Voice of Nigeria (VON) has urged Journalists to uphold the ethics of Journalism to protect the image of the profession.
The Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Jibrin Ndace made this known at a lecture to mark the 2024 International Day to End Impunity for Crime against Journalists at Voice of Nigeria Broadcasting House, Ikoyi, Lagos state, South West Nigeria.
Representing VON’s DG, the Director of Training, Mrs. Ugonma Cokey, urged all Journalists to abide by the codes, ethics and standards of Journalism Practice.
“What we just did will help a lot of journalists who actually want to be good journalists, we have talked about a lot of things, what amounts to crime and impunity of journalists, we have talked about what journalists should do to avoid been sued, harassed and becoming victims of impunity, We have talked about safety tips for Journalists and the reason journalists must balance their stories to be fair, to listen to comments from all angles or perspectives so they don’t just report from one side.”
Mrs. Cokey continued, “If anyone is looking for a particular story, the genuineness of a story, the credibility of the story. Voice of Nigeria should be the go to as it is the authoritative choice. So, anyone working for Voice of Nigeria should know that they need to pay attention to the things that were discussed here, so it would make them a lot better in carrying out their Jobs.”
The Director further emphasized that; “We explained the difference between propaganda and the news, if instead of doing news, we decide to do propaganda then we will have made a whole mess of what we are supposed to do as staff of Voice of Nigeria. So we are a go-to people for verification of Information, so we need to be credible so that any story they hear from us, whatever angle they get is a balanced angle and it is the truth”.
For her part, the keynote speaker, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Chairperson, VON Branch, Mrs. Jumoke Falaye said the need for continuous conversations to seek avenues for the protection of journalists in crisis situations and other areas of their Practices cannot be overemphasized
According to her “The importance of this day can not be overemphasized, since the declaration of the International Day to end crimes and impunity against journalists, there has been a steady rise of journalists being casualties of crisis situation emergencies and the other fact of the matter which breaks our hearts is that beyond the crisis situations and emergencies, we still see Journalists being targets of impunity and this is what this day seeks to address. It is a conversation we will continue to have, this conversation can not end until crimes against journalists come to an end
“So it is a day, we continue to talk about and continue to seek avenues for the protection of journalist in situation of crises and in other areas of their practice. It is definitely a plus today that we are acknowledging and commemorating this day in Voice of Nigeria.” she stated
The event convener for Voice of Nigeria, Assistant Director of Strategic Planning and Corporate Development (SPCD) Dr. Mujeedah Olagunju said the organisation in commemoration of the 2024 UNESCO International Day to End Impunity for Crime against Journalists has joined the United Nations in calling for more attention to impunity and crime incidence against Journalists as part of Voice of Nigeria mandates as a signatory to the Charter of United Nations.
Dr Olagunju said “Voice of Nigeria through my department SPCD has decided to do what the mandate of VON has asked us to do. This particular commemoration was done all over the world by world media outlets. This is the brand for Voice of Nigeria and like I said, it is a Voice of Nigeria mandate because we are a signatory to the UN charter, so this is Voice of Nigeria’s own commemoration.”
She added; “Then secondly, we are going through different wars and crises in the world today, and according to statistics especially the war in Gaza, journalists that have been killed surpass even all the world wars combined together and so the United Nations wants to draw a lot of attention to this particular incidence because they feel that being a journalist is now like being an endangered specie and so it is important that we also join United Nations to call attention to this
“Also like you listened to some of the presentations today, how do we as journalists tell our stories without becoming the story itself? So how we keep ourselves safe while we report the truth, while we speak the truth and while we are out there doing our jobs is important and I am happy that some of the presentations spoke to solutions to working and keeping safe as journalists.”
In attendance at the event to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity for Crime against Journalists held at Voice of Nigeria, Ikoyi, Lagos State was Deputy Director Engineering, Engr. Ashiru Lamidi, Deputy Director Programmes Languages, Dr. Tajudeen Adebayo, Deputy Director News, Mrs. Rita Eremiokhale, Deputy Director Digital Media, Dr. Qasim Akinreti, Assistant Director Programmes Operations, Mrs. Yejide Adeniyi, Assistant Director Finance, Mr. Kingsley Okoye, Assistant Director Administration General Service, Mr Allinson Yusuf, Assistant Director Adminstration, Human Resources, Mr. Augustine Ahaba and Radio One, Principal Reporter, Mrs. Iyeh Enema.
Every year since 2013, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is observed on November, 2nd with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) calling on governments, civil society, the media, and all stakeholders to uphold the rule of law, and join in the global efforts to raise awareness on the need to end impunity for crimes against journalists.
The theme for the 2024 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is “Safety of Journalists in Crises and Emergencies.”
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