The Nigerian government has urged media organisations to stop giving publicity to terrorists and other criminals, pointing out that excessive coverage of their activities serves the interests of those seeking to spread fear and instability.
Penpushing reports that Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris gave the advice at a security summit organised by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in collaboration with the State Security Services (SSS), in Abuja.
The Minister said journalists must balance press freedom with national responsibility in the interest of nation-building, and appealed to them to take these terrorists and criminals off their front pages, noting that, that is what they(terrorists) crave for free of charge.”
Penpushing further reports that Idris expressed concern that media reports often give prominence to the activities of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers while paying less attention to the efforts and sacrifices of security personnel working to protect lives and property.
“It saddens my mind. I feel very unhappy when I see our front pages, when I see our headlines, reporting the activities of these criminals and underplaying the ones by the security agencies,” he said.
Penpushing also reports that he stated that, responsible journalism does not amount to censorship but requires media professionals to exercise sound judgment in determining what should be reported and how it should be presented, adding that the best journalists are those who know what not to report in the interest of nation-building.
“Nobody is calling for censorship. Nobody is asking the media not to do its job, but we must know that we must have a country to keep. We must have our unity to uphold so that Nigeria can make progress,” he said.
Penpushing reports that he noted that Nigeria is facing increasingly complex security challenges, including terrorism, violent extremism, cybercrime, misinformation and organised crime, making collaboration between the media and security agencies more important than ever.
The Minister stressed that both institutions have critical roles to play in nation-building, with security agencies responsible for protecting lives and national sovereignty, while the media serves as a watchdog and bridge between government and citizens.
Penpushing further reports that he commended the improving relationship between journalists and security agencies, particularly the State Security Service (SSS), noting that the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) had reported no cases of journalists being arrested or detained by the agency in the last one and a half years.
The Minister challenged other security agencies to maintain similar standards and expressed hope that incidents involving the detention of journalists would become a thing of the past.
Penpushing also reports that he reaffirmed the Nigerian government’s commitment to strengthening engagement between the media and security institutions through dialogue, strategic communication, capacity building and public enlightenment initiatives.
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