Following the rising incidence of attacks on the facilities of the Nigerian electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mustapha Isah, has pledged that the editors will give sufficient and credible information to enable Nigerians to “make informed electoral choices”,
Isah said in his welcome address at the opening of the three-day 18th All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) 2022 in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Friday that Nigerian editors would always demand issue-based campaigns from political parties and their candidates.
He also assured that members of the Guild of Editors will always stand for media freedom. “We are ready to challenge any attempt to trample on press freedom be it in the print, electronic or online,” he said.
Speaking on “2023: Political landscape, credible elections and the role of editors, the Editor-In-Chief of the Guardian Newspaper, Mr Martin Oloja, identified the need for financial independence for free, fair and objective journalism.
Oloja stated that in the event of any loss of financial independence, the media will not function effectively in monitoring the activities of politicians, especially if they rely on them for sponsorship.
He warned that this development would severely affect the social responsibility role of the press and hinder 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 medium, this role is often cast aside,” he said.
He noted that the expectations of the public has not changed and that objectivity, fairness and factual reports remained the watchword of media practitioners.
In the same vein, 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 approach.
Uke said that editors should be given room to play their roles as key stakeholders in the struggle for good governance by ensuring that the independence of the press is not compromised.
He 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 have been in charge of influencing 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 added,
GIK/APA