The management of Kimekwu Communications Concept, publishers of Lagos Today Extra!, has explained why it included “PWDs Corner” as a major beat in the publication, stressing that the decision was informed by the need to evolve a more inclusive societal participation and give everyone a sense of belonging in the Nigerian media space.
In a statement, the publishers noted with dismay that most general interest publications in Nigeria do not have a desk solely dedicated to issues and news materials involving persons with disabilities (PWDs).
“Apart from a few broadcast media outlets, which allocate between 15 to 30 minutes of their time to weekly programmes on PWDs, most general interest print media organisations do not see the need to have a beat, even if it is weekly, dedicated to this most vulnerable subsect of the society. If at all you find such stories, they are mostly presented as minor stories embedded in other related beats. This is rather unfortunate because issues affecting persons with disabilities should be top of priority in any organized society and should be highlighted in a beat dedicated to them. There should be a desk, with an editor and reporters assigned for that purpose,” the statement read.
“It is in view of the above ugly realities, that we decided to dedicate a beat to the PWDs community, and give them a space in the media to amplify their voices,” the statement added.
According to the statement, the PWDs Corner in Lagos Today Extra will accommodate news items, articles, opinions, essays, interviews, events and other issues relating to persons with disabilities within and around Lagos. It advised clusters in the state to take advantage of the beat to amplify their voices and project issues affecting them up to the public consciousness.
The management also stated that there is a 50 percent discount of advert rates for products and services coming from the PWDs community. This, it said, would go a long way in projecting these products and services into the market and thus help in empowering entrepreneurs across the various clusters in the community.
Lagos Today Extra! is an online authoritative and premium grassroots publication with a variety of beats, including News. Sports, Entertainment, Business, Brands And Marketing, Politics And Policies, Governance Today, Christianity Today, Islam Today, Crime, Motoring Lagos amongst several others.
Lagos Today Extra! is the first general interest publication in Nigeria to be fully owned, operated and staffed by persons with disabilities. Its publisher and editor-in-chief, Dumbiri Frank Eboh, is a visually impaired journalist with over three decades of practice in the industry.
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