NGO advises Journalists to be alive to social responsibility
By; Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
To ensure that political office holders keep to their election promises to bring about the much needed viable economic policies for national development, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), has urged media practitioners in the country to hold them accountable.
This can be achieved through objective reportage of their day to day activities it said.
The Executive Director of ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor , who disclosed the position of the NGO during a one day workshop organized by the organization for journalists in Cross River advised journalist not to trade off their dignity and media ethics for cheap government patronage.
While explaining the importance of the workshop with the theme “The Role of the Media in Institutionalizing Good Governance in the Niger Delta”, he maintained that the workshop was to equip participants with extra media oversight capacities, develop critical, creative and strategic thinking skills.
He also averred that it was held in pursuance of “Resource Governance Enhancement in Niger Delta (REGOND) project” which ANEEJ is currently implementing with support from Bread for the World – Protestant Development Service, Germany.
Ugolor further charged the media practitioners to always remember that they are instrument of truth and objectivity therefore should develop the mindset of carrying out proper investigations, reports objectively and inform the people appropriately
Also speaking, a media consultant and a varsity Don, Mr Tony Abolo ,vilified some media houses that do not pay their staff saying that such neglect could lead to compromise of the ethics of journalism by the affected Journalists.
Abolo also advised journalists to concentrate more in reporting human interest stories and stop patronizing the government at the expense of the public.
Commending the NGO for the workshop, the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Cross River Chapter, Pastor Ndoma Akpet called on media owners to take the security and welfare of journalists seriously.
Akpet identified poor remuneration as critical challenge militating against the proper performance and good professional conduct of average media personnel, thereby creating a limitation to the extent to which they can report in the country.
END.
