By Edward Dickson
Being the text of a goodwill remark delivered by Mr Edward Dickson, Managing Director/Editor in Chief of the African Newspapers of Nig Plc, publishers of the Tribune titles, at the 2022 International Day To End Impunity Against Journalists organized by the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NU), at the NUU Millennium Press Centre, lyaganku GRA, Ibadan on November 2, 2022.
Protocols
Every year journalists become more endangered in Nigeria as they are subjected to unwarranted arrest, physical attack, threats and harassment in the course of performing their duties.
Incontrovertible reports have it that 72 cases of physical attacks against journalists were recorded in 2019, the number came down to 37 in 2020, went further down to 33 in 2021 and is currently at 40 this year. This is one of the reasons Nigeria has been ranked 129th out of 180 countries by Reporters Without Borders in its chart on the safety of journalists. The body also states that “Nigeria is one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, who are often watched, attacked, arbitrarily arrested and even killed.”
But come to think of it, why should anyone attack a journalist whose mission is just to get his or her job done? Why should the exercise of a legitimate function of mirroring society attract attacks from members of the same society? Why should an attempt by journalists to bring the populace to speed concerning happenings in society be recompensed with attacks, detention, harassment or even death?
By the nature of their calling, journalists stand for the truth and report the truth, hence their appellation as the conscience of society. A cardinal principle of journalism is fairness. The test of a good report is balance. Journalists are always on the side of the truth because by their training they are supposed to be unbiased. So, journalists do not colour the truth, they don’t modify the truth, and they don’t even shield the truth, rather what they do is lay bare the truth and sometimes interpret the same to help society make informed decisions.
But that is the root of journalists’ problem, because it is not everyone that loves the truth, and neither is everyone interested in the revelation of the truth or having it published. Many people fight the truth because it exposes their underbelly. Many strive to kill it because it reveals their true nature. When they cannot kill it, they agitate for the publication of their own shade of the truth. But when this fails, they become hostile, antagonistic or even violent and can go to any extent to muzzle the journalist, destroy his organization or even exterminate him.
Unknown to those who are opposed to the truth and want to stifle the journalist in the process, truth is the spine of any society. No country can be great without embracing and facing the truth. In any society where truth is muffled, corruption, lawlessness, highhandedness, sicknesses, poverty and underdevelopment hold sway. Truth is the propeller of development and prosperity; it is also the harbinger of healing and forgiveness. This is why after becoming the President of South Africa, one of the first things that the Great Nelson Mandela did was to set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which enabled the citizens of the country to say the truth to one another, forgive one another and agree to build a united nation. That is the foundation for the prosperity that the Republic of South Africa is enjoying today.
So, since journalists stand for the truth, it means that they also stand for the development, progress and prosperity of the nation. It means they are working for the improvement and wellness of their country. It means they are working for the realization of the corporate vision and aspiration of society. That then makes the journalist a friend of society. Therefore, anyone who hinders a journalist from performing his job is not just an enemy of the truth; he is also an enemy of society. This is because the first signal of a country that is on its way to the abyss is that truth is sacrificed. Truth is the first casualty when a country is heading for trouble.
Since journalists are committed to the truth that can advance the cause of society, society has a responsibility to defend and protect them from those who are determined to stop them from discharging this critical function through assaults, attacks, harassment or threats. Society needs to understand that it is in its own interest to protect journalists and provide them with an enabling environment for the discharge of their duty. Therefore, society should mobilize its police to protect journalists who work for the truth, rally its judiciary to defend them at all times and support them relentlessly in their undertakings.
When a society protects its journalists, it defends the truth; and when a society defends the truth, it is on the pathway to progress. To protect the truth is to keep the truth alive and keeping the truth alive by protecting journalists is the gateway to societal progress.
Thank you for your attention.
*Dickson is the Managing Director/Editor in Chief of the African Newspapers of Nig Plc, publishers of the Tribune titles
