President of the Senate senator David Mark yesterday charged Journalists to exhibit patriotism in reporting issues that borders on national security .Senator Mark who stated this while declaring open the 8th All Nigerian Editors Conference holding in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State called on Journalists to be fair and objective in their report of security events.
According to him, the Nigerian media is the first victim of national crisis and must therefore encourage reports that will engender national unity .
He described the Nigerian media as one of the freest in the world, noting however that such freedom confers a huge responsibility of the media practitioners.
” I must admit too that as gate keepers, Editors often face the challenge of the delicate balance between what constitutes national security and national interest since the 1999 constitution did not clearly define national security”, Senator Mark stated.
He however urged practitioners to rely on the freedom of information Act as a guide on national security since it provides room for checks before publication
Noting that Journalists are patriots who are working towards the same goal with those in government, Senator Mark said the theme of this year’s conference; ” The Nigerian Editor and National Security could not have come at a better time than now.
He added: ” I must salute your courage to remain undaunted in the face the emerging security challenges.
