By Tony Obiechina, ABUJA
The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, has challenged the Nigerian media to use the instrumentality of investigative journalism to hold the government accountable to the people.
He made the call at the Editorial Conference on Legal and Ethical Issues in Investigative Reporting in Nigeria, organised by the Daily Trust Foundation, the Centre for Media Law and Development and the MacArthur Foundation in Abuja on Monday.
The Vice President who was represented by his Senior Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Mr. Laolu Akande, said that the media by the virtue of its roles and functions was a genuine avenue to keep the government alive to its responsibility.
“We are living in the interesting time. The free press has arrived at its best time. Every one of us can have access to our own media. This is the age of social and fake news can spread like wild fire. The press can make government more accountable through investigative journalism”, Osinbajo stated.
According to him, with self-regulation, journalists can check fake news and address the failings of news reporting.
“We should be careful of over regulation of the media. Self-regulation is the best mode of regulating the media. If this is enough, we would have less or no government regulation. The media should set for itself an ethical benchmark, by appointing an ombudsman that would be paid by the media organisations and not by the government.
“This would help the media to hold itself accountable and ensure fair reporting. With self-regulation, media practitioners can check fake news and address the failings of news reporting,” Osinbajo further stated.
The vice president added that the act of investigative journalism had been sacrificed on the altar of news reporting, pointing out that the resurgence of investigative journalism become more important with the spate of fake news during the last general elections.
He noted that the media no longer crosscheck claims and facts as presented by individuals, thereby relegating investigative journalism to the background.
- Dignitaries who attended the conference are the Chairman of the Daily Trust Foundation, Mallam Wada Maida; Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, Mr. Kole Shettima, Director (Africa) MacArthur Foundation; Mr, Mannir Dan-Ali, Chief Executive Officer, Daily Trust, Mr. Charles Odenigbo, Director General, Centre for Media Law and Development, Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, VON, Mr. Osita Okechukwu and Chairman, BON, Godfrey Ohuabunwa, among others.
- The two-day workshop which attracted participants from various media houses in the country as well as the legal profession, continues on Tuesday.
