….as Organisation trains journalists from Southwest ahead of 2023 polls
By: Ade Adeleke
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Press Council, NPC, Mr. Francis Nwosu has insisted that there is a need for media stakeholders and journalists to see the organization as partners in improving their professional tenets rather than seeing it as “a gagging agency”.
The NPC Boss said that the organization has no intention to gag as being speculated, but to protect journalists’ interest.
Mr Nwosu disclosed this while speaking at the opening of during a workshop with the theme; “EFFECTIVE COVERAGE
AND REPORTAGE OF
2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS”,
organized by the Nigerian Press Council in Collaboration With Aveesga International Limited held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The workshop is being attended by journalists from Southwest states.
According to Mr. Nwosu, NPC is made up of about 90% journalists noting that the essence of the council is to standardize journalism practice towards ensuring peace and national development.
He called on journalists to continue to operate in line with the ethics of the profession and shun sensationalism.
Nwosu said the workshop became necessary to refresh the memories of journalists on their roles at ensuring a peaceful and credible election owing to the consequential effects of the media reportage.
The Executive Secretary stressed that national interests should always be prioritized while also bearing in mind the code of ethics of the media profession.
Declaring the workshop open, the Commissioner for Information in Ogun State, Alhaji Waheed Odusile urged journalists to always put the interest of the country into consideration in their reportage.
Odusile, a former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, stressed the need for journalists to mind their choice of words in news reportage, adding that the way journalists report would determine how Nigerians would see the election.
Odusile said journalists must behave as patriots and must not write anything that is capable of inciting or cause crisis.
“Mind what you write. Don’t write Nigeria out if existence. Be objective but ensure national interest comes first. We should behave as patriots. If you put Nigeria first, you will think twice before you escalate a small issue. We must make national unity our watchword”, he said.
Two papers were delivered on the first day of the workshop.
Prof. Rotimi Olatunji of the School of Communication, University of Lagos, delivered lecture, “The Imperative of Journalism Ethics in The Coverage of 2023 Nigeria General Elections”; while
Dr Raphael Olugbenga Abimbola of the Mass Communications Department of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, spoke on
“Reporting Elections’ Results and Resolution of Election Disputes.”
The two day workshop is being attended by the Chairmen of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ from Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and Ogun states with some journalists drawn from the states.
