At NITDA’s Digital Journalism Workshop, NUJ Advocates ‘Bill of Rights’ for Media Practitioners

The Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, is worried that the safety and welfare of media practitioners in the country is nothing to write home about, especially in recent times.

Its concern was revealed at a ‘Digital Journalism and Fact-Checking Workshop’ in Enugu State, themed: “Imperative of Digital News Verification for 2023 Elections.”

The event was sponsored by the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, and attracted journalists from various media outfits in the state.

The NUJ, through its National President, Chris Isiguzo, however called on relevant stakeholders to quickly evolve ways to protect journalists from all forms of violent assaults, while also ensuring that everything about their welfare is well catered for.

According to Isiguzo, it is pertinent that the National Assembly, NASS, legislates and comes up with a ‘Bill of Rights’ for journalists in the country.

Mr. Isiguzo, at the workshop facilitated by the image Merchants Promotion (IMPR), Limited, the publisher of PRNigeria in collaboration with the NUJ, explained that having a ‘Bill of Rights’ for media practitioners will go a long way to ensure that the needs, safety and welfare of journalists in the country are safeguarded.

Ahead of the 2023 polls and proliferation of fake news, the NUJ boss also called for the adoption of ‘Global Ethics Charter for Journalists’ by media professionals.

“While there is nothing like ethics and morality in the social media, and by implications in the general information disorder we find ourselves in, however it is proper to encourage accountability in the mainstream media and in whatever we do as media professionals,” he said.

Isiguzo, while speaking further, maintained that the journalist’s responsibility towards the public takes precedence over any other responsibility, in particular towards their employers and the public authorities.

He said that for Nigerian journalists to assist in making the 2023 polls peaceful, they must promote and adhere to high ethical standards in their reportage while also ensuring that they report political issues and events responsibly.

Earlier, Mal. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Director General of NITDA, who was represented by Haj. Hadiza Umar, the agency’s spokesperson, restated NITDA’s commitment to the expansion of the digital space, development of journalists’ human capital and the promotion of robust digital-based journalism, that serves the best and wider interest of the nation.

He noted that learning how to do fact-checks will help media professionals carry out due diligence on any information that comes to them while also stemming the tide of fake news.

“There’s no doubting the fact that we are in the digital age where everything is now based on computers and the internet.

“It is of interest to us therefore that our journalists take advantage of the available digital tools to do their jobs better and serve the country better,” said the NITDA Director General.