Prof. Chinyere Okunna, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University has called for the recapitalisation of media outfits as was done in the banking sector so that those able to pay salaries are licensed to operate.
She lamented that the non-payment of salaries by media owners is putting a lot of strain on media practitioners, making them susceptible to all sorts of malpractices and unethical conduct.
Speaking at a 2-Day Workshop in Enugu on ‘Best Practices and Professional Reporting of the Electoral Process’, put together by the International Press Centre (IPC) as part of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria, (EU-SDGN), Okunna said that media owners must be compelled to muster a pool of funds, which must be domiciled in banks, and which should be culled as a form of garnishee in the event that such outfits renege in the payment of salaries to journalists.
Speaking on ‘According Ethics and Professionalism Deserved Priority in Reporting Elections’, Okunna said that the code of ethics and professionalism in journalism are not negotiable and cannot be compromised at any cost, adding that there are two options open to a media practitioners – do the job professionally or get out.
She said, “You have to decide where to belong as regards professionalism in reporting because ethics in journalism is not negotiable. It is either you decide to do the job ethically and with best practices or not because truth, accuracy, balanced reporting, impartiality and objectivity are the hallmarks of journalism.”
Okunna, who is the first female professor of mass communication and former head of mass communication of the university, said that because reporters are so powerful and indispensable, no other organ has the power or capacity to make democracy work, enjoining journalists to shun sycophancy and propaganda in their reportage.
