By Salisu Sani-Idris
Abuja – The Nigerian Press Council (NPC), on Friday in Abuja urged media professionals to uphold ethical journalism in their daily reportage to enhance and sustain the image of the profession.
Mr Victor Egharevba, the Acting Executive Secretary of NPC, made the
call in a statement issued by Mr Lanre Mohammed, the Deputy Director,
Research and Documentation of the council.
Egharevba said that the integrity and public trust in the media depended largely on adherence to ethics.
He also advised media professionals to make good use of the Freedom of
Information Act as a veritable tool for factual and investigative
journalism.
He appealed to journalists to champion campaign against fake news and
all forms of disinformation, “as Nigerian journalists celebrate this
year’s World Press Freedom Day, the Nigerian Press Council wishes to
join in the celebration.’’
Egharevba urged journalists to use the occasion to assess the state of
press freedom in the country and discuss solutions to the various
challenges facing the profession, including the safety of journalist.
“The NPC in the discharge of its mandate of fostering high professional
standards in the Nigerian press, will continue to build the capacity of
journalists with a view to enhancing their professionalism.
“The council, however, calls attention to the challenges that
convergence and Social Media have foisted on conventional journalism and
enjoins the media to brace up to the opportunities.”