By Bala Ibrahim
Sometimes this month, I was invited to be the Guest Speaker, at the annual lecture of an online Newspaper that is published by a colleague.
I was given the leeway to pick a topic of my choice. For reasons that have been burning in my mind, I decided to talk on the issue of the position of personal perspectives in politics, with a special bias toward the roles of journalists. I had written an article on the subject, sometimes back, so it was easy for me to embellish and present it.
My paper did a simple overview of the roles and responsibilities placed on journalists, as members of the fourth realm of the estate, and how best to avoid playing into the hands of the opposition, particularly the accusation of being on the payroll of the opposition. Balancing and objectivity are the answers or quick fix to that conundrum, I suggested.
I had no inkling that a few days later, the things I cautioned my colleagues against, would play out to the distaste or even aversion of this government, my government.
Over the weekend, precisely on Saturday, the Presidency accused The Guardian Newspaper of inciting calls for a military coup in Nigeria, and the situation is in the process of ruining an old relationship.
In its lead story of Friday, October 25, 2024, The Guardian Newspaper published a story, titled, “Calls for military intervention: misery, harsh policies driving Nigerians to desperate choices.”
The content of the story did not go down well with the government, and the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, was quick to issue a statement, castigating the paper for recklessness. Mr Onanuga said the inflammatory headline and content deviated from responsible reporting, adding that the newspaper’s agenda was unmistakable from the cover illustration to the article. He accused The Guardian of attempting to create a balanced veneer, by condemning military rule while fanning the flames of military intervention.
“This is evident in the introduction to the article, where the newspaper wrote: “Nigerians were exhilarated with the return of democracy in 1999, but 25 years on, the buccaneering nature of politicians, their penchant for poor service delivery, morbid hatred for probity, accountability, and credible/transparent elections, among others, are forcing some flustered citizens to make extreme choices, including calling for military intervention in governance. .. Deep despondency permeates every facet of the polity consequent upon soaring cost of living”-Onanuga
In simple language, the Government is accusing the paper of superficiality, by presenting a pleasing appearance, behind which lies a cruel look.
In other words, the article was a false display of democratic friendliness, when in actual sense they are on the same bed with the military. It looks like the Guardian is once again in the wrong book of the Government, but this time, in a reversed relationship.
Sometimes back, during the military Government of General Muhammadu Buhari, The Guardian Newspaper ran into trouble that resulted in the arrest of two of its staff- Mr.Tunde Thompson and Mr. Nduka Irabor.
The duo were accused and sentenced to a year in prison, for writing about the closure and retirement of some diplomats.
Although the Guardian newspaper has strongly denied the accusations of attempting to incite unrest and advocate regime change, by describing the presidency’s accusations as a patent misrepresentation, two challenges still combined to stand as a burden-the issue of fairness and that of ambiguity.
The Government is saying the Guardian is unfair by indirectly inciting the public, and the Guardian said, “There is nothing in the report that advocates, propagates, endorses or suggests a military overthrow of the current government, as suggested by the Special Adviser.
“The Guardian is unapologetically pro-good governance and will continue to advocate national prosperity.”
In physics, that branch of science that deals with the nature and properties of matter and energy, they describe balancing as the effort to prevent falls, and injury, and simply make your daily activities easier to perform.
In balancing, you attempt to coordinate your muscles, bones, eyes, ears, and brain to function without disease.
As a corollary, journalism also views balancing with a similar ambition, in order to prevent a fall. That is why journalists are enjoined to give story content that presents multiple perspectives, viewpoints, and facts on a given topic or issue in a fair and impartial manner.
The story must be balanced, particularly on political matters. A simple sway to one side may lead to an unfavourable interpretation by the other side. And the accusation of bias, political bias, comes in.
The duties of journalists include researching, writing, editing, and filing news stories, features, and articles, which are used on television and radio or within the print media. And in the pursuit of that duty of promoting accountability, playing the watchdog, and advocating for transparency and good governance, the journalist steps on toes, including the toes of those in Government, who may react with anger.
The journalist should work with the principles of accuracy, fairness, and objectivity, by avoiding unreliable and biased information. That way, there would be no victim and no misplaced reaction.
That way also, the position of the press, would not be poisoned by the accusation of partisan politics. May all sides be so guided.
