisation\’s reach and visibility in the second year of the CMEDIA initiative by WSCIJ. He underscored the project\’s impact on Clearview\’s financial autonomy and its capacity for investigative reports.

While briefing the WSCIJ team, Nten Ekpang, Lead Programme Officer, Clearview TV, revealed that the organisation conducted a stakeholders\’ meeting and provided capacity training for journalists and in-house staff. He mentioned that the journalist training included participants from Africa Independent Television (AIT), Minaj Television, Clearview TV, MITV, Lagos Television (LTV), Trust TV, WeFM, bloggers, and independent freelancers. The training enhanced journalists\’ capacity to report on the mining sector through investigative and accountability journalism. He noted that the in-house training bolstered staff confidence while promoting accountability at the subnational level.

Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, WSCIJ’s Technical Adviser, applauded Clearview TV for its notable advancements. She recognised improvements, urged them to extend coverage and emphasised the need to amplify the voices of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), women, children, and widows, and investigate the impacts of mining on host communities and the issue of child labour. Ogwezzy- Ndisika, underscored the significance of quality content on Clearview TV. She asserted that it would play a pivotal role in ensuring the sustainability and financial independence of the TV Station.

Alaka applauded the intentionality behind Clearview TV’s in-house staff training to bridge the knowledge gap on the CMEDIA project. She encouraged the online television station to channel more energy into building its subscribers base on YouTube and improve its presence on other digital platforms by setting realistic goals and upgrading its programmes. She implored Clearview to explore collaborations with other CMEDIA partners as it targets stakeholders with nuanced reports to improve their understanding of the mining sector’s value chain. Alaka said the design of specialised training for journalists in partnership with sector experts might boost the quality of reporting. She concluded that Clearview TV must think outside the box to create a life for the online TV station beyond the CMEDIA project while staying true to the ethics of journalism.