From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
A Civil Society Organization, Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, has called on media practitioners to adopt self-regulatory approaches in discharging their duties.
The Country Director of the Coalition, John Mayaki who gave this charge while addressing journalists at a media workshop in Abuja on Monday by the theme: ” balancing ethics and patriotism: the obligations of journalists to their country.”
Mayaki stressed that journalists are expected to be the gatekeepers and preserver of peace and stability of democracy, not destroyers
He added that the advent of social media has made the battle between truth and falsehood fiercer, saying that some persons with large followers who are not into journalism, have taken better space on the platforms to dispense outright falsehood, half truths and other misleading information to influence opinions of the public.
“The workshop is aimed at training journalists on ethics and ways to counter disinformation which has become rampant with the advent of the new media.
“Participants have received lessons from accomplished media researchers, scholars, legal representatives, and key government officials on subjects on ethical responsibility in a media world without gatekeepers, acceptable media regulations in a democracy, and the role of journalists in preserving peace and stability and with this,I think there will be changes,he said.
The Minister of state for Budget and National, Clement Agba who was represented by the Statistician General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adeniran on his part said that role of press is indispensable in a democratic state, urging journalists to fact-check while sourcing for information before bringing it to public space.