By; BUHARI B. BELLO. Jos
Most practising journalists in Plateau State have been excluded from covering President Buhari’s Visit to Jos for commissioning of projects initiated by the former Governor Jonsah Jang as well as ongoing projects.
When sought to know why only fifteen press tags were provided for the over two hundred journalists practising in the state, the leadership said since the event was to be transmitted live, other journalists should stay at home and monitor it, while those in the television houses, only their cameramen were hence allowed to cover.
Many journalists who were denied the coverage expressed shock that such a national event could be handled without regards to their constitutional responsibility.
Journalists who were hindered from covering the visit stormed the NUJ Press Centre lamenting on the circumstances.
They wondered how a cameraman can only be allowed to cover the event without his reporter, noting that such is irregular in the practice of the profession.
Surprisingly, the leadership of the state council who were made part of the committee by the state government failed to protect the interest of its teeming members.
They committee ordered such journalists to monitor the event from the live Broadcast on local stations.
It was gathered that the deliberate exclusion of majority of the practitioners may not unconnected to nothing tangible to show to the outside world.
Concerning the scheduled town hall meeting, it was further gathered that only the council chairman was given a press tag who incidentally is a member of the committee.
