Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has expressed the need for media professionals to abide by the code of ethics for the profession to enhance investigative journalism.
He noted that recent events, including the just-concluded general election, which witnessed fake news and unverified information being shared by on different platforms and on social media, underscored the importance of investigative journalism.
The Vice President spoke yesterday at the two-day workshop on “Legal and Ethical Issues in Investigative Journalism in Nigeria,” organised by Daily Trust, in collaboration with the Centre for Media Law and Development.
While pledging that the present administration would not censor freedom of speech and expression, he said, “It behooves on the investigative journalist to abide by the journalism code of ethics in carrying out his/her responsibilities.”
These, he said, include “observing strictly to the time-tested journalistic values of honesty, independence, accuracy, fairness, objectivity, credibility, balance and public accountability.”
The Vice President, represented by his media aide, Laolu Akande, said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration “will continue to play our part in providing conducive environment for the practice of good journalism and ensuring the safety of journalists wherever they find themselves in the line of duty.”
He, however, noted that it is important that self-regulation is robust enough to prevent a situation where government or formal establishments pass laws and regulations of the trade.
“Journalists should strive to abide by the code of ethics in the practice of their profession because, without adhering to a code of ethics, investigative journalism, or any profession at all, would not thrive as much as it should.
“Recent events, including the past general election, where fake news and unverified information were shared by many on different media platforms and on social media, especially, have also put a spotlight on the importance of investigative journalism and why our country needs this aspect of the profession more than ever.
“This is because, as gatekeepers, the press can also help in making government accountable by publishing information on issues that overwhelmingly serves the greater good of public interest.
“For example, if somebody says the level of poverty in Nigeria is about X%, many in the media would simply just report it.
“And then comes a counter, say from an official source. Then everything becomes a controversy because those who are responsible, the interlocutors and those who are responsible are often not doing their bit by at least presenting what the real facts are,” he said.
Osinbajo observed that investigative journalism, guided by the right ethical conduct, could help correct such issues, “because it places priority on the need for verification and cross-checking of facts.”
“There is usually a source/ sources of information that can give the accurate statistics. The investigative journalist simply has to go seek for it, diligently and without bias.
“Of course, we should always be conscious of over-regulation or infractions of the freedom of the press or freedom of information,” he said.