Obateru tasks journalists on professional ethics
Assoc. Prof. Taye Obateru
By Funmilayo Adeyemi
Assoc. Prof. Taye Obateru, the Former Head of Department of Mass Communication, University of Jos, has tasked Nigerian journalists to uphold ethics of their profession.
Obateru gave the charge on Thursday in Abuja at the public presentation of a book he co-authored along other eminent scholars from various mass media specialisations.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the title of the 162-page book is “Media and Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy: Civil Space, Free Speech and the Battle for the Freedom of the Press”.
Speaking as a panelist at the event, the university don said it is incumbent on Nigerian journalists to play the game (journalism) by the rules as obtainable in other professions.
He said journalists should be mindful of their conducts as custodians of public interest, while also desisting from rushing to publish stories without adequate background check and balancing of perspectives.
He added it is very key for practising journalists to stick to ethics if they want to achieve much in defending the nation’s democracy.
“As argued in one of the chapters of this book, ethics is very key to any profession. If we can’t uphold the ethics of any profession, then there is no basis for practising the profession itself.
“If we want to be journalists who should be respected, we must be ethical. To the extent that it could be said that we have done what we need to do in terms of carrying out our work.
“For instance, the police spokesperson was taking about cross checking our information and not rushing to publish. Yes, we must ensure that whatever we’re going to give out there must be properly cross checked. So ethics is very key in discharging our professional duties.
“And of course, we may not always agree with the security people because they have their own way of defining these things. But what’s important for us is to do what we need to do so that at the end of the day, we will be able to say that we did our best as professionals,” he said.
While recalling his experience as a journalist, Obateru said ” I was once invited by the DSS as a correspondent of Vanguard Newspaper in Jos to answer questions about something that I published. And I told them that as a journalist, I merely reported what somebody said.
“I also told them that in an attempt to balance my story; I went to a government official who also gave his own version. The next thing was that look at the number of paragraphs you wrote for the person who issued the statement and the one for the other side.
“But I replied them that it was exactly what they said that I wrote and that I couldn’t have manufactured more paragraphs for the other party. However, at the end of the day, they let me go because they saw that I balanced the story.
“For me, if we’re going to advance democracy, we must defend our profession by sticking to ethics. When we stick to ethics; we will be able to ward off any other pressure that might come.
“We may not always agree with the people in government because they have their own way of defining what is ethical or what you are supposed to do. But if we must be journalists and do what journalism is supposed to do; we must ensure that those things they are trying to cover up are exposed. Whether we like it or not, the press remains the best bastion of democracy.
“Those in power will always claim to be protecting national interest, but If every government that has been in power has been doing what they’re supposed to do, we will not be where we are today as a country. So, as journalists we have a duty to give the people what they are supposed to know and do it ethically,” he added.
Obateru therefore recommended his recently published book: “Brown Envelope and News Media Practice in Nigeria” as a guide to Journalism students, practitioners and various democracy stakeholders in charting a new course for upholding the ethics of the profession which has was part of close to three decades before going to academia.
Also, Mr Joe Bankole, a former Managing Editor of NAN said the book explored aspects of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy in terms of practice, constraints especially as journalists and media professionals are concerned.
He explained that it also explored how government muscles the media with a view to controlling it.
“I feel privileged to be part of this important work which is well-researched.
“It will help students of journalism, communication, and media studies as well as politics and political communication in understanding the tortuous relationship between government and the media.
“Without a shred of doubt, it will present before the reading public deep insight into perspectives of the unending conflict between politics and media.
I commend my fellow contributors, the editors and the publishers for serving the global public with this great book,” he said.
NAN reports that the book was officially unveiled by Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State while Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi of Mass Communication Department of Baze University Abuja reviewed it.
Adeniyi who described the book as “a collector’s item” also recommended it for the reading public.
Other panelists at the event were: Udenta O. Udenta is Director with the Centre for Alternative Policy Perspectives and Strategy (CAPPS), Abuja, Dr Ibrahim Yusuf, Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri and Dr Igomu Onoja, Secretary of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)