Communication practitioners hit back at Maku over accusation of media partisanship

Communication practitioners have differed with Labaran Maku, minister of information, on his statement recently that the Nigerian media was playing partisan in its journalism roles.

The minister had said at an international seminar on political advertising, perception building and voter education organised by Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) in Abuja recently, that the Nigerian media now operated partisan journalism, which he believed was capable of causing practitioners to lose the conscience of the people.

According to the minister, the current partisan journalism experienced in the industry is informed by the media ownership structure, which he said, has become an obstacle to factual journalism.

Reacting to the statement, Ikechuckwu Ameachi, managing director/editor-in-chief, The Niche newspaper, categorically said the minister was not correct in his assertion. “What people fail to understand is that whenever a story is against someone, he raises issue. Even in advanced societies, newspapers can endorse a particular presidential candidate and write an editorial to endorse a candidate based on what the paper believes. Would you say that it is partisan?” he asked.

According to him, a newspaper must have a leaning. “If I believe that President Goodluck Jonathan is doing well, why won’t I support him? Journalists are part of the society, they did not jump down from the moon, and if they believe some one is doing well, they support him.”

Also reacting, the publisher of Marketing Edge Magazine, John Ajayi, said the truth of the matter was that the Nigerian media had over the years been very objective in reporting and they remain relevant to the community and the people, because the media had aligned with their aspirations.

He said: “In the days of the military, the Nigerian media were partisan on the side of the people, and what the Nigerian people wanted was for the military to go. Also, the Nigerian media were partisan when they fought to get rid of the colonialists. The Nigerian media also fought to restore democracy when the military truncated it.”

In his reaction, John Ehiguese, CEO of MediaCraft, a PR agency based in Lagos, said “newspaper is a business and all over the world businesses have certain interests and the business must also protect those interests.

To him, there are underline business interest in business, and the media is not exclusive. Ehiguese said there could be instances were some media houses were not doing well, but making such general sweeping statement that the Nigerian media was partisan was not right. “I think that the Nigerian media is doing its best, giving the circumstances in which it operates,” he said.

Deji Elumoye, chairman, Lagos State chapter of Nigerian Union of Journalists, said the Nigerian media had been fair in their reporting, and fair to all parties.

Jide Ologun, former chairman of Lagos chapter of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, who also disagreed with the minister, said the action of the people was based on the action in the Mirror.

“If you accuse them of being partisan, the question is why are they partisan. Everybody is saying let us have dividend of democracy. There is verbal and non-verbal communication. If you invite a musician to play for you and you don’t give the musician food on time, he will begin to play rubbish to draw your attention.

“Can I praise my government when the infrastructure is poor. Definitely, there is communication gap in this country. The government hardly listens to the people and it is obvious to all. Let them do some thing that we can praise them for.”

Mike Nzeagwu, head consultant, MetroMedia Consultants, and a former journalist, reminded the minister, who he said was his friend, that the main duty of the media was to set agenda for development, for good governance and to keep those in authority in check.

“The moment those in authority and the media begin to sing from the same hymn book, especially in developing countries where leadership is not accountable, then we have a greater problem. 

Maku knows this too well being a journalist himself and a principled and non conformist at that during his active days in the media. The government should be uncomfortable with the media, not because they are members of the opposition parties, but because their primary duty is to keep government in check. That is why they are called the ‘Fourth Estate of the Realm,’” he said.

Speaking in the same vein, Jenkins Alumona, a media practitioner, also said media all over the the world was partisan on the side of the people. Even universally, some media align to parties but they are fair and objective.

In such generalisation of the media in partisan journalism, the minister said it was easy to pick up a newspaper today and you will know which political party the paper was supporting and wondered whether the newspapers were political bulletins.

Underlying the importance of media in nation building, he said it was only when Nigerian journalism was freed from the shackles and partisanship that the nation could progress as a great country.

Daniel Obi