Prof Chinyere Okunna, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi
Azikiwe University, Awka, has stressed the need for journalists to imbibe
ethics and avoid sycophancy in the discharge of their duties during the 2019
general election and beyond.
Okunna
stated this recently in Enugu, while delivering a lecture at a two- days
capacity building for journalists organised by the International Press Centre
(IPC) and funded through Component 4b: Support to the media of the EU Support
to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project.
Speaking
on “According Ethics and Professionalism Deserved Priority in Reporting
Elections in Nigeria” She noted that there was the need ‘to marry’ freedom of a
professional press system with responsibility to society.
She
explained that it was important for journalists to be ethical and avoid
sycophancy to politicians, adding that to achieve this there was the need for
all to also condemn what she called the arbitrary and extra-judicial government
control of the press.
She also
said that deserving condemnation was the dehumanizing control by private owners
of media establishments, including the financial control of non-payment of
earned remunerations to media professionals.
She said that such type of control, which exposes journalists to all manner of unethical practices, was becoming so widespread that continuous recommendation should become even stronger that the reforms which sanitised the Banking Sector a few years ago should speedily be applied to the Journalism Sector in Nigeria.
According to her this would mandate any prospective media owner including governments to deposit in some kind of trust fund a substantial amount of money to be ‘forcefully’ used to pay salaries of journalists when their employers callously refuse to pay them.
“Only a free, ethical and professional press can report elections and the electoral process professionally and in line with best practices.
“To achieve this,
Journalists must be knowledgeable about the Code of Ethics of their profession.
“Although this knowledge could be gained from on-the-job training, the best way to acquire this and other forms of relevant knowledge is through formal education and certification which are the hallmark of any true profession”, she stressed.
Okunna who also said that given its unrivaled power at the information level, no other organ in the modern world has the capacity to gather, professionally package and disseminate the quantity and quality of information required to make democracy work.
She therefore said that in view of this, the media should be allowed the freedom to perform its daunting task effectively. She noted that stringent government control on the mainstream mass media was stifling the ability of the media to serve society effectively.
She said that such type of control, which exposes journalists to all manner of unethical practices, was becoming so widespread that continuous recommendation should become even stronger that the reforms which sanitised the Banking Sector a few years ago should speedily be applied to the Journalism Sector in Nigeria.
According to her this would mandate any prospective media owner including governments to deposit in some kind of trust fund a substantial amount of money to be ‘forcefully’ used to pay salaries of journalists when their employers callously refuse to pay them.
“Only a free, ethical and professional press can report elections and the electoral process professionally and in line with best practices.
“To achieve this,
Journalists must be knowledgeable about the Code of Ethics of their profession.
“Although this knowledge could be gained from on-the-job training, the best way to acquire this and other forms of relevant knowledge is through formal education and certification which are the hallmark of any true profession”, she stressed.
Okunna who also said that given its unrivaled power at the information level, no other organ in the modern world has the capacity to gather, professionally package and disseminate the quantity and quality of information required to make democracy work.
She therefore said that in view of this, the media should be allowed the freedom to perform its daunting task effectively. She noted that stringent government control on the mainstream mass media was stifling the ability of the media to serve society effectively.
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