By Muhammad Nasir
Sokoto, June 7, 2022
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Sokoto State Head of Service (HoS), Alhaji Abubakar Muhammad, has tasked journalists in the state to maintain objectivity in their reportage.
Muhammad, who spoke on Tuesday when he received the leadership of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Sokoto Council, said members of the pen profession should continue to portray issues and events in a neutral and unbiased manner.
“Journalists should continue to present the facts whether or not they like or agree with those facts. Once you are at the field, you do not have your personal opinion.
“To me, a journalist is not expected to be exposing his opinion on the social media handles.
“This is because once you bring out your opinion at the social media handles, people will continue to see whatever you report as personal opinion.
“As such, we need to ensure more caution on how we do things as journalists to protect the considerable notion within the discussion of journalistic professionalism,” he said.
The HoS, who is a veteran journalist, added that journalists are in a good job and should build their careers, but one can only achieve a good career in journalism by strictly adhering to objectivity in reportage.
“This is aimed at helping the audience to make up their own minds about a story, providing the facts alone and then letting the audience interpret those on their own,” he said.
Muhammad thanked the NUJ leadership for the visit, while assuring that the state government will continue to sustain more training of journalists in the state.
Earlier, the state NUJ Chairman, Mr. Dalhatu Abdullahi, appealed for more commitment of the state government in enhancing the media allowance for working journalists in the state.
