Journalists from the South-West zone of Nigeria have called for effective regulation of the media to checkmate unethical and unprofessional conducts of practitioners and media organisations in the country.
They made the call in a communique issued on Sunday at the end of a two-day workshop for journalists from the zone which held in Akure, Ondo State.
The workshop themed: “Ethical Journalism: An Indispensable Asset for Media Integrity”, was organised by the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) in conjunction with Lamfortte Resources Limited.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 51 journalists from different media organisations in the South West Zone participated in the workshop.
The communiqué which was drafted by Messrs David Adekunle and Oluokun Wale was accepted by all participants as their common position at the workshop.
“There is a need for industry regulation for print media practice including discipline, fact-checking of stories, continuous training and good remuneration.
“It was agreed that something drastic must be done to the role of the NPC for it to be able to carry out its functions effectively; strict adherence to the Code of Ethics must be sustained.
“It is the duty of all journalists to observe the Code of Ethics and that it is a tragedy that Nigeria Union of Journalists is not allowing the online platform as part of the union.”
The communiqué said the workshop agreed that fake news erodes media integrity and it is the duty of the gatekeepers to maintain the integrity by upholding ethical standards in their operations.
“Code of Ethics is moral guidelines which professionals voluntarily subscribe to and internalise as a way of life.
“The thrust of ethics is the individual’s acceptance of responsibilities.
“Journalists should have self-esteem, good carriage, self-respect and at all times be well dressed. They should understand the strategic position they occupy in the society,” the communiqué urged.
The journalists also called on people engaged in journalism without prerequisite qualification to do self-development programmes to make them more equipped on the job.
According to the communiqué, the participants also agreed that there is need for special media salary for both public and private media houses as the media is not immune to violence.
Besides, they agreed that media houses should checkmate the excesses of the government without fear or favour and called for synergy among the Nigerian media practitioners.
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The communique further urged the participants to practice the knowledge acquired during the training.
NAN also reports that the participants were given certificates.
Mr Victor Egharevba, the Acting Executive Secretary of NPC, and other members of staff of NPC also attended the workshop.