Activity: Media Clinic
Date: May, 2018
Theme: The Media and Ethical Reporting’.
Africa Media Development Foundation on Thursday, 24th May, 2018 held its 4th Annual Media Clinic at the NUJ Secretariat, Kaduna North West Nigeria with the theme: ‘The Media and Ethical Reporting’.
The presentation and discussions at the event examined how well journalists have maintained ethical standards in carrying out their responsibilities of informing, educating and enlightening the public.
The coordinator of Africa Media Development Foundation, Sekyen Dadik, explained that the media clinic, seeks to bring media practitioners, media executives and the Civil Society Organizations to x-ray issues that affect the media with a view to proffering solutions.
She explained that the aim of the meeting was to ensure journalists are reminded of the need to maintain ethical standard at all times in carrying out their responsibilities of enlightening and educating the general public of the happenings around them.
While encouraging participants especially journalists to ensure best practices that do not compromise ethical standard, she enjoined media practitioners to ensure that the truth become their watchword in all spheres of life.
Presenting the Lead Paper on the theme “The Media and Ethical Reporting”, a veteran journalist and Manager, Freedom Radio, Malam Adamu Ladan, called on media practitioners in the country to ensure they are always guided by the ethics of the profession.
He observed that it is only when they work by the ethics of the profession that they would make meaningful contribution to the development of the country.
He asked, “Journalism as a profession has rules guiding its practitioners, are the rules being strictly followed? Journalists should be guided on the principles of truth in the discharge of their duties.
“The society wants to hear the truth from journalists for them to have the confidence of the people. Journalists therefore should strive to uphold the truth in all spheres of life.
“The story must be accurate and precise while every news source must be given the privilege of fairness. The journalist on his part must be fair and objective in his writing.
“The story must be of public interest and the journalist must be reminded of his social responsibility to the society in carrying his duties. These and other things should be strictly upheld by media practitioners for them to be able to make meaningful impact on the society.”
During the panel discussion, issues impeding the realization of free and fair practice of the profession in the country were highlighted. As discussants and participants agreed that poor remunerations has continued to force journalists to drop their guards and go against the ethics of the profession.
Participants called on the Nigerian Union of Journalists to take up the issue of salaries seriously with Media owners to ensure journalists being owed years of their entitlements are settled and journalists to be well paid so they won’t seek for financial gains at the expense of truth and credible repots.
Journalists were also advised to always be conscious of their conduct irrespective of the challenges bedeviling the profession.
The participants in their contributions lauded the Initiative of the AMDF for staging the clinic annually for the past three years
They stressed the need for other relevant organizations including the Nigeria Union of Journalists to join hands with AMDF in the task of enhancing the knowledge of media practitioners.