Press Freedom: FG insists on responsible exercise
By Tom Okpe
The Federal Government has advised that press freedom must be exercised with great responsibility so as to achieve its indispensable role in a democratic setting.
Clem Agba, Minister of State, Budget and National Planning spoke at a workshop in Abuja on Monday with theme; ‘Balancing Ethics and Patriotism: The Obligations of Journalists to Their Country’, organised by Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, (CGGEJA).
Represented by Semiu Adeniran, Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS) the Minister said free press is the bulwark of any democratic set-up.
“The significance of the press as the watchdog of the society has helped to reverse the erroneous assumption that a democratic state runs solely on the trinity of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
“It is also to the credit of the watchdog role of the press that it has entered or earned for itself, recognition as the fourth estate of the realm.
“The press watches the three arms and tries to ensure they are accountable to the people. This scenario underscores the extensive influence and power of the press which will be exercised with a great deal of responsibility. Otherwise, the press will also not become only unruly but also tyrannical.
“Journalists, just like those in government has the very great responsibility to ensure that there is peace, harmony, stability and development in the country which I believe is one of the reasons the organisers of this workshop has chosen the topic, balancing ethics and patriotism,” he said.
In his remarks, Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and Employment declared that to kill fake news which is capable of destroying the fabrics of a nation, it is important to kill fake accounts.
Keyamo, represented by his special adviser, Niyi Fatongun said: “Social media has come to stay and it is a good thing.
“However, today, people can get their views out to the public without restrictions, but it comes with responsibility. Social media has sidelined the gatekeepers.
“To kill fake news, it is important to kill fake accounts, fake news is capable of destroying the fabrics of a nation. Social media owners should be able to identify all their users as a way to tackle fake news.”
In his opening remarks, John Mayaki, Country Director, CGGEJA said self regulation remains the key to curbing fake news while the menace can be mitigated through the use of technology for fact- checking information on social media before further dissemination.
“Social media does not have regulation. People just sit in their cubicle, mountain or dungeon and just write anything, and when there is crisis everywhere, someone will start laughing somewhere and saying; I caught them. This is unsettling.
“Self regulation is the best because it is a democratic setting and system. We don’t expect the government to shut down the media or, regulate its content.
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“But we as journalists can self regulate. But unfortunately, technology and social media has not helped us.
“If the nation is set on fire, everyone will be affected. So there is the need to come together and bring in experts who will teach us how to fact-check information.
“Technology has gone so far, you don’t need to ask anybody, on your own, you can fact-check.
“This is where the question of government regulation and self-regulation comes into play. Would it be better for the government to regulate social media to save the country from a possible breakdown of law and order, or should we simply, self-regulate as patriotic citizens? The latter option looks more plausible to me.
“We must all refrain from over-sensationalising news, refrain from exaggeration of news, and refrain from deliberate superimposition of different images,” he stated.
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