LECTURE
BY SEN.(PROF.) OSERHEIMEN A. OSUNBOR, KSC
(Presented as Guest Speaker at the NUJ, Delta State Council Press
Week at Asaba, Tuesday 21 February 2017).
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| Prof Osunbor |
Introduction
Let me begin by saying how very delighted I am for this
opportunity to address you as Guest Speaker at the Delta NUJ Press Week 2017. I
am grateful to Norbert Chiazor, Chairman NUJ Delta State Council and his team
for inviting me to speak to you on this very important and special event in
your calendar. As a patron of the NUJ Edo State Council myself, I have a
special attraction and interest in attending and participating at this event in
a sister state, Delta.
This Press Week is expected, I am told, to give participants the
opportunity to deliberate on the responsibilities of the press towards the
emergence of a new Nigeria – one characterised by good governance by political
office holders and in which the citizens have their respective roles to play in
ensuring a Nigeria of our dreams. In this task of nation building, journalists
have an important role to play. It is appropriate at this point to define the
key terms used in this presentation.
Who is a Journalist?
The New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language
(International Edition) defines a journalist as “a
professional writer for or editor of a newspaper or other periodical”. The word
journalist derives from or relates to “journalism” which is the profession of
collecting news for writing for, editing or managing a newspaper or other periodical.
The term has, however, evolved beyond the traditional meaning with
the emergence of other forms of media and this is reflected in the Wikipedia
definition. It defines a journalist as a “person who collects, writes, or
distributes news or other current information”.
Journalists may work on their own (freelance) or for a newspaper,
a radio or television programme. There are different kinds of journalists – a
reporter is a type of journalist who researches, writes and reports
information (Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia).
With advancements in information and communications technology
(ICT) and especially the emergence of the social media, the definition of the
words journalist and journalism has become elastic and can be stretched to
cover persons other than professional journalists in the true sense of the
term. Nowadays, virtually anybody who owns a smart phone, ipad or such other
device can collect, write and disseminate news or other information through any
or several different media platforms, especially the social media. In a sense,
therefore, we are all journalists when we use the social media to disseminate
news or other information even though not professional journalists
strictly speaking. Every member of NUJ, I believe, is a journalist but not
every journalist is a member of NUJ. Those outside may infact, be far more in
number than those inside NUJ.
The Social Media
The term “social media” refers to computer-mediated technologies
that allow the creating and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and
other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. The variety of
stand-alone and built-in social media services currently available introduces challenges
of definition. (Wikipedia).
The first social media site called Six Degrees was created in 1991
and it enabled uploading of profiles and making friends. In 1999 the first
blogging sites became popular creating social media sensation that is still popular
today (Wikipedia). Some of the most popular social media websites today
are Facebook and its related Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram,
Linkedin, Youtube, Google+, Viber, Snapchat, Webchat and Weibo. I believe all
of us here utilize one or more of these media.
Good Governance
The term “governance” can be defined as the exercise of
constitutional authority, rule or control within a state or an organisation.
When the term governance is used what readily comes to mind is the exercise of
political authority or control within a state, whether at the Federal, State or
Local Government level. The term extends to the exercise of power or control
within business associations or organisations, hence the expression “corporate
governance” which has gained popularity in the business world in recent times.
Governance whether it is in relation to a state or corporate
entity has in common the elements of openness, responsibility, transparency and
accountability. When these elements co-exist and are upheld good governance can
and usually is the outcome of the exercise of power or control by political
leadership or the governing board of a corporate organisation.
The quest for Good Governance at both the public and private
sectors has become germane and compelling both at the international level and
at the local level here in Nigeria. The international Standards Organisation
(ISO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) are
some of the international agencies focusing on the imperatives of good
governance while the Nigerian Standards Organisation and the Institute of
Directors among others handle various aspects of good governance principles at
the public and private sectors. (At the moment, I am involved at the Standards
Organisation of Nigeria with the development of a Good Governance code for
Nigeria). The expression Code of Corporate Governance is familiar in business
organisations. In the remainder of this paper, however, the term good
governance will refer essentially to governance by the political leadership.
The Responsibility for Good Governance
Persons who wield authority in government must conform with
prescribed legal obligations and constitutional responsibilities.
Journalists-indeed the media as a whole and citizens in general have a
responsibility to ensure that people in government uphold the principles of
good governance. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
1999 is designed to ensure good governance in our country at all levels of
Government and this is apparent from many of its provisions. The basic
provisions are condensed in Chapter II of the Constitution which
sets out the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.
