RAYMOND OZOJI reports
The Anambra State Chapter of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) has emphasized the dire need for managers and purveyors of information to be mindful of the contents they dish out to members of the public.
This was the crux of the matter at a one-day summit organised by the association at the Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna Legacy Building Unizik FM, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka with the theme " Communication For Inclusive Development: Connecting Communities And Policy For Sustainable Change."
The summit which featured paper presentations from Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo's Chief Press Secretary Mr. Christian Osagie Aburime and the governor's Special Adviser on Youth Reformation Dr. Nelson Obinna Omenugha, was indeed a veritable platform for interactions as well as cross-pollination of ideas on the best possible ways to communicate undiluted and unbiased truth to the public devoid of concoctions and fabrications.
Addressing participants at the summit, the first female professor of mass communication in subsaharan Africa and current Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) of Paul University Awka, who is also a member of Board of Trustees of ACSPN, Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna, said that citizen journalism and the social media have constituted very serious challenge to ethical journalism.
Okunna stated that the power of the media in setting agenda for public discourse, gate-keeping and framing capabilities can not be overemphasized, noting that an unverified negative news publication which has gone viral on social media platforms could be difficult to retrieve and that damage control for such prejudiced information maybe another hard nut to crack.
She said that the internet has become a powerful tool in modern day journalism but however advised practitioners to be conscious and mindful of the need for verified information before feeding the public with it and not the contrary.
Okunna who was worried about the menace of untrained people who parade themselves as journalists and completely bereft of media ethics, maintained that the journalism profession has become an all comers affair. She therefore appealed to trained media professionals to practice in accordance with the ethics and principles governing the profession.
Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo's Chief Press Secretary Mr. Christian Osagie Aburime who presented a paper at the summit titled " Behind The Headlines: The Realities of Managing Government Communication In The Digital Age" emphasized the urgent need for journalists to practice journalism with the truth it deserves and not to deliberately run people down for temporary pecuniary gains.
Aburime stressed that social media writers and influencers should learn to be factual and practice journalism according to the rules and regulations guiding it, emphasizing the need for verified information and balanced reportage.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Youth Reformation Dr. Nelson Obinna Omenugha, whose paper presentation was an expository on " From Youth Advocacy To Public Policy: Experiences And Lessons In Building A Productive Generation" stressed the need for character reformation and moral rectitude of young people.
Omenugha said that certificates are issued both in character and learning but observed that emphasis are often placed on learning. He said that the summit was an opportunity for him to interact with youths to tell them about the seriousness of character reformation.
He therefore admonished them to devote 40% of their class time emphasizing on character, values and civi responsibility while 60% would be dedicated to their studies.
Meanwhile chairman of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria in Anambra State, Dr. Gideon Nwafor, who is also the Head of Mass Communication Department Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, in his remarks, said that the cardinal message from the summit was youth reformation in the digital age.
Nwafor stated that the summit was used as a communication tool to reengineer and to redirect the minds of youths towards positivity which he said informed the association's decision to bring the Special Adviser on Youth Reformation to speak on government's efforts in reforming youths in the state in the areas of drug abuse, incarcerations and crimes in general.
The ACSPN state chairman who observed that a lot of youths are languishing at correctional facilities across the state, noted that the summit equally X-rayed how policy communication could help in informing the citizenry about government activities through communications.
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