By Chimezie Godfrey
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has called on media practitionals to checkmate the activities of quacks tarnishing the profession.
The Minister made the call while addressing stakeholders in the media industry at the occasion of the institutional interaction/workshop to celebrate the 2022 world press freedom day held on Friday in Abuja.
Lai Mohammed who was represented by the Permanebt secretary of the Ministry,Dr Ifeoma Adaora Anyanwutaku, commended UNESCO for its consistency in ensuring that the freedom and safety of Journalists remain sacrosanct.
Speaking further, the Minister asserted that this year’s theme, “Journalism under Digital Siege,” beams the searchlight on a key aspect of press freedom; the vulnerability of data brought about by developments in the technological sector, adding that it spotlights the ways in which recent developments in surveillance by state and non-state actors as well as artificial intelligence impact journalism, freedom of expression and privacy.
According to him, the theme is very germane to the current threat plaguing the sector and affecting the ability of Journalists and practitioners in related fields to freely and effectively use information for public good.
He noted that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights explains the fundamental human right as the right to freedom of opinion and expression without interference. This fundamental human right is a key aspect of democracy all over the world and has over the years shaped the development of many countries.
The Minister however stressed the need to also ensure the safety of Journalists and equip them for the dynamic and ever-changing technologies cannot be over-emphasized.
He said,”We must know that the tangible cord that links the source and the receiver, or in this case the reporter and the audience, is the truth which, in this context, means timely and undistorted information disseminated in good faith and with the general intent of improving society.
“There is no doubt that the sanctity of professionalism in the media industry in the past few years has been threatened by the malevolent use of technology to distort and even subvert pure journalistic efforts.
“Let me therefore use this opportunity to call on all Journalists to join hands with us to checkmate the activities of quacks, who are tarnishing the profession.
“Just this past Tuesday, I was at a UNESCO event organised for Judges on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Judges. I reiterated the huge pain I feel when I hear of journalists being attacked or slain in the line of duty.”
Lai Mohammed urged stakeholders in the judicial sector to ensure speedy dispensation of justice in the case of heinous acts against journalists.
“I therefore urged our Lordships to ensure swift judgement for those found guilty of these heinous acts, so that the family and friends of the deceased can take solace in the fact that justice had been duly served.”
“As I have consistently said, the media has nothing to fear from the federal government, because we see media practitioners as partners in progress, rather than as adversaries.
“You may wish to know that Journalists belonging to public and private media organisations have, under our watch, benefitted from symposia and workshops designed to optimize their abilities and broaden the range of their skill set.
“Let me assure you that we will not relent in our effort to ensure that our media practitioners are in tune with global best practices in their field,” he said.
He also called on great members of the fourth estate of the realm, to always verify sources of information at their disposal, “since we are in the era of citizen journalism, where anyone could hide behind their electronic gadgets to send unverified and mostly fake news.
“The urgent need for every media organisation to set up a fact-checking desk can therefore not be over stressed.”
The Minister to remind stakeholders that Nigeria is hosting the forthcoming 2022 Global Media and Information Literacy Week Feature Conference and Youth Forum, coming up on October.
According to him, the forum will enhance the efforts of the government to domesticate global initiatives and transfer knowledge towards the improved output in the nation’s Information sector
“Before I conclude, I would like to seize this opportunity to remind our colleagues that we Nigeria is hosting the Global Media and Information Literacy Week Feature Conference and Youth Forum 2022. It will hold from the 24th -31 of October 2022 in Abuja.
“The event is expected to have over 73 countries from around the World participating physically in Nigeria. We seek your collaboration in this regard, as we will continually brief you as preparation unfolds
“Finally, this institutional interactive workshop is organised with the hope that it will further enhance the efforts of the government to domesticate global initiatives and transfer knowledge towards the improved output in the nation’s Information sector,” the Minister stated.
The event was held at the National Press Centre in Abuja.Some of the dignitaries present included Maureen Chigbo,President, Guild of Corporate Online Publishers,GOCOP, the DG NTA who was represented by Director of News,Fatima Abbas Hassan among others.