In particular, section 14 of the Constitution provides that –
“ 1) The Federal Republic
of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of
democracy
and social justice.
2.
It is hereby, accordingly,
declared that –
…………….
b) the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary
purpose of government; and
c) the participation by the people in their government shall be
ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution”.
The role of the media in ensuring good governance is enshrined in
section 22 of the Constitution. It states that –
“The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media
shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in
this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government
to the people”.
This obligation is further reinforced by the right to freedom of
expression and the press contained in section 39 of the Constitution which
provides :
1. “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression,
including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and
information without interference”.
These rights include freedom to own, establish and operate any
medium for the dissemination of ideas and opinion, subject to the power of
government to set down conditions to be fulfilled for the ownership,
establishment or operation of a television or wireless broadcasting station.
The obligation to ensure good governance does not rest with
journalists and government functionaries alone but is one shared by individual
citizens as well. Section 24 of the Constitution in this connection imposes a
duty on every citizen to, among others, help to enhance the power, prestige and
good name of Nigeria and to make positive contributions to the advancement,
progress and well-being of the community in which he resides. A useful tool for
the ordinary person to discharge this duty is the social media which are
readily available and not inhibited by the constraints associated with the
traditional media.
Enhancement of Good Governance Through the Social Media
As a matter of tradition, government officials often operate in an
opaque manner hiding government activities from public knowledge under the
guise of official secrecy. Overcoming the veil of confidentiality deriving from
the Official Secrets Act has been a major challenge to journalists, especially
during military regimes when the fundamental rights guaranteed under the
Constitution were usually suspended. The Official Secrets Act being an inferior
legislation, however, cannot derogate from the freedom of expression guaranteed
under the Constitution in our current democratic dispensation. Accordingly,
journalists whether in the traditional media or social media are free to
operate without any inhibition deriving from the Official Secrets Act. This
imposes a responsibility on journalists to ensure that the news, reports and
opinions which they publish will contribute to, rather than detract from, the
ideals of good governance, and that they eschew all forms of abuses or excesses
that are inimical to the public good.
The social media has many advantages over other forms of media. It
is easily accessible in the sense that the user can get unto one or more of
several platforms relatively easily. Information on the social media is almost
instantaneous and on time. It is faster to disseminate information. It has
higher penetration than other forms and can reach the remotest areas so long as
there is GSM coverage in the locality. It is less dependent on expensive
infrastructure to set up and less susceptible to poor or non-existent
infrastructure such as motorable roads and constant electricity supply. This
may be why many renowned journalists are now establishing their own social
media platforms. These attributes make the social media, if wisely harnessed,
an indispensable tool for government to engage, interact and communicate with
the populace.
The social media has become a powerful platform for electioneering
campaign. It is believed by many that the massive deployment of the social
media by the Goodluck/Sambo Campaign organisation played a big role in the
victory of the Dr Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 presidential election. However,
in the 2015 general election, the tables turned as the APC social media
campaign was much more robust and effective especially in mobilizing votes for
President Mohammadu Buhari among the youth who embraced the change mantra
promised by APC. In the recent US Presidential election, Donald Trump utilized
his Twitter to great effect in neutralising strong opposition to his
candidature by the traditional media and stormed to victory against the odds,
leaving many Nigerian and other supporters of Hillary Clinton in shock and
disbelief. Before Trump, Barack Obama was virtually inseparable from his
Blackberry in his campaign to become the first ever black President in the US
in 2008. Given these experiences and other election upsets from across the
globe it is safe to say that the social media will continue to play an even
greater role in future elections.
Despite the huge benefits of the social media in modern politics
and governance there are formidable drawbacks that have combined to raise
serious concern about the possible disservice of social media to the cause of
good governance. Let us consider some examples of a spate of activities that
have cast a slur on the social media in recent times. Perhaps the most serious
has to do with speculations about the state of health of our President
Muhammadu Buhari and whether he is alive or dead.
1. The social media has been awash with stories citing “reliable sources”
as saying that the President is dead with photos and videos to buttress the
claim. This has been matched by claims to the contrary that the President is
hale and hearty and infact receiving visitors from Nigeria with photos to
equally buttress the claims. Whatever the final outcome, the credibility of the
social media is bound to be damaged.
2.
The display of obscene or
gory images and lack of compassion.
