Union advocates Bill of Rights for Media Practitioners
The Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, has advocated the Bill of Rights for Media Practitioners in the country
The NUJ also expressed concern about the safety and welfare of media professionals
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 explained that having a ‘Bill of Rights’ for media practitioners would 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 the proliferation of fake news, the NUJ boss also called for the adoption of the ‘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.
The Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi who was represented by 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.”
PRNigeria/PIAK
