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CSOs task media practitioners on patriotism in discharging their duties

By Joke Falaju, Abuja
15 May 2023   |   7:19 pm
The Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, has called on media practitioners to adopt self-regulatory approaches in discharging their duties. They said that as responsible patriotic citizens, journalists must refrain from over sensationalizing of news, exaggeration of news, and from deliberate superimposition of different images to make believe. They added: “We must…

Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa

The Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, has called on media practitioners to adopt self-regulatory approaches in discharging their duties.

They said that as responsible patriotic citizens, journalists must refrain from over sensationalizing of news, exaggeration of news, and from deliberate superimposition of different images to make believe.

They added: “We must refrain from the hyper-partisan selection of facts at the expense of fairness. Besides, we must understand that sub-standard journalism being framed and colored by ideology is not only dangerous for the immediate survival of a nation, it has debilitating futuristic effects.”

The Country Director of the organization , John Mayaki while speaking yesterday in Abuja during a workshop with the theme: “Balancing Ethics and Patriotism: The Obligations of Journalists to their Country”, lamented that people were using social media platforms to cause chaos in the country, through hate speech, fake news and misinformation.

Mayaki noted that negative effects of fake news have been taking tolls on both government and social activities.

He said: “But must we set the country on fire because of political power? In our quest for raw power, should we not observe decorum and put the health and well-being of our nation at heart? Have we got another country to call our own? Should we not call ourselves to order so as not to play to the gallery about the unity and progress of our nation?

“Why do we choose to be manipulative or malicious in our bid to communicate, especially on social media? Why do we pray that one leader should die in order for the other to win an election? Does anyone need to die for our preferred candidate to triumph? I think we need to reset our minds and put the social well-being and health of our country first before our ambitions.”

He added: “We have put together a team of professionals and experienced individuals to deliver the latest offerings in a line of cutting-edge knowledge resources. Our goal is to respond to the emerging global problem of disinformation that confronts us as a country, particularly in the field of journalism.”

Mayaki said that this was 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.”

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