By Peter Dibia
Many will agree with me that the overall function of a journalist in any democratic setting can never be overemphasized. Hence his continuous effort of educating, entertaining and informing the people.
Journalism is a noble profession that requires some prerequisite of practice, hence there is school of journalism that prepares one to be a journalist. B.Sc. in Mass Communication automatically qualifies one to be a journalist in Nigeria.
A good journalist is often saddled with the core responsibility of information dissemination, but with the consciousness of the fact that information is sacred and opinion is free and as such maintains professional ethic of balanced news reporting. In school, students of journalism were taught that writing news with objectivity, fairness and balance will make the journalist free from any libelous suit.
Students of journalism are taught that their role is basically to inform, educate and entertain the audience. It is indeed in recognition of this role that the right to freedom of expression and the press is enshrined in Section 39 of the 1999 constitution.
But Larry Dailey, a Professor in Media Technology, has expanded that role to say that journalists must also be prepared to frustrate, to sadden and to scare certain elements in the society.
In every country, it is the responsibility of the leadership to protect the political, social and economic interests of the citizens in the process of nation- building while journalism helps to remind those in authority of their obligations to the people which include finding solutions to difficult problems, stabilising the polity and guiding the society to peace and economic prosperity.
But because regime protection is deemed to be the same as national security by a large number of political leaders who lack the vision, the passion and the character to effectively deal with the challenges confronting the nation. It is not surprise that there is constant tension between them and the media. This has led to the accusation that journalism in Nigeria is not only adversarial, but also that it does not serve the end of nation- building, just because they choose to play their role for the advancement of the society.
What most political office holders forget is that it is the responsibility of journalists to shape the national conversation by providing insights on critical issues as they affect their various audiences. The essence of this value-added role is to help overcome the tendency for people to focus on issues that do not advance their cause, but help politicians to divide and conquer the society.
Most Nigerian politicians, especially those in positions of authority at all levels, believe that the interaction moderated by the media is skewed against them and that journalists do not always promote mutual understanding between government and the people. The media, as far as majority of the people in government are concerned, serve only the interest of the opposition. In fact, it is said in several quarters that Nigeria journalists are unpatriotic just for doing their job.
For instance, the challenge of insecurity in the country today manifests on several fronts: from the activities of kidnappers and armed robbers to the violent encounters between farmers and pastoralists in many theatres across the country to the perennial settler-indigene sectarian violence. To compound the situation, the country has Boko Haram insurgency, herdsmen terrorists and finally the Unknow Gunmen which are threatening the peace of the society. Given such a state of affairs, it is the duty of journalists to report the reality even while promoting only issues that will aid the resolution of many of the crises that are now tearing apart the fabrics of the society.
But pen pushers cannot do that effectively when they are being attacked, arrested and intimidated by those who claim to be their partners in this profession. The issue of insecurity in Imo State is everybody’s concern. People are not happy the way things are going in Imo, but for this to be conquered, collective efforts are needed. for some weeks now, newspaper vendors and distributors around Imo State are facing a lot of attacks, arrest and intimidation which ought not to be.
However, it is pertinent to note that the current action of the police and the army is unjust and must be condemned in its entirety. The idea of intimidation and harassment of people because you want them to do your wish is an archaic approach. Some countries have gone beyond this and Nigeria should not be an exception. It must find a way to jaw jaw other than war war.
Whoever brought the idea of going after the press in a bid to win the war against insecurity, has done more harm to the state than good.
The police must withdraw from this step to avoid further dent on their already battered image.
