Dogara, has reaffirmed National Assembly’s commitment to enact laws that will create conducive environment for journalism to thrive in the country.
Dogara said this in Abuja on Tuesday in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan, as World Press Freedom Day was marked across the globe.
He said that no society could grow without an active press to monitor and report its activities, and expressed concern over Nigeria’s international press freedom index.
He said that it was disheartening that the Press Freedom Index-released last Wednesday by Reporters without Borders (RWBl) ranked Nigeria 122 out of 180 countries examined.
Dogara said that the role played by the media in the development of a country as watchdog, especially in a democracy, could not be over-emphasised.
He, therefore, called on the Nigerian media to partner the present administration to make its task of fighting corruption a success, not only by objective reporting but through investigative journalism.
He assured that the House, aware that the press must be free to be the watchdog of the society, would continue to support measures to promote press freedom in Nigeria.
The speaker said that such support would be done through laws that facilitated the practice of journalism such as the Freedom of Information Act, which was passed by the National Assembly in 2011.
“We all know the role of the media in promoting democracy because democracy itself guarantees nothing.
“It’s just a set of ideals that people utilise the freedom democracy brings to organise their lives in such a manner that delivers social progress and economic development.
“The media serve as one of the voices of democracy and I believe that beyond all roles played by others, the media are far ahead in that it keeps the citizens informed about what government is doing.
“This enables them to hold public officials accountable.”
He urged practitioners to strive to ensure that there was always timely, accurate and balanced reportage.
Dogara also decried the situation whereby some professionals engaged in brinkmanship or politicising their content, saying that such acts tended to endanger democracy. (NAN)
AMM/OFN/OPI