Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Press Council (NPC) have tasked practicing journalists on the need to ensure adherence to the code of ethics for journalism practice in Nigeria.
Speaking at one-day training on “Ethical Challenges in the Post Covid-19 Era” organised by the FCT Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in collections with Nigeria Press Council (NPC) in Abuja, both NUJ president, Comrade Chris Isiguzo and the Executive Secretary of NPC Mr Francis Nwosu agreed that though journalists in Nigeria are working under unfavourable conditions, urges them to strive towards upholding the ethics of journalism practice.
President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) comrade Chris Isiguzo in his keynote addressed commended Nigerian journalists for their doggedness even in the face of non-payment of salaries and other welfare packages.
According to comrade Isiguzo, even though Nigerian Journalists are the least paid globally, couple with unfavourable working conditions, they strive to ensure ethical standards in discharging their constitutional duties.
“We did a comparative analysis of journalists take-home pay abroad, Nigerian journalists are the least paid in any profession in the world. All the same, we would continue to ask that Journalists ensure ethical standards because a journalist who adhered to ethics is someone who promotes good governance as many have lost hope in both the executive, legislature, and the judiciary and hope only on the media”.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Press Council (NPC) Mr. Francis Nwosu tasked media practitioners with accurate information dissemination to the public so as to reduce risk and help save lives in the era of a covid-19 pandemic.
According to Nwosu,” covid-19 has spread like wildfire to almost all countries of the world, with challenging impact on journalists among the frontline workers. The disease has indeed put nations in a state of confusion, and with the media having to work amidst the confusion as watchdog and interpreter of issues and events, must continue to provide analytical, factual, and comprehensive news and opinions to the public.
“Given these challenges, the issues of coverage and ethical reporting cannot be overemphasised. Accordingly, issue of coverage and reportage must be profoundly rooted in ethics of the profession”.
Also, the Managing Director/CEO of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Mr. Buki Ponle blamed non-adherence to ethical standards by practicing Journalists in Nigeria on neglect by media owners and proprietors.
“With many media houses owing journalists, unpaid wages for months unending, their identification card has become the only meal tickets they have to make ends meet. Also posing great challenges is the issue of media ownership or proprietorial interest which has compromised editorial independence due to conflict of interest. Again, we are ultimately faced with the dilemma of the piper dictating the tune.
“But even more dangerous and insidious is the increasing incidence of fake news now rife in both traditional and social media. As I have often said, social media in particular has become a clear and present danger to the Nigerian polity. With the advent of citizens’ journalism, anyone with a Smartphone can disseminate any information, true or false, from the confines of the living room.
“Equally worrisome is the increasing resort or even traditional and international media to sourcing stories from unverified social media reports”.
The NAN MD further urge journalists to ensure adherence to these principles of ethical journalism which includes truth and accuracy, independence, fairness and impartiality, humanity, and accountability
The resource persons at the media training were an international Journalist and executive director, African center for media Development (ACMD), Mr. Fidelis Mbah and an ace broadcaster and the general editor/Executive producer Arise News, Mr. Christian Ogodo spoke on the Journalist, Ethics and public expectation and upholding Ethics in a Social Media Era, Challenges and opportunities respectively.
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