A senior lecturer in the Nigerian public university has emphasized that the existence of free and independent press is sine qua non for a free society.
Dr. Nsikak Idiong, a senior lecturer in the Department of Communication Arts, University of Uyo, who stated this Friday, May 4 at the celebration of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, said “Those who wish to see a free and prosperous socity but do not wish to see a free press are like those aquaphobes who like to dive into a swimming pool but do not want to get wet.”
Idiong, while presenting a paper entitled Keeping Power In Check:Media, Justice and the Rule of Law, said “Keeping power in check therefore, does not consist in the calumniating the holders of public office nor does it necessitate the brand of journalism, which I regret, is becoming too common on the pages of our local tabloids.
“I hesitate to even call it journalism, for when one takes ounce of facts and mix it with 100 kilogrammes of fiction and garnishes the admixture with large helpings of other salacious spices such as spins, rumour, conjecture, baking the entire confection in the oven of sensationalism, then the resultant broth, unwholesome as it certainly will be, should not be dignified with the exalted sobriequet ‘journalism’, it deserves to be addressed by its proper name: jobbery”.
The lecturer, however, acknowledged that “In spite of the challenges of this hour, in spite of the scheming resurgence of dictatorship In our nation, in spite of even the possible re-enactment of repressive laws disguised as instruments of national cohesion, the Nigerian press which survived Abacha will survive and flourish even in the most adverse of circumstances.
“So also will the rule of law survive even if it is trampled under the jackboots of the foot soldiers of militaristic democracy. Like Sphinx, these real ideals- a free press and the rule of law- will re-emerge from the graves to which their adversaries may temporarily have consigned them, for a free press cannot be totally eliminated nor can anyone permanently banish the rule of law.”
He used the occasion to call on government to institute a special salary scale for journalists in the country to be at par with other professionals as a way of enhancing justice and the rule of law.
In his speech, Patrick Albert, the state chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom Council, said “It is incontrovertible that the media drive development in all spheres. Media professionals as body of communicators feed the society with news and general information. Even beyond the boundary of psychology, a man is who he is by reason of what he knows. In this wise, the media by the reason of information inputs conveyed through various means greatly shape the totality of a man’s well-being.
“In this wise, the state of development of every society is largely a reflection of the thought pattern of its citizenry. As stated earlier, the media remains one of the invigorators of the thought pattern of the citizenry. As scholars have agreed, the press is the market place of ideas. Authorities should therefore see journalists as enlightened agents who drive peoples thinking positively and are therefore worthy contributors to the management of the State.
“Let me recall the position of former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, the former UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein that “Quality journalism enables citizens to make informed decisions about their society’s development. It also works to expose injustice, corruption, and the abuse of power. For this, journalism must be able to thrive, in an enabling environment in which they can work independently and without undue interference and in conditions of safety.”
“As Sir Tom Stoppard, a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter said, “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon.” Journalism must therefore operate without chains. The 1999 Nigerian Constitution rises to this fact. In Chapter II, under the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, section 22, the constitution empowers the Press to hold public officers accountable to the people.”
According to him, “This sacred empowerment draws further strength from the Freedom of Information Act 2011. The FOI Act states in Section 1(1) thus, “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any person to access or request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution howsoever described, is established.”
“We know that press freedom is not without safeguards. We know that there is huge responsibility on practitioners, which demands adherence to ethical demands as contained in the code of Ethics for journalists.
“The Nigeria Union of Journalists, as a responsible professional body is also on with good efforts to drive the practice in line with the expected decorum. We have in furtherance of our constitution, set up Ethics and Disciplinary Committee to arbitrate on complaints bordering on professional misdemeanour and acts of indiscipline by members.
“This has accounted for the reasonable ethical compliance in the media industry in Akwa Ibom. Even the activities of some online writers and some local tabloids with no identifiable addresses which tended to blur public perception and appreciation of the press in the State have greatly reduced. Our re-invalidation exercise in line with the directives of the National Executive Council of NUJ to authentic journalists has been very fruitful. We reiterate that journalists, who are our members, have respect for the norms of the profession.”
The chairman recalled “As veteran journalist Ray Ekpu once stated, those who engage themselves in dispensing information on the social media should not be classified as citizen journalists but rather as conversationists. It takes a process to become a journalist and it equally takes a laid out procedure to gather and disseminate accurate information.
“The often resort to castigate journalists or our professional umbrella, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on issues of misdemeanour, coming from quarters or persons with no professional standing or within our professional fold, is completely misplaced. But where our members err, we apply sanctions appropriately.
“Journalism as a profession is intellectually demanding and requires support from Government and the private sector to engage our members on a number of training and retraining to keep them abreast with challenges especially as the Nation prepares for electioneering campaigns towards 2019 general elections. Such support would help us keep pace with the demanding realities.”
