President Muhammadu Buhari salutes journalists as they mark World Press Freedom Day, this week. The theme of this year’s celebration is: “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation.”
The day is observed May 3 to celebrate fundamental principles of press freedom, evaluate press freedom round the world, defend media from attacks on their independence, and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession, the president urges Nigerian journalists to use the day to appraise and recommit themselves to the ethics that guide their noble profession.
“Without adherence to ethics, professions turn awry, and become part of national malaise, rather than solutions,” the president said. “That is why journalists must constantly recommit to the canons of fairness, accuracy, objectivity, balance, and other ideals that guide their profession.”
Essentially, the president called on journalists to always serve as watchdogs of society and seek to maintain cohesion, equilibrium and things that help to promote peace and development of our society.
Of course, the president made this call because some who can be described as disgruntled journalists are in the habit of using their pen to wreak havoc through reporting on issues that seek to divide, rather than unite people.
Journalists who belong to this category, the president said, and he’s right, emphasise our fault lines as a people and dwell on primordial sentiments all with the hope of keeping the country perpetually underdeveloped. Be wary of such journalists, Buhari admonishes us.
Agreed, journalists are like all other members of the society imbued with biases and interests of their own. Agreed, too, journalists are influenced and sometimes have their story informed and shaped by their desire and, therefore, they cannot always guarantee truth. But getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism. Journalists should always strive for accuracy, give all the relevant facts and ensure that they have been checked and when they cannot corroborate information, they should refrain from reporting.
Journalists are also expected to have independent voices and they should not act, like journalists here are wont to do, formally or informally, on behalf of special interests, whether political, corporate or cultural, with a view to distorting societal balance and peace.
Ideally, journalists should declare to their editors – or the audience – their political affiliations and any other personal information that might come into conflict with their job.
It is needless to state that stories have at least two sides. While there is no obligation to present every side in every report, stories should be balanced and add context.
It can be said, rightly, that objectivity is not always possible, and may not always be desirable, but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence, in a news medium, particularly in a time like this when fake news seem to dominate the media scene.
Ideally too, journalists and journalism should do no harm to any society, but they do harm us in Nigeria because practitioners tend to emphasise issues that separate, rather than knit society. No doubt, sometimes what is factually reported can be hurtful, yet, journalists are supposed to be aware of the impact their words and images have on the lives of others.
There’s no argument that a sure sign of professionalism and responsible journalism is the ability of practitioners to hold themselves accountable as far as the stories they author are concerned.
Unlike what we see often, when journalists commit errors, they should correct them and be sincere and not cynical in apologising. In order to be successful, journalists should listen to the concerns of their audience and shun selfishness.
Of course, the government has roles to play in ensuring free and balanced report in the society and, happily, the president said his administration would continue to ensure that the media is not muzzled in any way because democracy and freedom of expression are inseparable.
The administration, the president said, is committed to the highest levels of transparency and it will guarantee press freedom at all times without which democracy can be said to be threatened.
However, again, like the president said, freedom must be used responsibly and with caution for the lofty ideals of national unity and development to be realised and promoted.
Our farmers, our pride
President Muhammadu Buhari said penultimate week that his administration would ensure Nigerian farmers occupy their prime place of pride in the scheme of things in the country.
Speaking at an audience with members of the United Kingdom-based Foundation for Good Governance for Development in Nigeria at the State House in Abuja, the president said it is in this regard that he directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to bypass the knotty issue of collateral which he described as “a terrible colonial legacy,” so that farmers would get easy access to capital.
Farmers, the president said, must occupy the place of respect in the society. In other words, farmers should be respected and why won’t they be? Farming is a tough job dependent on nature and profits are not guaranteed. For so many reasons, produce can get affected leaving the farmers in financial distress.
Despite all the troubles, especially in a developing country like Nigeria, farmers spend their valuable time in producing food to cater for the people at large. Without them, starvation will prevail.
So, people must not only respect farmers but must also ensure that they get a fair price for their produce and are able to meet all their financial obligations with respect. Yet, in this country, farmers face many problems one which is identified by the president as smuggling of farm produce into Nigeria. This act is a threat to domestic agricultural production and processing and, above all, it is putting local farmers and industries out of business.
Thus, it gladdens hearts to hear the president saying that his administration will continue to fight the menace with all means available to government.
Another problem has to do with the fact that many farmers are old and illiterate and, therefore, unable to access digital information to upgrade their farming skills.
This negative trend should be checked by encouraging young and educated people to embrace farming and making information available to them.
No doubt, the current rate of smuggling in the country is disheartening and inimical to our development and that’s not helpful to farmers.
Government should seriously look into the problem with a view to formulating better policies to redress the situation. Also, government should take a hard look at some of the treaties of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Some of these treaties encourage free movement of people without addressing its harmful effects.
Often, this freedom of movement undermines the economy of other countries through unbridled smuggling of goods.
Of course, it’s heartwarming that despite the problems faced by farmers, the president said: “I understand our problems. I am acutely aware of my duty to my God and country. I will continue to do my best.” No doubt, the president could not have made a better promise to address the problems of farmers