Due to the absence of any checks or censorship on materials posted
on the social media, users are often confronted with obscene and gory materials
without the customary caution on viewer discretion. These postings which often
go viral run against our sense of decency and morality. Equally distressing is
the lack of compassion displayed by members of the public who would rather have
a good clean shot of a victim of accident such as a drowning child or motor
accident victims than lend a helping hand to rescue the victims or offer
relief. I am sure that everyone in this audience has his or her experience of
such postings to tell. Nevertheless, to the journalist there is nothing
abnormal about this because as we are often told, it is bad news that makes the
headlines.
3.
Reporting on Election
Results:
The use or abuse of the social media in elections is another area
of concern. Whereas the Electoral Act contains copious provisions to regulate
the use of media for campaign, these provisions are all directed at the
traditional media – radio, television and newspapers. For instance, whereas
section 99 provides that campaigning in public must end 24 hours before the
date of the election, campaigning on the social media often continues up till
and during the elections. Furthermore, whereas the Electoral Act states who is
the Returning Officer authorised to announce the results in an election, the
social media is usually awash with conflicting election results announcing the
winner, depending on the political preference of those posting the result. The
restraint exercised by the traditional media in this regard is not shared by
the social media. There is, of course, good reason for demanding instantaneous
announcement of results after counting at the end of voting in order to prevent
manipulations of the results which may otherwise occur. This objective has,
however, not been helped by what we now see when widely differing results from
the same unit or collation centres get posted on the social media leaving the
reader bewildered, not knowing who or what to believe.
Reporting on Government Activities
The use of social media for election campaigns has been very
popular in Nigeria and no doubt has achieved tremendous success. Post-elections
however, the use of social media in driving good governance has been less
successful. Governments need to recognise the power of the social media in
promoting good governance and in responding to public enquiries or criticisms.
Sometimes government officials often blame journalists and the media for being
divisive or unfair in their criticisms and not reporting government performance
correctly or truthfully. Governments must recognise that it is primarily their
responsibility to give account of their stewardship to the public; it is not
the obligation of anyone else. As the popular saying goes, if you do not blow
your own trumpet, no one else will. Some reports would be cynical and others
blatantly untrue, no doubt, but Government must face the situation
realistically and come out with its own “correct version” rather than lament
unfair coverage in the social media.
Conclusion
Freedom of expression and all that it entails have long been
recognised as a fundamental human right. Good governance founded on democracy
must therefore recognise and respect the right of the public to know what it is
doing which is to say, it must be transparent and accountable. With
advancements in modern technology particularly in the area of ICT, the
platforms available to the public for receiving and imparting ideas, thoughts
and opinions whether in written form or by audio or video have grown beyond the
traditional media platforms. The social media has opened wide vistas of
opportunities, unimaginable ten years ago, to receive and transmit knowledge
and this would grow more and more in years to come, considering the speed in
technological advancements.
As the social media has brought with it immense benefits and wider
dimensions to journalism and governance so has it come with various forms of
abuses. Disturbed by the spate of these abuses a Senator in 2015 introduced a
Bill which sought to, among other things, punish persons who publish false,
unverified or mischievous information on the social media. Following strident
criticisms of this Bill on the ground that it amounted to unwarranted
censorship and a violation of the Constitutional right to freedom of
information and the press, it was withdrawn by the sponsor. Nevertheless, there
is a need to introduce some safeguards against the abuse of social media to
publish information based on sheer ignorance, half-truths or incomplete
information and outright falsehoods or mischief. To leave the victim only with
the legal redress of suing for libel is often not enough deterrence because of
the difficulty of tracking and identifying the culprit. Even when sued many
such persons will be impecunious and incapable of paying the damages that may
be awarded against them by the court. The litigation itself may well drag on
for an indeterminable number of years. Faced with such unfavourable prospects,
most victims of abuse in the media, traditional or social, simply become
philosophical and develop “thick skin”. I speak here from my own personal
experience.
We may condemn the abuses and excesses of the social media; we can
preach against them but by and large the problems will remain in the
foreseeable future because any attempt to introduce curbs may be construed as
an assault on freedom of expression. But we must admit that freedom without any
form of restraint can be damaging or self-destructive. The challenge is to take
the benefits of the social media without infringing on fundamental freedoms.
The National Assembly in its on-going amendments of the Electoral Act should
extend its definition of the media to include social media, not just the
traditional media alone as is currently the case.
It is instructive to note that a few weeks ago it was reported
that the French media was teaming up with Facebook and Google to check the rise
of fake news on the social media (NTA network news 6 February 2017).
The result of this collaboration will, no doubt, be of global interest.
The bottom line is that we must aim to celebrate and promote the
use of the social media for good governance while minimizing its deleterious
effects.
Thank you for your audience.
