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| Elder Patrick Albert, NUJ Chaiman, AKS |
The development and growth of journalism practice in Akwa
Ibom state has been bolstered by the rising profile of the state’s economy and
political awareness of the people of the state.
The practice of journalism in the past centred around the
western part of the country where every trainable individual in the profession
would adjudge his or herself to have to cut his or her teeth well if only such
an one(at that time) finds himself hustling in the streets of Lagos, the
nation’s commercial capital (now) to find placement in one mega media house or
another. Those old good days later gave
way with the development and growth of state-based newspapers and privately
owned electronic media houses in most states of the federation.
However, today those seeking to become Journalists and those
already in the profession relish in the euphoria of operational environments
close to where they come from. People
who leave school on Industrial Training experience for example from Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic,
Ikot Osurua in Ikot Ekpene local government area, who read Mass Communication,
or those from the University of Uyo from Communication Arts Department etc draw
such practical experience from work environments within the state capital
without bothering how to cover many miles to Lagos or any other place for that
matter. That is what development and
growth in modern day Journalism practice has done to our clime.
Much as the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in
the state has grown in leaps and bounds, such growth however, should be
positively reflected on the members.
From one administration to another, up to the immediate past leadership
of the NUJ, attempts were made at sanitizing the Journalism profession of
quackery and ensuring that people who have no business with the Journalism
profession and practice do not get close to its domain. Quacks, just like in other professions, have
taken position in the Journalism profession and are even attempting to set
agenda for the real professionals in recent times. They turn to mar things for the owners of the
profession and apportion blames at the slightest opportunity more than anyone
else. An instance is when the Joe
Effiong-led administration of the NUJ attempted to sanitize Journalism practice in Akwa Ibom State of
quackery via a well tailored process of membership screening, it was those
persons who were yet to acquire certificates in Journalism who ran to Abuja via
phone calls and visitations to blackmail the NUJ leadership at that time of
trying to dismember some persons. The NUJ
constitution at that time(before the amended version) was quoted by these persons
copiously for fear of being chased away.
The present leadership of the NUJ led by Elder Patrick Albert
has not bothered about the screening of Journalists, but has been worried and
bothered about how Journalists should do their work within the ambient of the
law; how the truth should be reported, stories should be balanced and how
members should arm themselves with facts before going to press. After all, news should be balanced, what is
reported should be factual and should be objective.
In many occasions reporters have been invited and advised by
the NUJ Chairman in private to be of good behaviour and mind their professional conduct and not to
be oblivious of the code of ethics of the Journalism profession. Elder Patrick has intervened in many cases to
save some Journalists from some sort of
embarrassment arising from perceived misconducts. When the intelligence arm of the Police in
the state invited some Journalists months ago, the current leadership of NUJ
took the battle front to ensure that no infringement on the rights of those
invited occurred. The leadership of the
NUJ led by Patrick Albert issued a statement thereafter which was widely
circulated. Despite all these efforts,
some sections of the media, most of them run by touts and quacks who have no
business being in the profession have continuously run at affront with the
rules of the game. Gutter and guerrilla
Journalism could be tolerable in non-democratic
domains run by military jauntas headed by despots, not in democratic
settings where responsible and development journalism should be practiced. The
fact that somebody is a media owner does not qualify him to be a Journalist if
he is not one. The fact that one is a
Journalist is not a guarantee to practice unethical journalism, run down
persons, embarrass people, insult officials of government, tell lies at will,
disrespect constituted authority and when such practices are noted and persons
cautioned, the advisors are blackmailed to have been bought. For how long will what is bad continuously be
encouraged?
What is the offence of the leadership of NUJ calling a media
house to order to do what is right and reminding the persons operating under it
to be of good professional conduct and
do journalism with decorum and respect the ethics of the job? How does that
suddenly translate into the NUJ leadership being bought by anybody? The case of the press release by the NUJ
leadership on its position concerning the unethical behavior of some media
establishments in the state which was carried by some national and state-based
newspapers could only be seen as a father advising a child in the public, if
perhaps the child may not have heeded to pieces of advice given him by the
father from behind. Or could it be that the child was inaccessible for the
father’s advice in the bedroom and the father has to use a medium the child
could be reached? Though it is not
debatable that any Journalist must be a
member of Nigeria Union of Journalists and any media house should identify with
the NUJ, it is not practicable that a non registered member of a group has ever
enjoyed the rights and privileges meant for certified members of the group. In
as much as the abduction of Thomas Thomas is condemnable, we are of the opinion
that the leadership of the NUJ should not be dragged into that case, the leadership
of the NUJ did nothing wrong in advising Global Concord to play the game of
Journalism according to the rules.
Enough of these shenanigans and blackmail
of the NUJ leadership!!!
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