Media
MEDIA stakeholders under the auspices of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, CJID, have called on the federal government to review or repeal all repressive provisions in the nation’s relevant laws and policies.
The stakeholders also insisted on the government addressing the issue of press freedom as the core of the nation’s political, economic and development agenda.
These were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a one-day symposium on: Election 2023, Security, Media and Safety, held in Abuja.
Some of the offending provisions, the communiqué, signed by all the participants, noted, are cybercrime and terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act; section 17 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges Act) 2017; Section 22 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Act.
The communiqué, which asked for the provision of a national policy to safe-guide press freedom and ensure the safety of journalists, wants the maintenance of journalists’ violators register to be published at regular intervals, saying: “this would discourage many, especially public office holders, from violating the rights of journalists.”
The stakeholders, according to the communiqué, would organize capacity-building workshops for journalists on media laws and ensure the transfer of knowledge between generations through mentorship.
“Young journalists need to know that they are not celebrities. Too many times, they put their lives at risk by behaving like celebrities and social media influencers.”
They also pledged to look into the academic and educational sector to make sure that Mass Communications and Journalism departments of educational institutions are in tune with times, and appealed to media veterans who already have experience to dedicate some time to bringing up the next generation of journalists.
Some of the officials, who signed the communiqué, which starts operating immediately are representatives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Nigeria Guild of Editors, NGE, Media Rights Agenda, MRA, Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, GOCOP, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, WSCIJ, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, CJID, Human Rights Lawyers, HRL, HEDA Resource Centre; International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, CCIJ, Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, PlusTv Africa among others.
Meanwhile, at the symposium, a panel of editors and security experts reached a conclusion that falling standard in the practice of journalism has been responsible for the frequent frictions between the practitioners and security agents in the country.
Discussing the matter at a one-day symposium on media freedom themed: Election 2023: Security, Media and Safety, the panel said that most of the journalists lack the essential attributes of the profession.
Leading the discourse at the symposium, put together by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, CJID, were Dele Alake, special adviser on media to the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Vice Chairman of TVC Communications; Chief spokesman of the Directorate of State Service, DSS, Peter Afunanya; retired Brigadier General Kukasheka; chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, FCT Correspondents’ Chapel, Shagari Sambo; Director of the International Press Institute, IPC, Lanre Arogundade and other editors.
Dele Alake noted that the standard of the media operations, from top to bottom, has fallen because most of them are operating based on satisfying personal ambition and not to promote the media industry for the good of the country.
This was even as Afunanya expressed worry over the invasion of media world by non professionals who are promoting fake news, hate speech and misinformation as well as other negative elements that question the integrity of the media.
Afunanya said that the DSS, conscious of the need to promote safety and security for the journalists, had created some windows to achieve the goal but that, many journalists have been using such opportunities for purely selfish and unprofessional ways.
Retire Brigadier General Kukasheka agreed that the relationship between the military and media had never been positive, adding that it had degenerated to what he called “love-hate” and is marked with mutual suspicion.
“While the military operates in strict adherence to hierarchical order and is also secretive and suspicious of outsiders, the journalists feel that all that the military does, apart from those that will jeopardize national security, should be open to the public.
“While the military believes that most of its activities should be kept under strict cover, a journalist, conversely, feels that they should be made public. This has, however, led to conflicts and misunderstanding between the two, although they are working for the general interest of the populace.
“Regardless of the frequent clashes and misunderstanding between them, the fact is that they both need each other to succeed. Even though the military wants the media to tell the public about some of its activities, media wants the military to tell the public about almost everything. Hence the need to fashion a connecting point where the two crucial organs can work together for the good of the nation.”
The other panelists, who spoke at the event and the keynote address delivered by the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Kashere, Professor Umaru Pate, were Moji Makanjuola, Busola Ajibola, Chiamaka Okafor, Cynthia Mbamali, Stephanie O. Adams.
A.I
Tags: APC Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Busola Ajibola Chiamaka Okafor Cynthia Mbamali Dele Alake DSS GOCOP Media stakeholders Nigeria Guild of Editors Peter Afunanya Professor Umaru Pate Stephanie O. Adams. were Moji Makanjuola wole soyinka
