A former Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, has called on Journalists to be fierce defenders of the truth, accuracy and fairness in their reports, arguing that it was by so doing that they could be the real watchdogs of the nation’s democratic system.
He made the statement while delivering a keynote paper at the Media Summit organised by the Anambra State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Awka on Tuesday.
Obaze, who is a governorship aspirant for the November 18, 2017 said the role of the traditional media is to educate the public adding that often times, they tended to misinform the public.
He subsequently urged those manning the traditional media, to always endeavour to defend the nation’s democracy no matter the challenges that may befall them.
Obaze, while advising media practitioners to embrace media convergence and the new communication tools also appealed to Journalists across the country not to fight media convergence or abandon new forms of communication.
“In Nigeria, we have a situation where the traditional media, which is supposed to report the news fully, accurately and fairly often comes short. We have a traditional media that should educate the public, but often misinforms them instead.
“Instead of scrutinising the government well, it often times turns the other side. We have a media that does not carry out its democratic functions. As a result, the traditional media has lost credibility in the eyes of many.
“I refuse to yield to the temptation of pretending that I don’t understand that some of these attitudes have spread because of an increasing desperation for revenue. But we can no longer afford to sacrifice our society on the altar of cheap profits.”
Obaze further commended the NUJ for organising the event, saying that such summits create opportunity for networking, sharing of experiences in lessons learned, evolve best practices as well as evaluate missed opportunities.
