David Alachenu Mark is the Senate
President of Nigeria.
A salient attribute which is so well
known to be an inherent part of David Mark both within and without his
military Profession is his knack for honesty and 'saying it as it is'
tendency not minding whose ox is gored.
In his capacity as the current
senate President, David Mark is noted for making some remarks that some persons
who may not have the temperament to read through the said statements, as
controversial. Most people believe that David Mark's middle name is
controversy.
On July 26th 2012 in Umuahia, the
Abia State Capital, the Senate President took the opportunity of the retreat
program of the Senate media team drawn from diverse media houses across the
country to raise alarm about the unethical and unprofessional activities of
some persons who are making bad use of the social media to slander/libel and
defame some persons in and out of government.
The Senate President also canvassed
the strict observance and adherence to the professional ethical code by media
practitioners. But shortly after he delivered his speech, some media houses
reported that the Senate President has canvassed that the noose be tightened
around the use of the new social media in Nigeria.
But on the ethical question raised
by David Mark, the Senate President, on the abuse of the social media by most
untrained minds, I think his position is sound, qualitative, objective and
should therefore not be dismissed as canvassing for tighter laws on use of
social or new media in Nigeria similar to what obtains in China and places like
Iran or even Saudi Arabia.
The Senate President stated thus;
“The emergence of social media like facebook, twitter, blackberry messenger,
YouTube have changed the face of media practice by making information sharing
easier, faster and quicker. But this is not without its demerits. Social media
has become a threat to the ethics of media practice and good governance because
of its accessibility and absolute freedom. Every freedom carriers a responsibility.
Even in advanced democracies, where we all agree that good governance is
practiced, there is no absolute freedom.”
He spoke further; “I therefore
believe that there must be a measure to check the negative tendencies of the
social media in our country. I say this because media practice, particularly
journalism, the process f its news gathering and dissemination also
operates a feedback mechanism and where the practitioners err there is room for
rebuttal. But in the social media a faceless character can post any information
that is absolutely false and misleading but will never retract it. At the end
of the day one is bombarded with questions over what one has no business with.”
David Mark suggested a simple
solution thus; “I suggest that schools of mass communication and journalism
should review their curricula to include the operations of social media.”
He candidly condemned media
corruption and canvassed global best practices.
As a journalist who has actively
practiced for about two decades, I know that the fear expressed therein by the
Senate President is germane and factual and it behooves on media workers to
clean up our acts and resolve to be ethically correct in our journalism activities.
I will be among the persons that
would stoutly oppose any subtle moves through legislative process to muzzle or
scuttle press freedom and we are prepared to go out on the streets to protest
vehemently.
I think trained media
professionals are also as concerned as any right thinking person that there is
absolute need for ethics to be observed in the use of the new or social media.
The problem is that new or social
media has made it possible for untrained minds to become major actors in the
dissemination of information and the inherent danger in this is that the basic
ethical codes of conduct that ought to operate as checks and balances have been
thrown to the dogs so to say.
Do we sit back and allow these charlatans
to destroy our hard earned profession as media workers? Your reply is as good
as mine if you truly love journalism.
Media scholars have canvassed
respect and observance of the professional ethics of total avoidance of
plagiarism; total disclosure of sources of information and the total avoidance
of allowing bribery and gratification to influence what is posted online.
Honesty is also an important aspect of the ethical code.
In the United States and United
Kingdom, people who use the social media to libel some persons have recently
faced the wrath of the law because the federal Bureau of Investigation and the
Policing institutions are so sophisticated and competent to tackle these
emerging challenges.
Nigeria is not an exception because
as a nation governed by law, those who practice the new online journalism or
those who use social media must be aware that there are laws against libel and
defamation which can b e used to check their excesses.
The question remains whether our
grossly incompetent police would be able to enforce the extant laws without
breaching the time tested freedoms and media rights of these practitioners?
*
Emmanuel Onwubiko, Head, HUMAN Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, blogs at
www.huriwa.blogspot.com.
6/8/2012
No comments:
Post a Comment