The national president of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Chris Isiguzo has cautioned that the media as pivots of good governance and democracy must be allowed to flourish unhindered.
In a press statement to mark the International Press Freedom Day in Abuja, he noted that the occasion is celebrated worldwide every May 3.
He said “the day presents an opportunity to advance fundamental principles of press freedom and to pay solemn tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.”
He however, regretted that “while the media is expected to play a vanguard role in our quest for genuine democracy, the working condition of media professionals is pathetic.”
He denounced a situation where journalists work without adequate remuneration or without any pay at all for months and called on media owners to collaborate with the NUJ in halting this dangerous trend.
On safety and security of Journalists, Chris Isiguzo reiterated the earlier call by the union for concerted efforts to promote the safety of all working journalists in the country.
Isiguzo also expressed worry at the alarming dimension of fake news in the country which he said fuels religious, ethnic, cultural crisis adding that journalists owe it a duty not to be identified with the monstrous phenomenon.
“This is therefore an opportunity for us to stand out and be counted by not encouraging social media actors who fuel the spread of fake news with the sole intent of destroying the very fabric that holds us together as a people. I want to therefore restate that this is the era of developmental journalism and all of us must stand up and be counted”, he said.
