It is both disconcerting and dispiriting that not an insignificant part of our national malaise is the risible state of our Fourth Estate. Without wanting to appear overly punctilious, the colour of my face is drained whenever I try to read any of our national newspapers. The paucity of cogent, inspiring and intelligent reportage is all too evident. The patronizing attitude of many a publication towards readers belies the extreme importance of the Fourth Estate in shaping the discourse on numerous burning national issues of our time. In short, an overwhelming large section of the Nigerian Press has been woeful, timid and decidedly toothless; the notion of press freedom is lamentably lost on most editors. It is not the fault of the reporters that they are, for the most part, well below par; it is an indictment on the process of training and orientating them in the art and science of reporting. Why am I raving at the Nigerian Press? Come with me.
The essence of the Press, in any democratic setting, is to, in my humble opinion, inform, analyze and educate in very clear, concise and straightforward ways. That much they owe to their readership. It is the Press that should show up the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial arms of government at all times; in that sense, a free Press is the last bastion of democracy. A weak and ineffectual Press is a murderer of true democracy.
I do not wish to be misunderstood; there's loads of conscientious and professional reporters out there but they are being let down by spineless individuals right at the top of those publishing houses. These reporters have both the capacity and ability to excel in their calling, but the professional support structure is amiss. It's always the case that those right at the top of the tree have been compromised or plainly clueless, or both. The 'oga-at-the-top' syndrome is ubiquitous.
The Nigerian Press needs to up its game if the hopes and aspirations of the Nigerian people are to be actualized. We simply cannot afford to leave the politicians and their hangers-on to their own devices, especially as we knock on the door of 2015. Nigerians need, and expect, the Press to awake from its slumber and begin to show them that, as the last bastion of democracy, it will uphold the principle of fair, fearless and accurate reporting of events affecting the lives of Nigerians. They should, in essence, stop being scribblers of tosh. Nigerians need you. Nigeria needs you.
The essence of the Press, in any democratic setting, is to, in my humble opinion, inform, analyze and educate in very clear, concise and straightforward ways. That much they owe to their readership. It is the Press that should show up the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial arms of government at all times; in that sense, a free Press is the last bastion of democracy. A weak and ineffectual Press is a murderer of true democracy.
I do not wish to be misunderstood; there's loads of conscientious and professional reporters out there but they are being let down by spineless individuals right at the top of those publishing houses. These reporters have both the capacity and ability to excel in their calling, but the professional support structure is amiss. It's always the case that those right at the top of the tree have been compromised or plainly clueless, or both. The 'oga-at-the-top' syndrome is ubiquitous.
The Nigerian Press needs to up its game if the hopes and aspirations of the Nigerian people are to be actualized. We simply cannot afford to leave the politicians and their hangers-on to their own devices, especially as we knock on the door of 2015. Nigerians need, and expect, the Press to awake from its slumber and begin to show them that, as the last bastion of democracy, it will uphold the principle of fair, fearless and accurate reporting of events affecting the lives of Nigerians. They should, in essence, stop being scribblers of tosh. Nigerians need you. Nigeria needs you.
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