These are troubled times for Nigeria’s media industry, which is enmeshed in a controversial compensation it received from fund set aside by the Federal Government to buy arms to prosecute the war against Boko Haram. Earlier this year, the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria received a payment of N120 million from the office of Sambo Dasuki, the former National Security Adviser, in curious circumstances. The claim was in connection with the June 2014 military seizure of copies of newspapers meant for circulation across the country.
According to a statement by Nduka Obaigbena, the NPAN President, he collected the N120 million that former President Goodluck Jonathan had authorised Dasuki to pay on behalf of 12 newspapers. Four of them have since denied ever benefitting from the compensation. Dasuki, the NSA between June 2012 and July 2015, other public officials and businessmen are undergoing trial for the alleged misappropriation of $2.1 billion earmarked for arms procurement and other corruption scandals of astounding proportions.
These appalling revelations have sent shock waves through the nation and brought NPAN into disrepute. They also seem to confirm the long-held belief that the Nigerian media is corrupt and cosy with government functionaries. We believe none of the lines of defence advanced so far by NPAN has succeeded in dispelling the allegation of an unethical act in this matter. This behaviour has raised probing questions on media ethics in the country and drawn attention to corruption within the industry. It is curious that the compensation was not paid directly into the NPAN account, or directly to the newspapers concerned, but was allegedly routed through a company called General Hydrocarbons, according to court papers. As the name suggests, this firm has nothing to do with the media.
Communication scholars say the press, referred to as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, are crucial for the entrenchment of a truly democratic society. A founding father of the United States’ Constitution, Thomas Jefferson, was so persuaded of its pivotal role that he declared, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution similarly enjoins the mass media to “… uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.” Indeed, the importance of the press in reflecting and shaping public opinion, and in safeguarding democratic freedoms, underpin the running of the world’s most successful democracies, which, not surprisingly, are often also the most successful economies.
For these reasons, the public rightly expects the highest ethical standards from the mass media. Sadly, the indiscretion of the NPAN leadership will cast doubt on the independence and impartiality of the media and this is unfair to an institution that has played sterling roles in the nationalist struggle and entrenchment of a just and equitable society. Indeed, the early nationalists – Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ernest Ikoli, Obafemi Awolowo, Anthony Enahoro, J.A. Olushola and Muokwugo Okoye, among many others – deployed the power of the media effectively during the independence struggle. We hold it as sacrosanct at all times that a free press is expected to be fair, impartial, unprejudiced and honest. A major criterion for public confidence is that it is not subservient to vested interests and should be perceived to be independent.
Ideally, journalism anywhere in the world is a highly respected profession with a very important role to play in the society. It is a calling that should attract people of integrity and high moral standards. As a profession, it derives its relevance from its credibility, while striving to uphold public trust. It is also bound by some set of rules and code of ethics. For that reason, any action by a journalist that violates public trust is frowned upon as unethical.
The Media Code of Conduct in most countries, among other things, encourages journalists to refrain from inducements. In the United Kingdom, the National Union of Journalists Code of Conduct enjoins journalists to resist threats or any other inducements to influence, distort or suppress information and take no unfair personal advantage of information gained in the course of their duties before the information is public knowledge. The Code of Ethics for Nigerian journalists also states expressly that “(i) a journalist should neither solicit nor accept bribe, gratification or patronage to suppress or publish information; “(ii) to demand payment for the publication of news is inimical to the notion of news as a fair, accurate, unbiased and factual report of an event.”
This sordid tale reminds Nigerians that ethical standards have fallen everywhere and the press has not been immune to the contagion. Along with the judiciary, the press should be the last hope of the weak and the oppressed. A weakened press that accepts undue government patronage under whatever guise cannot effectively play its role as society’s watchdog.
But there are some issues that must be addressed. For instance, unlike in other democracies, many member companies are not up-to-date with their annual dues to NPAN. Failure to adequately fund their trade and professional bodies often forces media associations to accept sponsorship from government sources for some of their activities. The United Kingdom’s News Media Association is strong in advocacy for press freedom and voluntary contributions from members enable it to fund capacity-building activities.
Despite its robust proliferation, the British press have high moral codes, an Editors’ Code of Practice to which most of the newspapers, magazines and websites have subscribed. Where laws are broken, prosecution follows. A telephone hacking scandal led to the closure of the 168-year-old tabloid, News of the World, in 2011 and the subsequent arrests and prosecution of its top editors and executives. Though owned by the government, the British Broadcasting Corporation, through its trust and licensing fees raised from the public, retains its editorial independence and the integrity of its content. These are the global ideals the Nigerian media should stand for.
Undoubtedly, the present ethical storm in NPAN calls for soul-searching, not just in the organisation, but among the raft of unions and other groupings in the media.
However, the ball is back in NPAN’s court. The association should refocus and lead the crusade for curbing the pervasive corruption corroding the media. The Nigerian media should be guided by a clear set of editorial and ethical values. Publishers ought to be wary of forging cosy relationships with public office holders as it is bound to create a conflict of interest or the appearance of it for an industry where perception matters the most.
