By Ugonne Uzoma
Owerri, Nov. 11, 2022
The Editor in Chief of the Guardian Newspaper, Mr Martin Oloja has identified the need for financial independence for free, fair and objective journalism.
Oloja said this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Owerri at the 18th All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) with the theme “2023: Political landscape, credible elections and the role of Editors.”
He stated that because of the loss of financial independence, the press cannot function effectively in monitoring the activities of politicians especially if they rely on them for sponsorship.
He said this severely limits the social responsibility role of the press and reduced accountability on the part of the political class.
“The biggest advertisers are those who we are expected to hold accountable and because proprietors are interested in the survival of their mediums, this role is often cast aside,” he said.
He noted that the expectation of the media’s public has not changed adding that objectivity, fairness and factual reports remained the watchword.
Similarly, the Managing Director of the Sun Newspapers, Mr Onuoha Uke noted that the media has the responsibility of setting the agenda as the general elections approached.
Uke added that editors should be given room to play their roles as key stakeholders in the struggle for good governance by ensuring that independence of the press is not compromised.
He also called for security, free access to election venues and collation centres to ensure transparency and accurate reportage of the entire electoral process.
“The media has played major roles in democracy and has been in the forefront in demanding good governance right from before Nigeria gained independence.
“Journalists have set the pace and been in charge of moulding public opinion and response to topical issues and the present is an auspicious time for setting agenda to fulfill our responsibility of ensuring democracy survives,” he said.
Also speaking, the Publisher of Real News Magazine, Ms Maureen Chigbo highlighted the need for ensuring that proper information gets across to the public for informed decisions.
Chigbo, who is also President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), stressed the need for the media to go all out to verify every fact before publishing particularly before, during and after the elections.
She equally urged the public to check the facts and rely on verified media houses and practitioners for accurate reports and take note of pointers to false news.
She stated that such news reports are often inconsistent, repetitive and poorly scripted and warned against reposting of such reports by the public.
“Information is power, and it is my hope that the public has access to true information to make informed choices.
“Because of this, the media should ensure balance and objectivity in their reports and stick to the ethics of the profession to help build a progressive society,” she said.
