Ex-NAN chief says economy influences journalists' safety
Dr Obiora Chukwumba, a veteran journalist and media manager, on Wednesday said that journalists' safety had serious correlation with the economic power of media practitioners.
Chukwumba, a retired director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said this in a paper he presented at a two-day training for journalists organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
He spoke on the topic' Communication and Safety Rules For Journalists' noting that any journalists safety discourse should include the economic dimension.
Chukwumba said a critical freedom as 'guaranteed' in the constitution was determined by the ruling economic policy in the sector.
"The business of media in Nigeria is in grave distress and, as a result, generates fear and trauma for owners and practitioners who routinely fall short of meeting family obligations because of the pauperising environment.
"The communication inputs required as equipment and consumables in the business are too cost intensive, whereas the products of routine Journalism practice do not guarantee ready and steady revenues.
"The dawn of digital convergence between media and telecommunication has opened new opportunities for more communication, for multi-directional flow of media content, but not necessarily of economically-buoyant media," he said.
According to him, the disruption created by digital convergence has introduced a different reward system that favours the largely informal content creators.
Speaking on national security, he said it was an issue that every journalist and practitioner should not take lightly.
" It is perhaps important here to connect the above thoughts with the re-current issues of national security and state secrets on which alter many media organisations and many more journalists have been persecuted and sacrificed.
" I doubt that any reporter, editor or indeed publisher contests the necessity, validity, immutability and the unimpeachable place of the very idea of national security.
" In reporting military operations, avoid reporting on the 'H' (How) in the customary five 'W' s and 'H' " he said.
Chukwumba advised that details that can attract undue attention should be avoided either in graphics or images.
He said the range, depth and intensity of violence in our society constituted a constant feed of trauma to the lives of journalists.
" The career trajectory of being a journalist in Nigeria requires a ready access to periodic check and rehabilitation clinics on endemic trauma syndrome," he said.
Similarly, Dr Umar Gwandu from the Ministry of Justice spoke on the topic 'Protection of Human Rights by the Public and Private Media'.
He said that the responsibility of the mass media is to create awareness for the people to know their rights.
Gwandu added that the media should make the people know where to go to complain when their rights were violated.
Speaking on 'Using the Social Media to Promote Human Rights', Ms Joy Baiye said social media could be applied constructively to achieve positive results.
She said social media spreads information like a wild fire and wider than the traditional media.
According to her there is a paradigm shift from the traditional to the digital media and you can touch the globe even from the comfort of your home.
She said you do not need lots of words to create awareness but short positive words "because the way things are done now is changed."
Similarly, Mr Ajibola Hazmat of International centre for investigative reporting spoke on 'The New media and limits of freedom of expression and conflict reporting and hazards of journalism'.
He said the new media censored itself without anyone telling you.
According to him, journalists should speak and write more on those areas people do not want to talk about and ask questions that will bring answers.
Hazmat added that journalists should create the atmosphere for more tolerable society.
He advised journalists to report the truth and render the facts objectively.
He added that the knowledge of the public must be advanced and people should not be misled by ones reportage.
Supreme reports that the training is with the title: 'Defending the Rights of Journalists And Media Practitioners through National Safety Mechanism'.
